Teenage Wildlife Podcasts
Teenage Wildlife Podcasts
This series of podcasts takes a deeper dive into some of the themes and topics that came up throughout the Teenage Wildlife HAZ project. Using the participants own words, collected via one-to-one oral history interviews, group conversations and themed workshops, this series explores a people’s experiences of teenage life in Barnsley from the 1950s to the present day.
- Secondary School
- Pop Music, Radio, Records and Charts
- College, Careers and Aspirations on Leaving School
- Free-time, Hobbies and Interests
- Teen Fashion
- Part-time Jobs
- Nightlife
- Now and Then
Episode 1 - Secondary School - Teenage Wildlife
Interviewees remembered their time at secondary school in Barnsley from the 1960s to 2010s with subjects such as lessons, uniform, attitudes to teaching and learning, bullying and the school system being discussed.
00:54 Stuart (1960s) Holgate Grammar School
01:45 Susan (1960s) Barnsley Girls High School
02:50 David (1960s) Wombwell High School
03:41 Wayne (1960s) Kendray Oaks
04:33 Linda (1960s) Barnsley Girls High School
05:15 Kath (1970s) St Helen’s Secondary Modern
06:42 Tony (1980s) White Cross
07:46 Beverley (1980s) Barnsley Girls High School
08:09 Michaela (1980s) Penistone
09:03 Louise (1980s) Broadway
09:35 John (2010s) Horizon Community College
Contains moderate bad language
Memories of secondary schools in Barnsley from 1960s-present. Interviews recorded as part of the Barnsley Teenage Wildlife in conjunction with the wider High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) Project with Barnsley Council and Historic England.
Episode 2 - Pop music, Radio, Records and Charts - Teenage Wildlife
Interviewees talked about their music taste and listening habits from the 1960s to 2010s with subjects such as the Top Ten and the charts, first record, favourite radio stations and favourite record shops in Barnsley being discussed.
00:52 Stuart (1960s) Memories of listening to the Radio, buying NME in Lodges newsagents
01:56 David (1960s) First record, developing an interest in music, first gigs at The Civic on Eldon Street
02:28 Susan (1960s) Neal’s Record Shop and Casa Disco
03:08 Catherine (1970s) Charts and Top Ten
03:53 Kath (1970s) Charts, saving up for records, dancing at The Civic
04:28 Dave (1980s) Interest in music, making friends through music
05:24 Tony (1980s) Influence of The Jam, making friends through music
06:16 Michaela (1980s) Buying records, record shops in Barnsley
06:50 Andrea (1980s) Ghetto blasters, Top Ten, first single
07:40 Jason (1990s) Interest in music, friends, record shops in Barnsley
09:09 Taryn (1990s) Music and friends
09:52 Outro
Memories of pop music, radio, records and charts from 1960s-present. Interviews recorded as part of the Barnsley Teenage Wildlife in conjunction with the wider High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) Project with Barnsley Council and Historic England.
Episode 3 - College, Careers & Aspirations on Leaving School - Teenage Wildlife
Interviewees talk about what happened when they left school. For some, it was sixth form college, some people took a gap year and others found full -time employment straight way. Subjects discussed include aspirations and encouragement given at school, the different options and opportunities available, and reflection on what those choices meant.
00:51 Linda (1960s) Opportunities and expectations on leaving school, Sixth Form College at Barnsley Girls High School
01:27 David (1960s) Family expectations to find a the right job, failing the Yorkshire Bank exam, finding employment and subsequent career
02:40 Susan (1960s) Aspirations, teacher training college
03:19 Wayne (1960s) Reflections on being a teenager and entering the world of work
03:53 Catherine (1970s) Getting a ‘good job’
04:26 Tony (1980s) Options for lads leaving school
05:07 Kath (1970s) Opportunities for comprehensive school leavers
05:54 Dave (1980s)
06:28: Beverley (1980s_
07:15 Simon (1980s) TEC, going to work at the Pit
07:56 David (1980s) Barnsley Art College
08:35 Eleanor (1980s) Leaving school early to work as a dancer
09:10 Michaela (1980s)
10:34 Taryn (1990s) A levels, gap year, Bretton Hall
Memories of options, aspirations and decisions made on leaving school from 1960s-present. Interviews recorded as part of the Barnsley Teenage Wildlife in conjunction with the wider High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) Project with Barnsley Council and Historic England.
Episode 4 - Free time, hobbies and interests - Teenage Wildlife
Interviewees talk about how they spent their free time as teenagers, as well as favourite hobbies and interests. Subjects discussed include teen hangouts, ‘mucking about’ outside, youth clubs, playing music, performing arts, sports, football, outdoor pursuits, and cinema.
00:51 Wayne (1960s) Youth club, ‘mucking about’ outdoors
02:05 Susan (1960s) Gilbert & Sullivan, Operatic Societies. Teen hangouts in Barnsley Town Centre
03:20 Stuart (1960s) Playing guitar and playing in bands
04:01 David (1960s) Football, cricket, youth club, cinema
04:51 Catherine (1970s) Phone boxes, ‘hanging about’
05:47 Tony (1980s) Playing out, youth club, football
06:53 Dave (1980s) Playing guitar, playing in bands
07:31 Beverley (1980s) Dancing classes with Mavis Burrows, shows and pantos at Barnsley Civic
08:14 Jason (1990s) Cinema, shopping in town centre, playing in a band, Barnsley ‘Battle of the Bands’
09:11 Taryn (1990s) Dancing classes with PADS, outdoor pursuits
10:14 Jess (2010s) Mandela Gardens, cinema
Memories of free time, hobbies and interests from 1960s-present. Interviews recorded as part of the Barnsley Teenage Wildlife in conjunction with the wider High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) Project with Barnsley Council and Historic England.
