Commercials are full of people like you and TV/film producers want REAL PEOPLE, not posh drama school graduates. However, unless you’ve been to stage school or had some kind of formal training, it’s hard to be yourself on camera. That’s where Manchester Television Workshops comes in.
MTW take people from all walks of life and teaches them acting skills and industry secrets that gives them everything they need to get work in the industry. They are all about diversity, so classes are open to everyone.
MTW only take people into workshops who they feel have potential, and offer an introductory class completely FREE OF CHARGE – it gives you the chance to show what you can do and to see if you like what they do!
Have you an idea, a project, a band, a practice that wants to try things out? Are you an artist, a musician, a maker, a geek? Nico Ditch has the space, you have the smarts, time to make great things happen!
Click the link above for more details and to get in touch via Instagram.
Are you a young person looking to make an impact while developing professional media skills? We Belong is recruiting 5 new team members to help produce their acclaimed podcast, Migrant Moods.
What You’ll Gain
Professional podcasting and media experience
Enhanced storytelling, speaking, and editing skills
Opportunity to turn your ideas into real episodes
Hands-on experience with audio/visual editing and social media content creation
Connection to an amazing team supporting young migrants across the UK
How to Participate
Location: Based in London or Manchester
Time: 12 hours/month commitment for one full season
Meetings: Remote participation twice monthly for script writing, planning, and marketing
Ready to Join?
Complete the application questionnaire on Typeform
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a brief interview
Our acclaimed DJ Sessions are one of the most popular free creative courses at Reform throughout the year. Over the course of the project, participants get hands-on experience in the likes of beat-matching, self-promotion and sourcing gig opportunities.
This project is kindly funded by MAES, and takes place across two weeks. The programme closes with a celebratory showcase. Lunch and travel is provided.
For the full information on how to get involved in our next round of DJ Sessions, check the flyer below.
Hop behind the scenes of one of our DJ Sessions in the video below.
Meet Erika that took part in our last programme who chatted to us about what she’ll be taking from it moving forward here.
Find out about our other free creative courses here. If you like the look of them, get in touch with our lovely Engagement Team on projects@reformradio.co.uk to get involved.
This year has been filled with so many exciting projects and partnerships for us. On Reform Radio’s 12th birthday, we thought we’d take the opportunity to reminisce over the past year. Let’s get into it…
Our Skills Bootcamp courses, funded by GMCA and GM Work and Skills, invited over 100young creatives through our doors. These participants had the opportunity to work with major clients such as Band On the Wall, Parklife, Blossom Foundation, and West Art Collective. Also, thanks to our amazing mentors, Skills Bootcamp attendees continue to receive support for six months post-project.
As we transitioned to DAB radio earlier last year, we have been exploring the need for censorship within live broadcasts. We asked ourselves questions to further understand the intricacies of censorship, such as, if and when is it appropriate to play a word that can be equally offensive and empowering? We took to our airwaves to open this discussion in a productive and informative manner. You can listen to this pivotal open forum below.
We teamed up with We Out Here Festival to curate and deliver a lineup for their WOH Radio Stage. They also joined us on the Reform Radio airwaves for multiple exclusive shows. To get a deeper insight into what We Out Here is all about and how we collaborated with them, take a look at their short documentary ‘Amplifying Voices’. This film beautifully encapsulates ‘The Power of Community Radio’.
Beyond The Music is another festival we curated a lineup for. This local festival brings music and energy to Manchester’s City Centre. We featured some amazing local DJs and some of our very talented DJ Sessions graduates.
Our most recent stage takeover was hosted at The Old Fire Station in Salford for the Sounds From The Other City festival on May 4th. Read more about our day of partying via our blog post here.
We were a production partner on BBC Sounds’ Audio Lab project, which empowered a young creator to bring their podcast idea to life. A big congratulations to Mia Thornton for creating ‘Instrumental’, a podcast which amplifies the influence of black artists on Britain’s favourite music genres. This 6-part series featured guests including Clara Amfo and DJ Paulette. Some of the episodes were aired on BBC 6 Music. Listen to all the episodes on BBC Sounds here.
Our podcasting team also produced a BBC Bitesize GCSE History podcast about Elizabeth I. In this revision series, Alice Loxton and Anouska Lewis uncover the history and hardships of this famous female monarch. Listen here.
The Get Up, our weekday breakfast show hosted by Yelena Lashimba, featured some exciting new segments, including industry adviceinterviews, guest mixes and getting to know the Reform Radio team. Some of Yelena’s guests over the past year include, Craig David, Andy Burnham, Efia Mainoo & THT GRL from Not Bad For A Girl.
We celebrated Record Store Day this year with a special programming of vinyl-only sets on April 12th. Also, we spoke to the lovely team at Vinyl Exchange about their preparations and predictions for the day. In store, they kindly played the exclusive programming as their customers browsed RSD away. After all, our lineup included one of their very own, Ailsa of Living Room Dance Club.
In the lead up to the MTV EMAs, we were a community partner for Paramount’s Content For Change event at New Century Hall. There was an amazing array of guests, panels and networking opportunities. We had so much fun getting to interview some amazing people.
