OUT IN BRUM

Enjoy the Sun of Benidorm Live at New Alexandra Theatre

Posted on December 20, 2017 by outinbrum

SEE YOUR FAVOURITE STARS FROM THE SOLANA HOTEL LIVE ON STAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME

Benidorm Live! At the New Alexandra Theatre December 3rd to 29th 2018

Derren Litten’s smash hit ITV comedy BENIDORM is set to bring sunshine and smiles to the UK and Ireland as the first ever stage version of the ITV comedy marks its world premiere at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle from Friday 7th September 2018 and opens at Birmingham’s New Alexandra Theatre for a fun-filled Christmas season from the 3rd to 29th December 2018. The show will be produced for the stage by Michael Harrison and David Ian.

Litten has written an all new set of Alicante escapades for the much-loved cast members, including Jake Canuso (Mateo), Janine Duvitski (Jacqueline), Adam Gillen (Liam), Sherrie Hewson (Joyce Temple-Savage), Shelley Longworth (Sam), and Tony Maudsley (Kenneth) as they swap sangria for the stage next year after a quick spruce at the Blow ‘n’ Go!

Benidorm – Live will be the stage debut production of the hugely popular TV show, and on making its transfer, writer Derren Litten said: “I’ve loved ten years of writing my TV show Benidorm but despite a successful writing career I’m first and foremost a performer so have always been secretly frustrated I couldn’t hear the audience’s laughter. This national tour of Benidorm Live will not only make a long lasting dream come true but will also mean I no longer have to stand in strangers gardens listening at their windows at 9 o’clock on cold winter evenings.”

ITV’s smash-hit comedy celebrates a decade of all-inclusive hilarity, having followed the ensemble cast of holiday makers and staff for nine series since it first broadcast in 2007. Season 10 is due to broadcast early 2018.

Critically acclaimed, Benidorm has received two National Television Awards a TV Quick Award and nominations at the British Comedy Awards and BAFTAs.

After leaving school in Hull in the late 1980’s Derren Litten spent a year working as a professional magician whilst auditioning for drama schools. He won a place on the 3 year acting course at the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama where he met fellow student Catherine Tate.

After 10 years of working as an actor, Derren was asked by Catherine to write for her newly commissioned TV sketch show,The Catherine Tate Show; in which he also appeared in many of the sketches. After co-writing and appearing in two series and a Christmas Special, Derren was given a script commission by legendary comedy producer Geoffrey Perkins, “just write anything you want as long as it’s funny” he said; that show turned out to be ITV’s BAFTA nominated hit comedy Benidorm. Derren’s hobbies include drinking and karaoke, usually in that order. He splits his time equally between homes in London and Spain.

Tickets are now on sale.

FOLLOW FOR TO FUN IN THE SUN

www.benidormonstage.com

Twitter: @benidormonstage

Instagram: @benidormonstage

Facebook page: Benidorm on Stage

LISTINGS INFORMATION

3rd to 29th December 2018 0844 871 3011

New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-alexandra-theatre-birmingham*

Posted in Area: City Centre, Uncategorized, Venue type: Entertainment | Leave a comment

Tom’s Kitchen

Posted on December 11, 2017 by outinbrum

Note this is a write-up of a freebie as we were guests of the restaurant. We pay for almost everything we review and when we occasionally do a freebie event we’ll tell you and be as critical as usual. See our reciprocity promise here.

Tom’s Kitchen has been open about a year in the refurbished Mailbox complex. It is buried in the shopping mall on the first floor by the entrance to Harvey Nichols. The restaurant borrows its light from the atrium, its wall open to passing shoppers with buggies and bags. A screen provides some level of privacy but it still has a bit of an air of food court. It’s not food court prices though; dinner here will set you back £50+ a head with a glass of wine or two.

The interior is traditional plush bistro in style, all warm leathers and wood, we were quite comfy for our wintery meal. Staff were friendly and knowledgable, and our waitress knew exactly which dishes to avoid for a shellfish allergy. We had some carafes of fab wine, Cabernet Sauvignon was good, and the Rioja was great.

We ordered a cashew dip and crackers with our aperitif. Either I have an allergy I was unaware of or it was past its best, with a distinct but mild tongue fizz, similar to that found in fermenting guacamole.

For starters I had the confit duck ballotine. I had incorrectly assumed this would be a hot dish, but it was served almost fridge cold. I liked the bed of cauliflower heavy piccalilli and sharp fruit chutney, and it was a pretty plate of food. I would have preferred and expected the duck to have been warm on a winter menu, overall it was just a bit disappointing. The rabbit terrine faired no better. Pickled baby carrots added a zing to the rabbit meat, though some of it was quite bitter, and again the dish was too cold.

