Former Warwickshire all-rounder Paul Smith talks candidly to Stirrer TV about his book "Wasted" click
Medal winning athlete Tanni Grey Thompson introduced a new line for wheelchair users and other disabled people. click
Watch the Stirrer's interviews with Gary Taylor click here and John Madin click here
Rageh Omaar explains why Bush and Blair were good for Bin Laden click
Fred Grove talks to The Stirrer about his battle to keep his house in the face of redevelopment. click
The Stirrer talks to Ron Watts about starting The 100 Club in London 30 years ago click
Excuse our breathless enthusiasm, but we've just seen the presentation for the VTP 200 - the most eye-catching building in Birmingham for years. And yes, it's got us excited. See for yourself why it's got us all aquiver more
Get Out More......................Musical Review
WE WILL ROCK YOU (Birmingham Hippodrome)
04-07-2009
Brian May and Roger Taylor make a surprise appearance during the finale of this musical based on their work with Queen, but what about the rest of the show? Terry Wills goes radio ga ga. more
Get Out More.....................Event News
SUMMER IN WOLVERHAMPTON
04-07-2009
Mock ye not. There’s actually tons going on in Wolvo this summer – South Asian dance, Chitty Bang Bang at the Grand, Ray Lamontagne at the Civic and an exhibition of how children lived in Victorian times. more
THE STAR’S NOT IN THE PINK
03-07-2009
The Stirrer can reveal that Black Country newspaper institution “The Sporting Star” has been quietly dropped and won’t appear next season. It was the last remaining Saturday evening sports paper in the West Midlands following the demise of the Sports Argus three years ago. more
NEW HOMES BACKING FOR CONSERVATION AREA
03-07-2009
Birmingham Council’s planning officers are recommending approval for 16 new houses on the city’s historic Moorpool Estate conservation area – contradicting advice given by English Heritage experts. more
NATIONAL DISTRESS
03-07-2009
Debt-stricken transport operator National Express has already had to give up its East Coast rail franchise - and now, as Kevin Chapman reports, its bus operations in the West Midlands are coming under pressure too. more
Get Out More.............................Gig Review
NEIL SEDAKA
03-07-2009
The American singer songwriter whose career started before Elvis hit the big time made a rare appearance at Symphony Hall on Wednesday. Our own veteran, Terry Wills, watches a master reconnect with his fans. more
SQUARE BASHING IN KINGS HEATH
03-07-2009
Here are the plans for a proposed new village square next to All Saints church in Kings Heath. Public consultation starts at tomorrow's Farmer's Market, but we can give you a sneak preview of the designs. more
Get Out More..............................Event News
THE WORD IS OUT
03-07-2009
Here’s something worth celebrating …a new live literature venue in the Black Country town of Bilston. Café Metro launches its poetry and storytelling evening on Thursday July 23. more
STRAW BIGGS UP PINOCHET
02-07-2009
Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary who once freed human rights abuser Augusto Pinochet, has seen fit to reject Ronnie Biggs application for parole. Shame on him. more
PAPER CUTS LEAVE JOURNOS SORE
02-07-2009
Birmingham Post and Mail journalists are fearful of more cuts after owners Trinity Mirror announced the decision to close nine weeklies yesterday. Meanwhile those who’ve lost their jobs in the latest cull are battling for improved redundancy terms. more
Laurence Inman’s Blog
WACK JOB
02-07-2009
You thought you'd heard all the shocking revelations about Michael Jackson? Not quite - Laurence Inman has another one. more
YAQOOB SHOWS RESPECT FOR OFFICIAL 7/7 VERSION
02-07-2009
Respect Party leader Salma Yaqoob - a leading voice in the West Midlands Muslim community - has rejected claims that the 7/7 bombings in London were caused by a government conspiracy. As we reported yesterday, worshippers at Birmingham Central Mosque were shown in a BBC documentary rejecting the official version. more
Get Out More.....................Event News
JEWELLERY QUARTER CELEBRATION
02-07-2009
There's a chance to discover Birmingham's historic Jewellery Quarter this Saturday, with a collection of family oriented events including a Farmers' Market, and the chance to have a go at coin making. more
JUST A SIMPLE ‘YES’ OR ‘NO’ WILL SUFFICE…
02-07-2009
Lynn Hawthorne wonders why getting a straight answer is so difficult. more
EXTRAS, EXTRAS – READ ALL ABOUT IT
02-07-2009
Midlands movie director Mark Locke has just returned from the States where he filmed the new Dinosaur Jr video – and now he wants your help for a TV pilot he’s shooting over the next two weekends. more
Poet's Corner
THE RAINBOW FIASCO - DUN MOANIN?