Well, what a year it has been! A big shoutout and massive thanks to our amazing team at Reform, our DJs, artists, Advisory Board, young people and audience for making Reform what it is today. Here to another great year and many, many more!
At this year’s Sounds From The Other City festival, the team at Reform Radio worked hard to deliver a top-notch lineup for our takeover at The Old Fire Station in Salford on the 4th of May.
The general vibe at SFTOC this year was next level as they celebrated their 20th birthday. Perfect weather and a vast array of talent across all the venues attracted a bubbly and bustling crowd.
SFTOC took over pubs, restaurants, clubs and more sites all around the City of Salford. Our home for the day was The Old Fire Station pub, situated directly across from the ticket station at Salford University.
As guests stepped into our brightly decorated venue, a perfectly placed bar greeted them, inviting them to grab a drink before hitting the dance floor. The music flowed from the DJ station at the other end of the oblong-shaped room, seeping outside through the open doors too. The warm weather made for a perfect al fresco listening experience.
These acts brought everything including disco, bashment, cumbia, dancehall, house, UK funky, techno and jungle – what more could you want on a sunny bank holiday Sunday?
Even better, in case you missed out or want to listen back to your favourite set of the day, all Reform Radio performances were recorded and are now available to stream on our website here.
Thank you, SFTOC, for having us – it’s always a pleasure to party with you. Here’s to another 20 years of more music and more fun!
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, our Wellbeing Manager and in-house trained psychotherapist, Dan, is taking over the Reform Radio blog. When it comes to mental wellbeing and self-awareness, it can feel like a hard-to-navigate minefield. In this post, Dan invites us to expand our understanding of ourselves by asking ourselves just 5 questions. Here they are, straight from the therapist’s mouth…
Am I treating thoughts as facts?
Thoughts are not facts – perhaps an obvious statement, yet so easily forgotten in the moment. We jump to conclusions and panic, we assume what others are thinking and don’t dare check, we make predictions like they’re ‘going out of fashion’ (this a prediction in itself!) and then lose opportunities. Consider your thoughts carefully. Thoughts that give rise to uncomfortable emotions can often be distorted. What is the evidence for your thought?
Am I relying on ‘Emotional Reasoning’?
Emotional Reasoning is when we rely solely on our feelings to assess the situation. Sure, trusting our gut can be helpful. However, remember, feelings in themselves are rarely able to offer a detailed account of reality. For example, feeling guilty doesn’t automatically make us guilty! Feeling hopeless does not make it hopeless! Feeling shame does not mean we are shameful. Notice your feelings and consider if it is helpful to consider the facts before reacting.
Am I ‘Shame Savvy’?
Guilt is what we might feel because we did something bad. Shame is what we feel because we are bad (or so shame would have you believe). It is one of the most intolerable emotions. Shame makes itself known with “I am …” thoughts that don’t just tell you that there is a problem, or that you created a problem, it tells you YOU are the problem. “I am bad, I am inadequate, I am stupid, I am not good enough” are all signs that shame has crept up on you. When we’re not ‘shame savvy’ by naming shame for what it is (a feeling – not a conclusive character assessment) we can avoid the many barriers it presents to being our authentic selves, taking accountability, feeling enough, and much more.
Am I playing it too safe?
If there’s one thing our mind is great at it’s getting us to avoid the uncomfortable. Of course, it makes sense – as far as our primitive brain is concerned, comfort = safety! Just one problem –discomfort is so often not only a component in the process of personal growth, but conductive to it! Always playing it safe only serves to rob us of fulfilling our potential. In moments where you are invited to rise to a challenge ask yourself: “What matters to me most right now? Avoiding short-term discomfort? Or doing something to support my personal growth?”. Remember, often we can’t do both at the same time.
Am I setting healthy boundaries?
How we set boundaries has a huge impact on the quality and health of our relationships and our mental health. But how often do you say “yes” when you think you should be saying “no”. How often do you take accommodations that feel unfair? Avoid addressing behaviour you don’t feel comfortable with? Poor boundary setting does not make a person “nice”, or “easy going”. In fact, it so often leads to unpleasantness and difficulties down the line, for one or all of those in the relationship. Remember, people who want healthy relationships want you to communicate your boundaries, so they know what is acceptable or not in your relationship. If someone persistently disregards your boundaries, reacts unpleasantly to them, or guilt-trips you for setting them in the first place it may be worth considering whether or not that person can truly offer a healthy and equal relationship.
Listen back to Dan’s recent conversation on The Get Up below.
We had an eclectic group of musicians develop their artistry on our Music Course at Reform Radio (funded by MAES). Whether first-timers or new artists looking for guidance, all the participants worked over two weeks to write and produce a song. Expert help from our Reform Radio mentors, Alex, Femi and Les, led these budding creatives towards their end goal, where they had the opportunity to play their new song live on Reform Radio’s airwaves. The sheer talent and passion from our attendees on this Music Course can be experienced via their ‘Quest For Groove’ show, where they let you into this new, exciting chapter of their musical careers.
Listen below.