The week we were dining there was a special on game, so for my main I took the partridge from the specials menu. Service was a little slow, we’d arrived at 18.30 and mains arrived at 19.45, just as I was getting fed up of waiting. The partridge was a little dry and more of the delicious sauce was required. The parsnip puree was good, sweet and earthy flavours complimenting the meat. The parsnip crisps were a mixed success with some quite limp but others crackable. The pear was underripe and flavourless. Presentation was pleasingly dramatic. We also had the lamb steak on bulgar wheat. It was tender and strongly flavoured, we were unsure whether the bulgur wheat salad worked with it, and we didn’t like the puddle of sauce it sat in.

Special mention to the truffle chips with parmesan. They are possibly the very best chips I’ve eaten, and they have some strong competition. Crispy and golden on the outside, fluffy and steaming inside, and with wonderful pungent truffle finish.

We’ve heard mixed reports of the food and service here, and we’ve been told by people whose foodie views we trust that they’ve had really excellent food. Perhaps we were just unfortunate, but I’m not sure I’d want to risk £100 for dinner for two here knowing I could go to, say, Opus, or Harborne Kitchen and be guaranteed a great meal. Consistency is so important at this price point and I’m afraid on our trip it didn’t hit the spot. Disappointing.

Posted in Area: The Mailbox, Birmingham Restaurant, birmingham restaurant review, birmingham review, Cuisine: English, Cuisine: Fine Dining, Cuisine: Modern Mixed, Price: Get your dad to pay - above average | Tagged Birmingham Restaurant, eating out in birmingham, Out In Birmingham, OutInBrum, restaurant review, where to eat in birmingham, Where To Go In Birmingham, where to go out in birmingham | Leave a comment

* Not * The Frankfurt Christmas Market: Skate Birmingham and City Social

Posted on November 22, 2017 by outinbrum

We’re told that The Frankfurt Market brings untold riches to our city, but no-one has been able to quantify it for me. It certainly brings some cheer, but also hordes of tourists. Pretty much everyone who lives or works in the city centre breaths a huge sigh of relief when the market packs up and rolls off, and spends little to no time there. When we attend we do so on drizzly Monday evenings when crowds are thin.

This year, owing to the current closure of Centenary Square and surrounding area, we have two completely new Christmas outdoor spaces to explore. One great for the kids, one great for the grown-ups, but both providing entertainment for everyone. Both less than 10 minutes on foot from New Street Station.

First, to City Social, at the foot of the steps to The Mailbox, under the protective cover of the flyover. Arranged and staffed by Brummies, many of whom have bricks and mortar venues in the city, the event space offers plenty to amuse the tastebuds: Pizza Trader slices, Indian Brewery nibbles, Ostrich burgers, chocolate goodies, fine food from Corner Kitchen, boozy Baileys hot chocolate, hot Pimms, cider, gin, whiskey, ale, and Pilsner from ABK.

There’s also a range of stalls selling shiny Christmas decorations, gifts, wreaths and other floral decs from city florist Richard Randall. Plus, it has a stage with live music. On Saturday we spent a whole afternoon and evening there drinking and eating, meeting friends, and having a bit of a boogey to the excellent groups that performed. We had lovely fun! It was nowhere near as crowded as the Frankfurt market, and you could definitely take the kids here for a pizza while you have a boozy Baileys hot chocolate.

For a different kind of day or evening you could head to Eastside Park, aka “Skate Birmingham” – for this year the large covered Ice Rink with bar has moved here, as has the Big Wheel. We think this is a great place to bring the kids. As well as skating, you can get the little ones on Santa’s Reindeer merry-go-round, plus there are bumper cars, a kid’s roller coaster, a big scary-upside-downey-thing and the Big Wheel to have a whirl in. And of course, you can get a hot dog, a beer, a hot chocolate, doughnuts, and other funfair favourites.

Well done to the local entrepreneurs that have set up these events, complementary to the rest of the Brummy Christmas celebrations.

EAST SIDE PARK – SKATE BIRMINGHAM FUNFAIR GALLERY

CITY SOCIAL – LOCAL MUSIC, FOOD, BOOZE, AND PARTY!

Posted in Article | Tagged Birmingham Christmas, City Social Birmingham, Skate Birmingham | Leave a comment

Meat Shack: Dripping. Filthy. Goodness.

