0:00:03 > 0:00:04Hello and welcome to Inside Out North West,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07with me Dianne Oxberry.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Tonight, we investigate the support veterans get for addiction
0:00:11 > 0:00:13and alcoholism once they've left the forces and revisit the country's
0:00:13 > 0:00:18first specialised rehab centre.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20While they are in the forces, they find everything
0:00:20 > 0:00:22they wanted, really - belonging, purpose, direction.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25When they come out, they get lost in the system.
0:00:25 > 0:00:32A concrete monstrosity or modern classic?
0:00:32 > 0:00:35We ask if that Wall in Manchester's Piccadilly Gardens could come down.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Tadao Ando, the architect of the Pavilion, is a world-class
0:00:37 > 0:00:41architect and we should be very proud to have his work in our city.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43I don't think many Mancunians would agree with me.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46And does the world of theatre reflect our diverse society?
0:00:46 > 0:00:48We go behind the scenes of the first fully accessible play
0:00:48 > 0:00:51at the Royal Exchange Theatre?
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Some people don't lift their arms up, say, higher than this.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58So you can't get into the a dress like this.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11It's been described as the last taboo in the British military
0:01:11 > 0:01:17but the misuse of drugs and alcohol among ex forces personnel is leading
0:01:17 > 0:01:19to these once-proud servicemen and women sleeping rough
0:01:19 > 0:01:21and serving time in prison.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24The problem is being tackled by the country's first
0:01:24 > 0:01:28specialised rehab centre, which has been set up in Liverpool.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Thomas Harrison House claims they can succeed where mainstream
0:01:31 > 0:01:33treatment centres have failed.
0:01:33 > 0:01:40A group of former soldiers enjoying a night out in Liverpool.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43But they've more than their past service in common.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46They're not drinking, because each one of them is a graduate
0:01:46 > 0:01:49of Thomas Harrison House, the UK's first rehab centre
0:01:49 > 0:01:53especially for veterans.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Does it bother you that you're not drinking tonight?
0:01:55 > 0:01:59Honestly, no. It doesn't.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Because that tastes nicer than alcohol.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08The best thing I ever did was put a drink down.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11You know, life doesn't revolve around a drink, I don't think,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13and I used to think that it did.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15But obviously not.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Chris Newton joined the army when he was 17.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22He was an infantry soldier in the Kings Own Royal Border regiment.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24His five-year career would take him all over the world,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28including a tour of Northern Ireland.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32But an IRA bombing of his barracks would trigger the end of his career.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35I thought I was going to die that night.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40I thought I was going to die.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42I thought my time, it was up.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46I thought, "This is it, I ain't coming out of here alive."
0:02:46 > 0:02:49And after that, your career started to fall apart, really?
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Within four months. I never had a career.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56I never had nowhere to live and I had no job,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59I had no financial backing.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01I was just put into Civilian Street and told,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03"Here you are, get on with it."
0:03:03 > 0:03:07How did you leave? What were the circumstances?
0:03:07 > 0:03:12I was getting into a lot of trouble, me,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and I wasn't doing as I was told.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20I was going in and out of out-of-bounds areas and, um...
0:03:20 > 0:03:24they'd had enough of my misbehaviour, so they discharged me.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26How did you feel about that?
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Very disappointed, actually, after the work I put in.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Were you, to a degree, your own worst enemy, though?
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Yeah. When I put a drink inside me.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40How did the drinking become a problem?
0:03:40 > 0:03:44I don't know, I think the drinking became a problem,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47because the thing is, I had nothing to do with my days.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50The thing is, I felt let down, you know, and the drink
0:03:50 > 0:03:55was just a solution to me.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Chris' drinking took him from proud soldier to street drinker,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00with spells in prison.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05It's estimated as many as one in ten rough sleepers are ex-forces.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Chris shows me the bench in Liverpool
0:04:07 > 0:04:09where he did much of his drinking.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12I was drinking with other people I didn't even know,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14cos there's a lot of it going on in this city
0:04:14 > 0:04:18at the moment and, um, yeah, I was at my lowest,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22I didn't really know what I was doing.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24I was that drunk, you know!
0:04:24 > 0:04:29So what changed? One night, I was stood outside here.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31I'd been drinking all day, it was about 11.30 at night
0:04:31 > 0:04:33and this guy pulled a trolley round the corner,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35his name was Colin Dobie.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40He said to me, "Do you want to change?
