Friday, 21 July saw the release of 2023’s two biggest movies, Barbie and Oppenheimer, and while we can’t think of any obvious Manc links to the iconic children’s doll and Greta Gerwig’s cinematic take on it, there’s a very real connection between Manchester and Christopher Nolan’s new film.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, Nolan‘s new flick and three-hour-long epic revolves around the life and legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a.k.a. the ‘father of the atomic bomb’, and how he changed the world forever.
A controversial figure in history, for sure, the American theoretical physicist was responsible for inventing the ‘A-bombs’ that were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, and while they were initially intended to be used against the Nazis, that reality never came to be.
However, what Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project team and the US government did may have never been possible were it not for the scientific discovery of the one man right here in Manchester.
J. Robert OppenheimerThe first-ever atomic bombThe aftermath of Hiroshima, 1945‘Fallen in the open’ via Library of Congress (public domain)
For anyone unfamiliar with the name Ernest Rutherford, two decades before Oppenheimer made his ground-breaking achievement, the physicist originally from New Zealand found himself researching radioactivity at none other than our very own University of Manchester.
This proved to be the nucleus of a hydrogen atom and Rutherford had suddenly discovered the subatomic particles known as protons, taking the next step in completing the puzzle of the atomic structure: electrons, protons and neutrons — the lattermost was discovered by his workmate James Chadwick at Cambridge many years later.
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So, even before he went on to become the second-ever person from the Manc institution to become a Nobel laureate for “the disintegration of the elements” (work which led to things like carbon-dating), Rutherford had already created the field we now know as nuclear physics.
Cut to 1938 and the experiments done by Manhattan Project brains of chemists Otto Hahn, Fritz Strassmann and physicists Lise Meitner and Otto Robert Frisch, nuclear fission had now been discovered and in ’39, when WWII had just started, Oppenheimer realised its destructive potential.
Seeing the obvious military applications, the greatest minds across Europe were put together to create a weapon capable of stopping Hitler and ending the war, choosing plutonium and uranium as the elements for weaponising nuclear fission — none of which could have been possible without Rutherford.
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The war might have been drawing towards an end by the time Oppenheimer and co. created the first-ever atomic bombs, but nuclear energy as know it today may not have existed were it not for Ernest Rutherford and the work he carried out at the University of Manchester. No wonder he has a building and a plaque with his name on.
If you want to see what is being called a “devastating” tale of his life and the legacy he left behind, you can see you catch a very special version of Oppenheimer at the VUE Printworks now.
Adored BBC show Peaky Blinders set for return to British for a ‘new generation’
Thomas Melia
The team behind beloved TV series Peaky Blinders have just announced it will be returning to our screens while welcoming some very new faces.
If there’s one thing us Brits love more than a cuppa, it’s a period TV drama, and when you throw generational heartthrob Cillian Murphy into the mix, you’re onto a winner.
This time, Peaky Blinders is gearing up to welcome a new era of Shelbys into the much-loved 20th-century programme that fans will definitely be looking forward to.
The latest announcement from the writer and creator of the show lets fans know they can expect to watch not one but two new series.
Each of the latest instalments will contain six brand new 60-minute episodes and is executive produced by Mr Thomas Shelby himself, Cillian Murphy, alongside a roster of notable industry talents.
An official press release from the BBC confirms these new segments of the show will be set in Britain, 1953, not long after WWII, and see the city of Birmingham undergoing a huge shift, turning to concrete and steel.
Throughout the course of the new seasons, this huge reconstruction becomes a battle, one of “unprecedented opportunity and danger: with the Shelby family right at its blood-soaked heart”.
The mastermind behind the cult classic British TV show, Steven Knight, reveals: “I’m Thrilled to be announcing this new chapter in the Peaky Blinders story.”
Peaky Blinders has gained a cult following, and this new chapter welcomes a whole new era of Shelbys (Credit: GoodFon)
Knight – who is also behind the upcoming Oasis reunion documentary – adds: “Once again it will be rooted in Birmingham and will tell the story of a city rising from the ashes of the Birmingham blitz. The new generation of Shelbys has now taken the wheel, and it will be one hell of a ride”.
The two new and highly anticipated series will be produced by Kudos, who are known for shows such as House of Guinness, Grantchester, as well as Garrison Drama, who have worked on Peaky Blinders series one to six AND the impending film.
It looks like we’ll be getting the feature-length movie before we get this series, and it remains to be seen how the two will knit together with the original show and exactly which characters will be involved on either front.
That being said, we’d be VERY surprised if you didn’t get to see a fair bit of the Peaky patriarch.
With the show having 12 years under its belt already, not to mention still amassing more fans, this very statement has definitely stood the test of time.
Tommy Shelby has become a staple on our screens over the last decade, thanks to the success of Peaky Blinders (Credit: BBC)
How Netflix transformed the Northern Quarter into New York for hit series House of Guinness
Daisy Jackson
House of Guinness, the hotly-anticipated new drama from the creators of Peaky Blinders, has finally hit Netflix – and Manchester has a starring role once again.
Our city is no stranger to doubling up as New York City – it’s done it for Captain America, The Crown, and more recently the Batman spin-off Clayface.
And Netflix came back again last year with film crews transforming the Northern Quarter back into New York.
House of Guinness has whisked audiences back to the 1860s, where the titular Guinness family are ‘on the precipice of greatness’.
For this series – which is sitting at the top of the charts on Netflix this week – Steven Knight has traded in the foggy streets of a Peaky Blinders Birmingham for the back alleys and stately mansions of Dublin, although filming locations are scattered right across the UK.
The eight-part series is set across Dublin and New York, but eagle-eyed viewers will have noticed that it’s our very own cobbles that were used to shoot the scenes in the States.
A House of Guinness chase scene down Dale Street in ManchesterLooking towards the Langley Building on House of GuinnessHouse of Guinness scenes in ManchesterDale Street transformed into a New York market
One particular scene sees a wild-eyed and naive Jack Gleeson (who played Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones) arriving into Bowery in New York City, before being chased through the streets.
The scene opens with him on the corner of Dale Street and Paton Street, with the former turned into a bustling market street complete with colourful awnings and horse and carts.
The buildings in the Northern Quarter were barely changed for House of Guinness – it’s very clearly recognisable as our very own city.
You can even see the gold sign of Eleska House at 58 Dale Street left in shot.
Manchester turned into 19th century New York. Credit: The Manc GroupHouse of Guinness filming transformed the Northern Quarter in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupNetflix crews back in Manchester to film House of Guinness. Credit: The Manc Group
Netflix then used China Lane as a more grubby back street, the beautiful distinctive arched windows of Langley House visible in the background.
The scene wraps up with a dramatic chase down Dale Street (which, weirdly, is exactly what Captain America used it for).
It was a fairly open set when filming of House of Guinness took place in Manchester last year, with Mancs able to see the old market stalls and shop signs used to transport the area back through the centuries, as well as the dirt and cobbles that were used in abundance to cover the modern road markings.
And that’s not all – filming also took place in parts of Stockport, and Tatton Park leant its library in the Mansion and conservatory in the Gardens as filming locations too.
Danny Jones -
21st July 2023 