Episode 5 - Teen Fashion - Teenage Wildlife
Interviewees talk about their fashion and style choices as teenagers. Subjects discussed include favourite places to shop and buy clothes, fashion influences and icons, the link between music and fashion, wider cultural influences and personal taste.
00:51 Susan (1960s) Dressmaking in Barnsley, Singer Sewing shop and Barnsley Markey. Teen fashion icons, clothes and make-up, the Mary Quant look
02:01 Wayne (1960s) Men’s fashion in the 60s, the early ‘Mod’ look
03:16 Linda (1960s/70s) Buying clothes from Barnsley Market, magazines and make-up
04:03 Catherine (1970s) Barnsley Market, getting ready to go out, personal look
05:09 Tony (1980s) The ‘Mod’ look, influence of Paul Weller, buying fashion in London and Barnsley
06:28 David (1980s) Lack of gay role models in the 1980s, influence of music on the fashion of the 80s
07:14 Louise (1980s) Music and fashion
07:29 Michaela (1980s) Fashion influences, changing style throughout the teen years
08:19 Taryn (1990s) Music and fashion, the ‘Indie’ look
09:12 Jason (1990s) Shopping at Army Stores, the ‘Goth’ look
Memories of teen fashion from 1960s-present. Interviews recorded as part of the Barnsley Teenage Wildlife in conjunction with the wider High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) Project with Barnsley Council and Historic England.
Episode 6 - Part-time Jobs - Teenage Wildlife
Interviewees talk about the jobs they had as teenagers.
00:47 Maureen (1960s)Saturday girl then apprentice at Leslie France hairdressers, Eldon Street
02:37 Wayne (1960s) Summer job in a hotel in Blackpool
03:30 Susan (1960s) Saturday girl at Barnsley Library on Eldon Street
04:33 Linda (1960s/70s) Algy the stocking man on Barnsley Market, Saturday girl at Benjamin Harrals on Eldon Street
05:57 Catherine (1970s) Apprentice at Leslie Frances hairdressers
06:59 Tony (1980s) Worked at Red Lion pub, paper round
07:25 Simon (1980s) Babysitting, paper round, Pools coupons
07:42 Taryn (1990s) Taxi office, Regents Park and Hedonism nightclubs
Memories of part-time jobs from 1960s-present. Interviews recorded as part of the Barnsley Teenage Wildlife in conjunction with the wider High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) Project with Barnsley Council and Historic England.
Episode 7 - Nightlife - Teenage Wildlife
Interviewees remember nights out and nightlife during their teen years from 1960s to the 00s. Subjects discussed include live music venues, pubs and clubs, specialist nights, dances and discos.
00:47 Stuart (1960s) Music venues and pubs in the Town Centre, playing gigs with his band around town
01:47 Susan (1960s) Dinner dances at the Arcadian and the Queen’s Hotel on Eldon Street
02:58 David (1960s) Barnsley Folk Club at the Centenary Rooms, Civic Hall
03:23 Linda (1960s/70s) Teens & Twenties disco, gigs and watching wrestling at the Civic on Eldon Street
04:11 Kath (1970s) Popular pubs, watching live music. School discos and youth clubs, dancing
04:54 Tony (1980s) First gig at The Civic on Eldon Street
05: 49 David (1980s) with Jason (1990s) Art College discos at the Centenary Rooms in The Civic. Safe spaces for gay community in Barnsley
06:53 Simon and Dave (1980s) The ‘Nash’ (National Reserve) venue. Heavy metal and nights out
07:49 Taryn (1990s) Regents Park, nights out
08:51 Jason (1990s) Town centre pubs, student night at Regents Park and Hedonism. Live music scene in Barnsley.
10:30 Faith (2000s) The Room, Chicago Rock
Memories of the nightlife scene for teenagers in Barnsley from 1960s-present. Interviews recorded as part of the Barnsley Teenage Wildlife in conjunction with the wider High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) Project with Barnsley Council and Historic England.
Episode 8 - Now and Then - Teenage Wildlife
Interviewees reflect on their views of being a teenager now compared to their own experience. Subjects include the influence of the internet and social media, activism and politics, the global situation and current affairs, the sense freedom and exposure to different things, mental health, the impact of the Covid lockdown, current culture/attitudes and how that affects today’s teens.
00:49 David (1960s) Access to information, reliability of media available
01:40 Catherine (1970s) Pressure to go to university, debt and life learning
02:47 Eleanor (1980s) The impact and influence of social media and the internet. Change in the active and social lives of teens
03:38 Tony (1980s) Current global issues facing teens, politics and activism
05:27 Michaela (1980s) Improvement in youth services, changing attitudes to LGBTQ+ communities, mental health
06:41 Andrea (1980s/90s) Freedom, viewpoint as a parent, politics and activism, the impact of social media
08:21 Taryn (1990s) Personal records, internet exposure and social media
09:10 Jason (1990s) Mental health. Impact of social media. Lockdown, lack of connection to place.
Reflections of interviewees thinking about how the teenage experience nowadays compares to their own from 1960s-present. Interviews recorded as part of the Barnsley Teenage Wildlife in conjunction with the wider High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) Project with Barnsley Council and Historic England.