0:04:40 > 0:04:42I work in a place called Tom Harrison House,
0:04:42 > 0:04:43"a military rehabilitation centre."
0:04:43 > 0:04:46I said, "Yeah, I do," and that was two years ago,
0:04:46 > 0:04:51this time of year as well.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53And here I am, 20 months sober and clean.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56So what was it about that day and that approach that
0:04:56 > 0:04:59gelled together perfectly?
0:04:59 > 0:05:03I think it was just because I'd never been offered that kind of help
0:05:03 > 0:05:04any time in my life.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Someone offered me a lifeline and I could see it.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Someone genuinely offering me a way out.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10I did was the right approach, because it was
0:05:10 > 0:05:12with other servicemen?
0:05:12 > 0:05:16That was it, yeah, with other servicemen.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Rehab relies heavily on group therapy
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and the opening up of emotions - a real challenge to servicemen
0:05:24 > 0:05:26used to suppressing their feelings.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29However, at Thomas Harrison House, this is made easier by them
0:05:29 > 0:05:33having a shared experience.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38The people I've spoken to, who have tried mainstream treatment centres,
0:05:38 > 0:05:44I've asked them why it didn't work for them.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47And a lot of the answers they've gave are things
0:05:47 > 0:05:50like they just weren't understood, or they didn't feel part of,
0:05:50 > 0:05:51and they weren't sure what they could say
0:05:51 > 0:05:57in front of civilians.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01One guy said he'd joined a treatment centre and he'd done
0:06:01 > 0:06:03an exercise where he revealed he'd been in the forces
0:06:03 > 0:06:08and then, for the next few days, he just got loads of inappropriate
0:06:08 > 0:06:10questions from civilians that he doesn't want to answer.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13So that wasn't safe for him? No.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14It wasn't a comfortable experience for him?
0:06:14 > 0:06:18No, he didn't feel part of the group there.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20One way the soldiers are encouraged to open up
0:06:20 > 0:06:22is through equine therapy.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Every Wednesday morning, the veterans come to
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Shy Lowen Horse Sanctuary, a place for rescued and damaged
0:06:28 > 0:06:33horses, where animal and soldier help to heal each other.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Hi, Paul, who's this? This is Muffin.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Muffin, yeah.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Paul was one of the first soldiers to graduate
0:06:41 > 0:06:44from Thomas Harrison House 2.5 years ago.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49What is it about working with horses that you have kind of taking two?
0:06:49 > 0:06:52What is it about working with horses that you have kind of taken two?
0:06:52 > 0:06:53Um, cos...
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Well, the same kind of mentality, really, I think.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Um, they've got issues, I've got issues.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03And, um, we sort of, like, relate to each other.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06As you work with them, you find all that stuff.
0:07:06 > 0:07:12It's like the mirror image, really, of yourself.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Has it made you become a little more emotionally aware?
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Because some men, you know, particularly ex-servicemen,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22you might hide your feelings?
0:07:22 > 0:07:25You might not be that open about how your feeling about stuff.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26Yeah, that's right.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28In the services, like, you don't say nothing
0:07:28 > 0:07:30about nothing, really. But, um...
0:07:30 > 0:07:36Yeah, because, like I said before, it opened me up, because the issues,
0:07:36 > 0:07:44it nearly brought me to tears, because I could feel...
0:07:44 > 0:07:47I could feel his pain as well. What he had been through.
0:07:47 > 0:07:48Because, don't forget, these horses as well,
0:07:48 > 0:07:49these are in recovery.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53It had me thinking of the things that had happened to me in the past
0:07:53 > 0:07:55and stuff like that, and where I am today.