02-07-2009
Stirrer poet laureate Brendan Hawthorne comments onthe row over the Rainbow in Digbeth. more
Get Out More.........................Musical Review
THORN BIRDS – THE MUSICAL
02-07-2009
The Alex hosts a musical version of the blockbuster novel. Terry Wills checks out if it’s a theatrical page turner. more
WALSALL OBSERVER CLOSES AS 100 JOBS GO
01-07-2009
Birmingham Post and Mail owners Trinity Mirror have announced plans to close the Walsall Observer as part of cuts affecting around 100 jobs in the Midlands. more
MOSQUE WORSHIPPERS SUPPORT 7/7 CONSPIRACY
01-07-2009
Worshippers at Birmingham Central Mosque were seen on television last night rejecting the official version of the 7/7 bombings –preferring instead the conspiracy theories advanced in a film called The Ripple Effect. more
TARGET PRACTICE
01-07-2009
The government announcement of patients being guaranteed to see a specialist within 2 weeks for suspected cancer fails to impress neurologist Dr David Nicholl. more
ART FOR OUR SAKE?
01-07-2009
Could Birmingham be on the verge of building a major modern art museum to compare with the Tate Modern, MoMA in New York, or Bilbao’s Guggenheim? The city’s cabinet member for Leisure Martin Mullaney certainly thinks so. more
SUPER OR BLOOPER?
01-07-2009
Leading figures in the charity world are calling for smaller organisations to absorb their smaller counterparts to improve efficiency. Pete Millington remains unconvinced. more
Andy’s Balti Blog
SHEREEN KADAH (543 Moseley Road, Balsall Heath)
01-07-2009
No frills but plenty of thrills reports Andy Munro in the latest instalment of his tongue tingling adventures. more
DI MATTEO – OR DOORMATTEO?
01-07-2009
West Bromwich Albion have pulled off a surprise by appointing Roberto Di Matteo to replace Tony Mowbray as manager – but Baggies fans will be hoping he’s not Doormatteo. more
SLEEPING BEAUTY AWAKES
01-07-2009
Fomer Corrie star Lucy Evans (aka Lauren Wilson) washes up in the West Midlands later this year when she appears in the title role of Sleeping Beauty, the Hippodrome's panto. Terry Wills is already enchanted. more
"NO LIBRARY DELAY" PLEDGES COUNCIL
30-06-2009
Birmingham Council has moved to scotch claims by Friends of the Central Library campaigner Alan Clawley that the new building has already slipped behind schedule. more
Birmingham Central Library 1
PLANS FALLING BEHIND
30-06-2009
In yet another exclusive that’s likely to be pinched by other news organisations without crediting us, Birmingham Central Library campaigner Alan Clawley claims a key deadline for the new building has already been missed. more
MOORPOOL BATTLE GOES NATIONAL
30-06-2009
Campaigners fighting to preserve Birmingham’s historic Moorpool estate have won the backing of residents in one of the country’s flagship conservation areas. more
Birmingham Central Library 2
ANOTHER CHAPTER IN THE LIBRARY DEBATE
30-06-2009
Andy Munro is a bold champion for Birmingham’s new central library, and believes the existing one should be bulldozed. Here’s the latest instalment in his spat with the conservationists – and specifically Andy Foster who called John Madin’s building “a great work of architecture”. more
Get Out More......................Gig News
BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL
30-06-2009
Here’s a couple of belters from Birmingham Town Hall – new gigs for the wonderful Sheffield songsmith Richard Hawley and Wolverhampton’s Scott Matthews. more
CONFESSIONS OF A BRUMMIE MUMMY (Part 34)
30-06-2009
Brummie Mummy faces the ordeal of her husband's works 'do'. But at least it means she can weigh up his relationship with the mysterious Stevie. more
Get Out More..................................Film/Events
7” LISTINGS
30-06-2009
Seven Inch cinema, - home of the wondrous Flatpack Festival – offers you the best of the West Midlands thriving “fringe” arts scene, with plenty of mainstream action besides. Watch out in their latest listings for Redditch Film Festival, Digbeth’s Supersonic music spectacular and a Paul “Taxi Driver” Schrader masterclass. more
BIRMINGHAM CHILD SWINE FLU VICTIM
29-06-2009
Health officials have confirmed that a child has died of swine flu in Birmingham - the first fatality arising from the illness in the West Midlands. Reports suggest the victim was a 9-year old girl. more
COPS FILMED PUBLIC "WITH BEST INTENTIONS"
29-06-2009
West Midlands Police have insisted they filmed a public meeting in Birmingham with "the best of intentions" following previous alleged racist incidents. more
BALTI "TRADEMARK" - NOT JUST A PR STUNT, HONEST
29-06-2009