Posted on November 17, 2017 by outinbrum

Passing time in our city’s fine dining restaurants is a luxurious experience. One can sit starry eyed with crisp white linen, ranks of gleaming cutlery, and shining wine glasses, while suited waiting staff attend to every dietary foible and request. However as much as I love it, and I really do, so please ask should you require company on such a visit, it’s not something I could say I “crave”. My cravings are reserved for somewhat more down-to-earth cuisine.

Queue the Brum streetfood scene. I’m talking Thai from Budda Belly; slices from Pizza Traders and Bare Bones Pizza; delights from Platinum Pancakes; Toasties from Jaberwocky and so many more. While those are available only at special streetfood events like the hallowed Digbeth Dining Club, we can now indulge in some that have opened their own brick and mortar establishments: Indian food from the Indian Brew House, or the new Indian Streatery; and of course one of the best known venues, Original Patty Men (OPM) burgers which opened 18 months ago.

We now have an alternative to the wonderful OPM. The city’s other firm favourite burger makers, Meat Shack, have opened a venue right near to the Hippodrome on Thorp Street, in the building previously occupied by Stage Side bar, with all of their normal “Dripping Filthy Goodness”.

If you’ve not eaten artisan burgers like this before, don’t think of them like the greasy stale bun affairs that you can find in a B&Q car park for two quid, consisting mainly of minced ear, snout, and trotter. This is burger making qua art-form, with the best ingredients, interesting ideas, and skilful burger chefs.

The Meat Shack sits above Thorp 17 bar, on Thorp Street opposite The Dance Exchange. The bar is bright and warm, and we’ve enjoyed a few pre-burger pints here already. They’ve a good range of beers and lagers. Many foodie venues seem to opt for a more craft beer offering which is all 8%-complicated-massive-citra-hops, whereas often I just want a lighter lager or two with dinner – so I am well served here at Meat Shack. Take the stairs hinted at from the bar from a sign, to find the large burger joint, with tables small and large.

There’s a permanent offering of a few burgers, and usually a special on as well. Usually I have a “Mr. C” burger (£7) – that’s an aged beef pattie, oozy American cheese, iceberg, red onion, pickle, ketchup, and shack sauce. I love the textural and temperature differences in burgers like this, crispness of lettuce, against softness of bun. We also like the “Dutch Piggy” burger with beautifully crisp bacon. The fries here (£3) are seriously good – a crispier one you won’t find, and the chipotle mayo (“chipayo”) is really zingy. I like a frickle or two (that’s battered fried pickles, of course), but they are quite heavy and couldn’t recommend a whole portion for one person.

Like so many of the streetfood folks, these guys are obsessed with the food they offer, and they end up providing a fantastic product! If you haven’t visited already, get there soon, it’s a must-do in Brum for anyone serious about food, and brilliant value for a night out!

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Three Church Road

Posted on October 21, 2017 by outinbrum

St. George’s, Edgbaston, is fast becoming the gastronomic hub of the western side of the city. While Simpsons has been presenting pretty plates for years there are many new, and not so new, great offerings around here; El Boraccho de Oro, Blue Piano, Laghi’s, The Physician, and The Highfield are all just a few minutes walk, and other interesting things are on the way too. If you’ve managed to tick all of those off, you’ll be pleased to know another restaurant opened some months ago to almost no publicity.

It’s not your usual venue, granted, but we thought it was worth a punt. You see, Three Church Road restaurant is actually part of the new retirement village at Audley St. George’s Place. If this brings to mind soggy vegetables with grey mince then think again, the restaurant is pitched at the well heeled owner occupiers of the ninety-five apartments and cottages at this complex which boasts a library, pool, gym, sauna, landscaped grounds, and bar in beautifully converted Georgian mansions and new builds. If I should be so lucky to have a few million quid knocking about in my pension pot in a few decades time I might consider it myself.

Decoration and styling is sympathetic to the Grade II listed Georgian Regency mansion. Originally opened in 1814 as the Royal School for the Deaf, it continued to serve the hearing impaired until the 1980s. Thankfully the Audley group have rid the large site of the hideous 80’s builds, carbuncles, that were thrown up around this gem of a building, and have brought back some of the regal to the regency style. Keen attention has been paid to the interior, carpets and curtains quieting the comfortable dining room for an intimate dinner with friends.

While the pink bar looked very comfortable we decided to take an aperitif at the table, a couple of well-made Aperol ‘Negroni’, cocktails, a prosecco, and a gin & tonic. To start I ate the Chicken parfait (£7.50). Acidic pickled veg cut through smooth, rich parfait, an attractively presented dish. We also had a creamy mushroom soup.

For my main I had slow braised pork belly. Juicy meat with the right amount of rendered fat was dressed with a sweet gravy and set off by bright green and orange of broccoli and carrot (£14.50). I enjoyed the pork but it could’ve done with some potato on the side, and to my horror, it was missing its crackling. I know it said “braised” but with pork belly I’d still expect chef to go to the effort with the crackling.