0:07:58 > 0:08:03I'm finding, in the two years I've worked here,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05that a stereotypical journey from someone into Tom Harrison House
0:08:05 > 0:08:09would be, um, an upbringing in a working class area,
0:08:09 > 0:08:17where they suffer some form of trauma in the early family life,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20they join the forces to get away from that trauma, and,
0:08:20 > 0:08:22while they're in the forces, they find everything
0:08:22 > 0:08:29that they wanted, really - belonging, purpose, direction -
0:08:29 > 0:08:33but then, they suffer more trauma and then, when they come out,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37they get lost in the system somewhere, because they're reluctant
0:08:37 > 0:08:47to ask for help, so it's quite a lot
0:08:48 > 0:08:50-- to ask for help, so it's why a lot
0:08:50 > 0:08:52of homeless people are veterans, prison population, and also just
0:08:52 > 0:08:54people who've never been involved with the service,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57they're just sitting bedsits alone, drinking themselves to death.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59It costs ?10,000 to put a veteran through the three-month programme
0:08:59 > 0:09:01and funding is a constant challenge for the charity.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Sometimes, what happens is, the chasing the money takes so long
0:09:04 > 0:09:08that someone just says, "I'm done, I can't now
0:09:08 > 0:09:13"continue to want to come in, I'm good to go back out and use,"
0:09:13 > 0:09:16"continue to want to come in, I'm going to go back out and use,"
0:09:16 > 0:09:18and, before we know it, they're back on the street.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21What should the MoD be offering former servicemen and women
0:09:21 > 0:09:23when they leave the Armed Forces, so that we don't get
0:09:23 > 0:09:24in this position?
0:09:24 > 0:09:27I think it's more a question of, not when they leave,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29but when they start.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32It's about shifting the culture of drinking within the Armed Forces,
0:09:32 > 0:09:38because the culture has been - and there's evidence to prove this -
0:09:38 > 0:09:41that men and women in the Armed Forces are drinking
0:09:41 > 0:09:43at dangerously high levels, compared to the UK general public.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46It works out over double the rate of substance misuse issues.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Work hard, play hard - we understand that.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52We're not saying, you know, soldiers shouldn't drink.
0:09:52 > 0:09:59We're saying that they should be able to, but they should be
0:09:59 > 0:10:03supported to do that in a way that's healthy,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07but I think, if the MoD knows that someone's got a drug or alcohol
0:10:07 > 0:10:09problem before they leave, they should be directly
0:10:09 > 0:10:10plugging them into us.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Now, the public have a lot of goodwill toward veterans.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Do you think they would be surprised that there is very,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17very little ongoing support offered to them when they leave service?
0:10:17 > 0:10:18I think so.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21I think what we've got now is some great packages of help
0:10:21 > 0:10:22and care for veterans.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24But those packages focus on the individuals being either
0:10:24 > 0:10:28wounded, injured or sick, and that incorporates mental health.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32What it doesn't tend to incorporate is addiction and alcoholism.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34It's like it's the last taboo for veterans.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37That Prince Harry is very much now raising the profile
0:10:37 > 0:10:39of mental health, but really, not touching on addiction
0:10:39 > 0:10:42or alcoholism.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45There are so many issues raised here, not just about funding
0:10:45 > 0:10:50for places at Thomas Harrison House, or the role that alcohol
0:10:50 > 0:10:52plays in forces life, but also what the servicemen that
0:10:52 > 0:10:58I spoke to see as a lack of support when they are discharged.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00I wanted to put these points to a government minister,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03but sadly, our request for an interview was denied
0:11:03 > 0:11:04by the Ministry of Defence.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07LAUGHTER AND CHATTER.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10With an 85% success rate, Thomas Harrison House hopes
0:11:10 > 0:11:13to continue its work changing the lives of veterans like Chris
0:11:13 > 0:11:15and his fellow graduates.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18They did a lot for me, you know, they offered me a lifeline
0:11:18 > 0:11:21when I came out of prison this year that nobody else did,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23so I took that lifeline, like.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32Piccadilly Gardens is one of the first things that visitors
0:11:32 > 0:11:35to Manchester see when they come to the city centre.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Yet, to many Mancunians, it's considered an eyesore,
0:11:38 > 0:11:42an architectural disaster and even a waste of public money.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45But like it or loathe it, it's about to get a revamp,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48as Jacey Normand investigates.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Manchester's public spaces were under the spotlight this summer
0:11:51 > 0:11:54after the local newspaper, the Manchester Evening news,
0:11:54 > 0:11:58began a campaign on the state of Piccadilly Gardens -
0:11:58 > 0:12:03the large open space in the middle of a busy transport interchange.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05They highlighted the perceived decline from its former glory days
0:12:05 > 0:12:09of the 1950s and '60s and they challenged the council
0:12:09 > 0:12:14to step in and restore Mancunians pride and a lot of people agreed.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17I don't think it's particularly beautiful as it is at the moment.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20It's not as nice as it used to be, that's for sure.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23I don't think this helps.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27You used to be able to see everything when you got off
0:12:27 > 0:12:29the tram, it was very open, but it's not now.
