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Truth or Legend: the case of the Notts Whomobile

Matthew Blaney, our resident investigator of Notts weird history, delves into the story of Dr Who's car which was created in 1970s Notts...

Theatre review: Midsommer Murders at Theatre Royal is a classic who dunnit with a set stage twist

Nostalgia and crime merge in Midsommer Murders, currently showing at Theatre Royal...

Out of Time: The bank robbers who escaped history

Back in 1970, two daring heists in the Nottingham area lasted minutes, left clues behind, but never led to arrests – could the two be connected? 

Wednesday Walkthrough With Ntu Ba Fine Art Students

Ten UoN and Trent alumni who went on to be famous

September is the month that our city welcomes back the students after the summer break. Around 50,000 university students live in Nottingham each year and many of them end up doing remarkable things during and after their time here. Here’s ten former students from each of our local universities whom you may have heard of or recognise for what they’ve done after they graduated…

Whose streets are they anyway? How street art crossed the pond from New York to the East Midlands

Graffiti, tags, murals, stenciling, paste-ups… street art is a diverse artform with many subcategories and styles. While some might deride the practice under the blanket term of vandalism, for proponents of the artform, taking art out of the gallery and into the streets is about civil disobedience, ownership of space, and creative expression outside of the mainstream. We dip into the origins of graffiti in NYC and speak to artist Richie ‘Pops’ Baker about how the medium came to Nottingham in the 1980s…

Meeting local actor Charles Evans, who's running a backwards marathon for charity

In an effort to raise money for Autism East Midlands, a local charity supporting autistic people and their families, Notts local - Charles Evans - a creative, an actor, and autistic person himself takes on part challenge, part statement: a backwards marathon that’s as much about community and visibility as it is about proving that difference is strength. We spoke to Charles about his mission to celebrate neurodiversity and Out Of Order, a documentary being made about his training and self-discovery…

Under the microscope: who won NTU's Images of Research competition 2025?

What is this intriguing image you may ask? No, it’s not a distant vision of our universe or a throwback to an early 2000s screensaver. Each year the talented researchers at Nottingham Trent University – at which 86% of research is classed as world-leading or internationally excellent – are asked to submit one photo of their discoveries to the annual Images of Research competition. 

This year’s winner is Shraddha Bajpai, a Research Assistant in the School of Science and Technology, who took viewers deep into our genetic make-up with her image, Last Duct Standing.

Our house: inside the communities who are bringing co-operative living to Nottingham

Established in 2001, Neds is a housing co-operative in Nottingham, where members live in a large Victorian house and former pikelet factory. There’s a good chance that sentence raised a few questions for you… What is a housing co-operative? Is it a commune? Who’s Ned? … and what’s a pikelet? We’ll get to most of these questions shortly. But to answer the last one: it is a thin crumpet. Matteo D’Alesio finds out more…

Whole Lotta Shakin' - the Shakin' Stevens Story

Blue therapy: we learn about wild swimming with Whole Health at Colwick Park

In recent years the mental and physical health benefits of immersion in water have gained lots of attention across the country. Since 2019 wild-swimming group Whole Health have sought to disseminate those benefits to as many people as possible, leading open-water swimming and sauna sessions at Colwick Park. Frances Danylec visited West Lake to meet founders Cat and Wales.

We hear from The Sherwood People’s Forest who are bringing the greenery of our northern woodlands a bit closer to the city

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit,” so goes the Greek proverb. Nottingham is a county known worldwide for the leafy Sherwood Forest, but for several years plans have been afoot to create the Sherwood People’s Forest to bring the greenery of our northern woodlands a bit closer to the city. Organiser Sarah Manton tells us more…

Who do you think you are? We meet the experts tracing George the Gorilla at Wollaton Hall

Most long-term residents of Nottingham will at the very least be aware of George the Gorilla: a well-loved taxidermy exhibit residing in the natural history museum at the heart of Wollaton Park. But what kind of animal is he, really, and where does he come from? A newly-formed collective of scientists and heritage specialists at the Uni of Nottingham set out to answer these questions. In doing so, they hope that visitors to the museum will see the exhibit, and the site as a whole, in a whole new light... 

The Spys Who Ruined Our Lives

We speak to University of Law Nottingham students about their experience of offering free legal advice to the community

Nottingham’s blessed with world-renowned universities, but there’s one you might not know about - The University of Law (ULaw). Opening their Nottingham city campus in 2019, they offer law-specific courses for those looking to get into the profession. ULaw does plenty for the wider Notts community too, by offering pro bono (without charge) services, where students can get hands-on experience whilst being supported by practising lawyers. We paid a visit to find out more from some of the law students hoping to make a difference in the world…

Bearing Fruit: We hear from Fruit Market, who are providing low-energy homes and community-first architecture in Sneinton Market

A once crumbling Sneinton Market has become a thriving new neighbourhood of independent businesses. Providing low-energy homes with considerate, community-first architecture, Fruit Market is the next chapter in a story of local organic regeneration

Ebenezer Cobham Brewer: The Victorian writer from Notts who created his own dictionary

For more than 150 years, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable has been a prized possession for imaginative authors. In a house near Sherwood Forest, we remember the man who first wrote it…

Claudia Martínez Garay, Wakchakuna / We Who Share Everything and Nothing

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World

NTU and White Rose Offer Free Professional Wardrobes for Students

Nottingham Trent University has joined forces with popular charity clothing shop chain, White Rose, to launch the UK’s first ever professional student wardrobe, aimed at helping to empower students to get out into the working world. But what does a wardrobe have to do with career support? We popped along to a very special launch event and fashion show at NTU to find out more.

Children's Book Review: The Whale Who Disappeared

Emma Oldham gives us a sense of Porpoise in her impassioned new tale for young readers...

We Speak to Paul Leatham, the Man Who Handcrafts Gratitude Guardians in His Garden Studio

Around the streets of Sherwood, something magical is happening. Hidden in the cracks of walls, nestled in bushes, and sat on park benches, these Gratitude Guardians are benevolently watching over us all and keeping you safe. We spoke to Paul Leatham, who has been handcrafting the cute critters in his garden studio for the past three years...

The Thompsons on Doctor Who, King Charles III and Local Cheese

Nottingham's most opinionated grocers on...

Theatre Review: The Boy Who Cried Wolf at Lakeside Arts

A warm hearted wintery tale for youngsters...