We caught up with two members of the groovy crew at the end of their course to see how they developed over their time here:
Please can you introduce your name, and pronouns, and tell us a bit about what you like getting up to in your free time?
S: Hi, I’m Sakinah (she/her). I am a classically trained actress, but I’ve always had this hidden hobby for music. Music is something I’m in love with, it has saved my life. I love to listen to sounds like R&B, Ragga, Jazz and Hip-Hop. Hip-hop is my therapy. My goal is to make a lot of music and perform onstage.
J: My name is James (he/him). I’m a folk and soul singer-songwriter. I always grew up around music, and even when I wasn’t consciously looking for it, it became a part of my life. I love old soul music. Otis Redding is my favourite singer in the world. I have an eclectic taste, I love bits of everything. My end goal is to share music and help people with mental health – hopefully they can relate to my songs and put people in a better place.
Describe yourself in 3 words.
S: Tranquility, fun, light.
J: Unique, honest, brave.
If you were stuck on a desert island with a record player, what record would you want to have with you to listen to?
S: ‘I Will Always Love You’ by Whitney Houston.
J: One song that’d keep me going is ‘Dry The Rain’ by The Beta Band.
Did you have much musical experience before? If so, what’s your favourite thing about making music?
S: I’ve mainly got acting experience. But my sister said to me when I was sixteen that I can’t sing, so I thought that I was never going to be able to do that. So I always hid behind dance and acting when truthfully, I’m a little superstar who loves singing!
J: I went to college to study music performance. But from growing up around music, I have developed an eclectic music taste. Music for me is about expression, you can really express how you feel; express soul and love and even unhappiness. Most sad things turn out beautiful in music. After studying music for three years at college, I really realised that this is my life. I like performing and feeling the soul and feeling a buzz. I don’t really feel that when I wake up, but when I’m onstage I feel something – I don’t know what it is but it’s something that keeps me going.
What prompted you to get involved with the Music Course?
S: I’ve come on this course to get confident being around other people who are creative in this music bubble. I just wanted to be able to feel confident. I want to create something and share it because I feel like loads of people are gonna relate to me. I’m supposed to make these songs to help people. I love healing the world, so this is my method of doing that.
J: I’m unemployed because I want to work in the music industry and it’s something that you can’t really just walk into. So, I was at the job centre talking about my music, and Damian, who’s very good, directed me to this course. It’s been really good, this course has helped me so much. It has taught me so much and shown me how music is important to me.
Let’s throw it back to your first day at Reform versus now, tell me a bit about your first impressions/feelings/emotions in comparison to how you feel now. What has changed?
S: I came here with an open mind, receptive to anything that was asked of me. I’ve got more clarity and confidence now because I’ve been able to practice what I do in front of people and have feedback, which I never had before.
J: Coming from college, I always found there was a lot of pressure to be a certain way. So I said to myself, “I’m going to come in here with a mindset that just wants to learn and grow with other people.” It’s been really chill, and I’ve met a lot of nice and creative people who genuinely care about the soul of music. People who care about the journey and not the destination. At college, it wasn’t like that. Alex and Femi are absolutely phenomenal, I’ve learned so much from them already.
What’s your go-to album to listen to after a long day?
S: When I’m creating, I don’t listen to any other artists. I only listen to frequency music. Because if I listen to them now, I’m potentially going to try and sound like them, and I can’t afford to do that because it’s important that I keep my originality. But when I’m not creating, I listen to Janet Jackson (‘That’s The Way Love Goes’), Lauryn Hill, and Missy Elliott.
J: For me, that’s easy, I’m going to say ‘Otis Blue’ by Otis Redding. It’s got some really beautiful and calm melodies and some more upbeat melodies. Every time I listen, I think, “That’s my man Otis Redding”. I love that man.
Do you have any musical role models that inspire your practice and why?
S: Beyonce, because she does this thing, that when she’s creating a world and a body of art, she’s drawing from all these different elements and she’s using that to be the foundation of the art. Everything she does is calculated. She’s not putting anything together just because it looks good.
J: My dad. He’s been singing in bands all his life. Without him, I would not be the musician I am today. I’m very lucky because my mum and dad play great music. My dad taught me the basics of the guitar. He is my music hero.
What will you take from the Music course moving forward & what are your plans from here onwards?
S: I want to perform. I want to do festivals and concerts and support artists; writing and write for people. With my whole new lease of life, I just want to live it. I want to get onstage and share to the masses.
J: Keep creating music. I need to start up a social media page for it. I’m not a big fan of social media, but I know it’s important if I want to raise my music awareness. I want people to see it! I’d love to work in the industry facilitating music courses for disabled people.
To find out about our future projects at Reform Radio, sign up to our Projects newsletter here.
Up-and-coming rapper Sindysman joined us in the studio for Jorgy & Cheech’s show in April. However, he did not bring the energy alone with Frankie Strange by his side. The duo hopped on the beat with their unique rap style. This live feature on Jorgy & Cheech’s show couldn’t have come at a better time for Sindysman, with his most recent song release, ‘Sharkboy‘ coming out ahead of a 42-track album entitled DOGTOOTH (set to be released on the 28th of May). Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for this exciting new music to come!