0:12:29 > 0:12:35It needs smartening up. It's a bit of a dump, really.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38It led to a call for the gardens to be given a major facelift
0:12:38 > 0:12:41and to demolish the love it or loathe it concrete wall.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45A petition was started and needed 4,000 signatures to be debated
0:12:45 > 0:12:47by the city council and, by April, it had reached 20,000
0:12:47 > 0:12:52and the council took notice.
0:12:52 > 0:13:01It was a well-intentioned, but ultramodernist revamp and,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04in my view, many Mancunians say it was a missed opportunity...
0:13:04 > 0:13:06They debated the issues and promised to ensure the gardens
0:13:06 > 0:13:09would not go to seed. But how could we have come to this?
0:13:09 > 0:13:12The gardens were very different in the Victoria era.
0:13:12 > 0:13:20The space was a hospital and the site of the
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Royal Manchester Infirmary, which was demolished in 1914.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24The area remained empty for a few years whilst different
0:13:24 > 0:13:27uses were discussed, including an art gallery,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30but it ended up being left and made into the largest open green space
0:13:30 > 0:13:33in the city centre.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35As the hospital had a basement, the gardens became the sunken
0:13:35 > 0:13:39gardens most people remember.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42And many have called for a return to the gardens of the past.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46But like them or loathe them, not everybody shares this
0:13:46 > 0:13:49nostalgic view of how Piccadilly Gardens once were.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Some of us think we should be looking forward
0:13:52 > 0:13:56instead of looking back.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58A lot of it is to do with fashion.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02People just need to get used to buildings, and it's unsustainable
0:14:02 > 0:14:05for a building to be up 10-15 years, it falls out of fashion
0:14:05 > 0:14:08and to knock it down.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11You know, there were probably people who hated the town hall
0:14:11 > 0:14:14when it was first built, but they wouldn't have knocked it
0:14:14 > 0:14:15down within 10-15 years, because of public opinion.
0:14:15 > 0:14:21Give it 20-30 years' time, people might learn to love
0:14:21 > 0:14:25the Pavilion in Piccadilly Gardens.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27It was over 20 years ago, in November 1995, that
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Manchester won their bid to host the Commonwealth Games and plans
0:14:30 > 0:14:33started for a major revamp of sites in the city centre.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37This reconstruction had to be drastically expanded seven months
0:14:37 > 0:14:40later, when the IRA bomb exploded and meant major works would be
0:14:40 > 0:14:44necessary to not just return Manchester to how it was,
0:14:44 > 0:14:51but create a city and a space for the 21st century.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Piccadilly Gardens was part of that expansion and renowned Japanese
0:14:53 > 0:14:55architect, Tadao Ando, was employed to design a space
0:14:55 > 0:15:01for the next generation.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Although applauded at the time, today, attitudes may be changing
0:15:04 > 0:15:06and the Piccadilly Wall has, in some quarters, been
0:15:06 > 0:15:10likened to the Berlin Wall.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Tadao Ando, the architect of the Pavilion, is a world-class
0:15:14 > 0:15:19architect and we should be very proud to have his work in our city.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22But I don't think many Mancunians would agree with me.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26It's very easy to blame architecture for society's problems
0:15:26 > 0:15:31and especially local authorities are very quick to condemn spaces
0:15:31 > 0:15:37for their architecture, when really it's a management issue.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39If you dig down into people's complaints about Piccadilly Gardens,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42it's often not about the space or the architecture.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44It's often about anti-social behaviour or drug dealing
0:15:44 > 0:15:50or something or the maintenance.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52But the city council will come along and say, "Right,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55"we need to do something about this."