Claims that Birmingham is aiming to trademark the balti may not be as far fetched as they originally seemed - with the City Council confirming today that it will pursue the idea if it's "feasible". And there was us just thinking it was a PR stunt. more
NOT SO CANDID CAMERA
29-06-2009
Mystery surrounds a police decision to film a public meeting of Birmingham Council on Friday night which has prompted fears of Big Brother style surveillance of local government. more
RAINBOW PETITION SUPPORT OUT OF THE BLUE
29-06-2009
Campaigners hoping to secure the future of Digbeth's Rainbow pub have won the support of a surprise backer - Birmingham Conservative councillor Robert Alden. He's put his name to the petition calling on the local authority to drop its noise abatement order against the venue. more
Andy’s Blues Blog
CLOUD NINE, BLUE HEAVEN
29-06-2009
These are possibly more exciting times for Blues fans than they can ever expect come August when the season actually starts. Andy Munro enjoys a rare summer of optimism.more
MUTTERINGS FROM A METAL BASHER
29-06-2009
Smethwick-based metal processing Professional Polishing Services quit Birmingham Chamber of Commerce in disgust last year, after being encouraged (along with other members) to move production abroad. Now director Kirsty Davis has some uplifting news in the depths of the recession. more
NO ORDINARY JOE
29-06-2009
The last time Joe Pasquale was in panto at Birmingham - "the best theatre in the country" - he broke box office records. This winter he'll be back in Sleeping Beauty, and as he tells Terry Wills, he can' wait. more
£16 MILLION ON ROVER REPORT - BUT STILL NO ANSWERS
27-06-2009
The long awaited report into the collapse of MG Rover has finally submitted to the government - four years after the company went under. It cost taxpayers almost £16million, but we still don't know what it says. more
JACKO - THE END WAS NIGH
27-06-2009
A surprise death? Not really reckons Andrew Cowen who reckons Michael Jackson's career already had the look of a fatal car crash. more
BLOGGING FOR IRAN
27-06-2009
Amnesty International is calling on the blogging community to maintain the pressure on Iran's leadership following the recent protests in the country. Here's the latest update from Steve Ballinger in their blogging team. more
JACKO'S "NOT GUILTY" CHILD ABUSE CLAIM
26-06-2009
During a marathon Talksport phone-in dedicated to Michael Jackson who died last night, Uri Geller tells Stirrer editor Adrian Goldberg that he hypnotised the singer to uncover the truth about child abuse allegations. more
Get Out More................................Gig Review
Blur (Wolves Civic, Wednesday)
26-06-2009
A reunited Blur warmed up for their Glastonbury and Hyde Park mega-shows in front of a capacity crowd at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Wednesday night, Steve Beauchampé reports. more
ASHES TO ASHES?
26-06-2009
Warwickshire’s controversial plans to expand Edgbaston recently won government approval – but questions remain about the demand for the game. A quick dabble on Ticketmaster reveals the forthcoming Ashes Test match still hasn’t sold out. more
Get Out More................................Film News
DRAG ME TO HELL
26-06-2009
“Spiderman” director Sam Raimi revisits his “Evil Dead” roots with this hugely enjoyable gorefest. If you’re into horror, you’ll love this. more
Get Out More..............................Gig News
LITTLE BOOTS (Wolves Civic)
26-06-2009
Electropop's great white hope comes to Wolves Civic on October 30th - with tickets on sale this morning at 9am for just a tenner. more
"JERUSALEM NOT MENTIONED IN KORAN"
26-06-2009
Birmingham's Israel Information centre is circulating an uncompromising video in response to Barack Obama's recent speech in Cairo. The film made by Jewish education organisation the Temple Institute suggests Palestinians have no claim on Jerusalem as it was never mentioned in the Koran. more
Get Out More.................................Film Listings
THE LIGHTHOUSE (Wolverhampton)
26-06-2009
Looking For Eric, The Girl Cut in Two and a summer Media School for schoolkids are on the agenda at The Lighthouse in July. more
For earlier articles please see The Stirrer Archive - click here
A TASTE OF SPAGHETTI - Pete Millington is a one-man writing factory. Not content with regular output for The Stirrer, he's found time to pull together the latest edition of his excellent magazine Spaghetti Gazetti, dedicated to local life and culture.
Fred Grove talks to The Stirrer about his battle to keep his house in the face of redevelopment. 