0:15:55 > 0:15:57It's easier just to knock it all down and
0:15:57 > 0:16:00start again than actually deal with the real problems.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Anti-social behaviour has been an issue in the Gardens.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08Its notoriety in the city as a crime hotspot was cemented when police
0:16:08 > 0:16:11made a number of arrests in November as part of a crackdown
0:16:11 > 0:16:14on drug dealers.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16But in fact, these have always been issues for the authorities,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20even when they were the Gardens we all knew and loved.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24We're not going to put back a sunken garden that is full
0:16:24 > 0:16:26of drunks and drug addicts, which nobody would go
0:16:26 > 0:16:31through at night.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34And we are going to do anything we do to recognise that, simply,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37there are tens of thousands of people go through that space
0:16:37 > 0:16:40every day and it's got to be able to cope with tens
0:16:40 > 0:16:43of thousands of people.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46I think the criticism about maintenance is legitimate criticism.
0:16:46 > 0:16:53I don't think it's been maintained in the way it should've been.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56What we have to do is I think find a way of maintaining the greenness
0:16:56 > 0:16:59of the Gardens and make that compatible with the really
0:16:59 > 0:17:01heavy usage that it's always going to have.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Prior to 2002, when the current version was created,
0:17:04 > 0:17:12nobody used to use Piccadilly Gardens.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Since 2002, if anything, Piccadilly Gardens has
0:17:14 > 0:17:15been a victim of their own success.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17And whether you like the architecture or not,
0:17:17 > 0:17:19the discussion around Piccadilly Gardens
0:17:19 > 0:17:20has also highlighted another important issue -
0:17:20 > 0:17:26the selling off of our public spaces.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30If any major changes were to be made to the Gardens,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32it would cost money.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36In 2002, renovating the Gardens cost ?10 million.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39The council got that money by leasing off part of the Gardens
0:17:39 > 0:17:42to private investors.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46The area of the Pavilion, Number 1 Piccadilly and the Wall
0:17:46 > 0:17:49are all in private hands and Emma Curtin, a lecturer
0:17:49 > 0:17:52in architecture, thinks Manchester lost out in the sell off.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55We lost the rights of way in Piccadilly Gardens,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58over ten years ago now.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02In order to allow this development and Number 1 Piccadilly Gardens,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05the rights of way were extinguished and it became essentially
0:18:05 > 0:18:09private private land, so now, we're only...
0:18:09 > 0:18:11We can continue to use it, like a public space,
0:18:11 > 0:18:16but that's permitted access. We don't have the right to be here.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19The new owners of 1 Piccadilly and the Pavilion
0:18:20 > 0:18:23are Legal General.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25They finally released their new vision for the site
0:18:25 > 0:18:27in November and their proposals include the removal
0:18:27 > 0:18:30of the concrete wall.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33The council say they had taken public opinion into account
0:18:33 > 0:18:35to remove the current wall and would also improve
0:18:35 > 0:18:40the gardens in a multimillion pound investment plan.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43And even the architect, Tadoo Ando, when told
0:18:43 > 0:18:45that his wall could come down, gave this very
0:18:45 > 0:18:50matter-of-fact response...
0:18:57 > 0:19:00One of the proposals around the Wall seems to be that there could be
0:19:00 > 0:19:04shops placed on both sides of it or even above it, so that will be
0:19:04 > 0:19:06taking away more of the open space and enclosing it into commercial
0:19:06 > 0:19:10space and that's only possible, because we've already lost
0:19:10 > 0:19:13the universal right to use this as a public space and, actually,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15that's something that we could see happening in other spaces
0:19:15 > 0:19:18around the city.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20In the past, public spaces like Piccadilly Gardens
0:19:20 > 0:19:23would be a place to meet people, relax and to discuss
0:19:23 > 0:19:25the issues of the day.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28They were places where we met future husbands and wives.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33They were the focus of a city and a community.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36We're hardwired as a people to want to spend time together,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39but in the internet age - where we can access everything
0:19:39 > 0:19:41at the click of a button - it's unsurprising that we've
0:19:41 > 0:19:46overlooked the importance of public places today.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49So whether you like the Wall, or you hate the Wall,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52or you choose to spend time in the Gardens or simply pass
0:19:52 > 0:19:54through, one thing's for certain - Piccadilly Gardens is at the heart
0:19:55 > 0:19:59of Manchester city centre.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01And generations of us will continue to use it
0:20:01 > 0:20:05for a long time to come.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Now, does the world of theatre reflect our diverse society?
0:20:09 > 0:20:11The BBC's disability news correspondent, Nikki Fox,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14has been behind the scenes of the first fully accessible
0:20:14 > 0:20:17play at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20where the majority of the cast is disabled.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25I said silence.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31APPLAUSE.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36These actors have taken on an almighty task.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba is a notoriously
0:20:38 > 0:20:41tricky one to get right.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44The show has just come to an end here at Manchester's
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Royal Exchange Theatre, a treasured venue for many
0:20:46 > 0:20:51who live in the North West.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53for some, this place is as important as the city's
0:20:53 > 0:20:54two main football clubs.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Now, it's just gone down a storm in there.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00So I'm going to tell you how we got to this point
0:21:00 > 0:21:03and take you behind the scenes.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10How is everyone? All right?
0:21:10 > 0:21:16Yeah.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20So there's just over a week to go until opening night and the cast
0:21:20 > 0:21:22are here busy rehearsing and there's no mucking around.
0:21:22 > 0:21:23We cannot get in the way.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24Don't look at me!
0:21:24 > 0:21:27It's all going on at the theatre, and it's a big job
0:21:27 > 0:21:28for the cast and crew.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32So you're going to put it in here, you're going to put it in here,
0:21:32 > 0:21:33and we're going to slide across.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36This production features an all female and pretty much
0:21:36 > 0:21:37all deaf and disabled cast.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38How I had to suffer...
0:21:38 > 0:21:41The play is about a mother's suffocating grip on her five
0:21:41 > 0:21:43daughters, and it's as intense as it is challenging.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45I'd rather sweep the streets...
0:21:45 > 0:21:47And every little detail has to be thought of.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52So I've just been told about this area here.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57It's the costume department, where the magic happens.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00The ladies inside here are going to be making costumes
0:22:00 > 0:22:02for all the actors on stage and, apparently, everything's
0:22:02 > 0:22:03changing and evolving.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06It's all very exciting, only a couple of days to go,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09so I'm going to have a little look and see what it's like.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Is it like Strictly Come Dancing? Who knows?
0:22:12 > 0:22:13This is bigger than I thought.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16There's some big frocks!
0:22:16 > 0:22:22We've got to think about how some people don't lift their arms,
0:22:22 > 0:22:23say, higher than this. Mm-hm.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28So you can't get into a dress like this.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31So you have to think about everything a little bit more
0:22:31 > 0:22:32and from everybody's point of view.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35From if your eyes work or if your ears work,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37or if your body works, and you've got to take
0:22:37 > 0:22:40all that in as well.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42For the player's director Jenny, working with a cast
0:22:42 > 0:22:46of actors with different disabilities isn't unusual.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50It's those reactions that have been massive, but they have...
0:22:50 > 0:22:56You have to hear it in your head and you have to feel it.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59It's this passion she puts into running Greaeae,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01a theatre company all about putting deaf and disabled
0:23:01 > 0:23:02talent centrestage.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04It's a necessity, I think.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09There are so few opportunities out there for deaf and disabled people.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13It is 2017, we are and we have been - for many, many, many years -
0:23:13 > 0:23:18part of society, so theatre is the best place to demonstrate
0:23:18 > 0:23:21who we are, what we do and what we are about
0:23:21 > 0:23:31and that we are people.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Using a space to challenge perceptions of disability
0:23:36 > 0:23:37is what Jenny is all about.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39As the driving force behind the opening ceremony of
0:23:39 > 0:23:41the London 2012 Paralympic Games, she showed the world what
0:23:41 > 0:23:43deaf and disabled people can do.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45This time, her stage is smaller, but the scale
0:23:45 > 0:23:47of the task is just as great.
0:23:47 > 0:23:48It's terrifying, actually. I am scared!
0:23:48 > 0:23:51I think it's because you're so exposed.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54So that's why we're so disciplined with the girls.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56How they sit, how they move, everything!
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Which is important when this is your stage.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06And the transformation is underway.
0:24:10 > 0:24:16When it comes to physical access, this place is sorted.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Lifts and ramps are already part of the theatre.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22But to help deaf audience members, screens are being put up and changes
0:24:22 > 0:24:28to the script will help blind people understand the action.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30The production is constantly evolving,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32because it has to incorporate the actors' different disabilities.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33What's your sister saying?
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Peeking at the men througha crack in the gate!
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Peeking at the men through a crack in the gate!
0:24:38 > 0:24:39You, come here!
0:24:39 > 0:24:43I said do you think it's decent for a woman of your class to go
0:24:43 > 0:24:45running after men the day of her father's funeral?
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Answer me! Who were you looking at?
0:24:47 > 0:24:48I... I was looking...
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Who?
0:24:50 > 0:24:53In fact, the signers even form part of the play itself,
0:24:53 > 0:24:57and they help the actors understand each other.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00These challenges have been to work on the show to make it work
0:25:00 > 0:25:01for deaf and disabled actors.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04That's been the most amazing, fascinating challenge of all.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07And I think the changes that I've had to make have actually improved
0:25:07 > 0:25:10the play in many ways.
0:25:10 > 0:25:17They've added a whole new dimension of richness and meaning to the text.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22Back in rehearsals, Jenny is working through the intricacies of each
0:25:22 > 0:25:26scene, and the cast can't afford to waste any time.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28No, don't go and sit down, straight in there.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30For Jenny, this has to be right.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34I started thinking about Lorca and somebody there said, "I'm sorry,
0:25:34 > 0:25:38"but Lorca did not write plays for you lot to be in!"
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Boom!
0:25:41 > 0:25:44You know, that is, for me, that's a red rag to bull.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48I was like, "Right, we are doing Lorca!
0:25:48 > 0:25:51"Many times, we are doing Lorca!"
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Who has the right to say what plays we can and cannot do?
0:25:55 > 0:25:58This attitude may be one of the reasons why latest research
0:25:58 > 0:26:01suggests there aren't any deaf or disabled students in some
0:26:01 > 0:26:03of the top drama schools in the UK.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06Ladies, taking a break from rehearsals?
0:26:07 > 0:26:10What's wrong?
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Philip, who has a prosthetic leg, has been acting for several years.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14I don't know, I sleep like a log!
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Have you found any barriers to do with having a disability?
0:26:17 > 0:26:21I did find, when I started auditioning for drama schools,
0:26:21 > 0:26:25that the big elephant in the room was my disability, and,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28when I did end up managing to get a place at a drama school,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31it was never discussed, because I think I felt at the end
0:26:31 > 0:26:33of my tether and didn't declare it.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37And with my disability, I can hide it or I can make it known.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40And that day, I think I was so fed up, I just kept it
0:26:40 > 0:26:42covered and just performed.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46The Arts Council knows there is a problem.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Their own research suggests just 4% working in the industry
0:26:48 > 0:26:50have said they have a disability.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52I don't get it. Maybe I'm just being thick.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56I just don't understand what the problem is.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59You're at theatre, for God's sake! Use your imagination!
0:26:59 > 0:27:03Sorry, it just makes me so cross!
0:27:03 > 0:27:08And this is what imagination can achieve.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11It's showtime.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13So what do the audience think of the opening night?
0:27:13 > 0:27:17What do you make of the fact the cast are majority deaf or disabled?
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Did it kind of enhance the experience for you?
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Definitely, I think it worked really well with the story as well,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24it fitted so well, and yeah, it completely enhanced it,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26it give it another level.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Right, now I need to find a man, because this cast
0:27:29 > 0:27:32is just full of women. It's just women, women, women!
0:27:32 > 0:27:35We need a man. Man!
0:27:35 > 0:27:36Hello!
0:27:36 > 0:27:41It's so immersive.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Yeah, I haven't seen any Lorca plays played out like this before.
0:27:44 > 0:27:50Perhaps, but it's better this way, now sit down!
0:27:51 > 0:27:56We will know true equality when writers don't have to write
0:27:56 > 0:27:59plays that have disabled characters.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03We can play many, many, many, many roles!
0:28:03 > 0:28:06And I hate saying this, because it means I won't have a job,
0:28:06 > 0:28:12but for me, true equality will mean when we don't need Greaeae any more.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17I said silence.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Well, that play looks fantastic.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Now, that's all from us for this week,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29but Inside Out is back next Monday at 7.30.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32Until then, goodbye.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Next week, we report on dark skies and discover why our region
0:28:41 > 0:28:44is becoming a tourist destination for stargazers.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47The legends of the stars and the history and the spectacular
0:28:47 > 0:28:50things we get to see over the years, they all make an important asset
0:28:50 > 0:28:55that we need to protect.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Hello, I'm Riz Lateef with your 90-second update.