The Welsh lamb rump served with barley (£19) was a larger dish than the pork. I’m never sure if I really like barley, and there was certainly too much of it. The lamb didn’t do it for me either, I like lamb rump cooked long and slow to melt the fat away in to the meat, and this effect had not been achieved, leaving inedible un-rendered fat. I loved the floral crystalised violet served with my pudding, a deconstructed sticky toffee affair, with apple and ice-cream.

Despite my mixed review of the food, the service was really good, and the place is lovely. We had a nice evening together putting the world to rights drinking reasonable reasonably priced wine (then we finished the night getting squiffy with wonderful Spanish wine at El Borracho around the corner). I guess Three Church Road is high-end of middle in terms of price, and for that they do need to sort out the food offering, it wasn’t quite there when we visited. I suspect given it is so quiet (we were the only Saturday evening diners), that might be taking its toll on the kitchen. I hope that Audley start getting the advertising out on this, it could be a charming addition to the Edgbaston menu if they can make it busy and sort out the hiccups. Good luck to them, we’ll no doubt give it another go to see how they’re getting on next year.

Posted in Area: Edgbaston, Cuisine: English, Cuisine: Fine Dining, Price: Average, Price: Get your dad to pay - above average | Tagged Birmingham Restaurant, birmingham restaurant review, birmingham review, eating out in birmingham, Out In Birmingham, out in brum, OutInBrum, restaurant review, where to eat in birmingham, Where To Go In Birmingham, where to go out in birmingham | Leave a comment

Gaucho Electro Brunch

Posted on September 15, 2017 by outinbrum

Gaucho restaurant opened in Birmingham just a few months ago. They’ve taken a basement unit in the newly refurbished 55 Colmore Row building, and what a transformation they’ve made to it. It could’ve been a dark and dingy claustrophobic box, but they’ve pulled off a cool and cosy hideout. One steps off the street in to a reception that acts as a transition area, protecting the plushly carpeted inner sanctum from the pedestrian brightness and noise of the outside world. The space is broken up by comfy booths, lit column “trees”, and white pathways, which give a sense of separation and privacy between the tables. Stemware is fine, seating comfortable, and lighting subdued; this is a place to escape from the real world for an hour or three.

Which is what we did last Saturday morning. We were invited to the newly launched Gaucho all inclusive Electro brunch. Priced at £45 per head and running from 11am till 4pm, you can sit for two hours ordering plate after plate and drink after drink from the Electro Brunch menu, while upbeat music plays. The menu is classical brunch, with plenty of eggs, plenty of pork, toast, sweet treats, and of course, booze.

What we needed at 11am on a Saturday was some booze to bring us around from the Friday night hangover. We tried the Argentinian fizz Domaine Chandon (yes, that Chandon) which was not quite fine enough for me, however the Bloody Mary I had was excellent: fresh zingy tomato juice, with a slug of vodka, plenty of ice, and plenty of spice. I also had a delicious refreshing Aperol Spritz. I thought about having a juice or a coffee but I couldn’t bring myself to do it when there was free flowing spritzes on offer. I did try an orange, carrot, and ginger juice which was good, and the apple, cantaloupe, and mint juice was refreshing – although we always think melon juices are better with Midori (joke!).

The service was not impeccable, but it was a PR event and they were taking multiple plate-at-a-time orders from more than thirty people which I think took its toll on the stylish waiting staff and the normal order of things. I’m assured the service from the is usually spot on.

Now to the main event, the food. Our table tried pretty much everything. First up the mini croissants with peanut butter dulce de leche which were a sweet and salty buttery start. Then to the oven baked chorizo sausage, which by rights should be called the Gaucho Full English in my opinion, which included a delicious spicy baked chorizo, plum tomato, mushrooms and a fried egg, all super hot served on a small skillet. For my final dish I tried the fried provoleta – breaded and deep fried soft cheese, very rich and decadent. The bacon sandwich, french toast, beans on toast, and Gaucho Benedict with Salt Beef instead of ham was all good. The star of the show though was, unsurprisingly
given it’s an Argentinian steak house, the Steak and Egg – a small but super tasty and tender steak with a fried egg, absolutely delicious.

Everyone says Gaucho steak is excellent so it’s on our list of places to try for dinner, but given the price point it’ll wait for a celebration of some type. I thought £45 per for brunch was a bit steep, but the drinks are great, the place is beautiful, and the food is really really good. If you want cheap then feel free to go to the Wetherspoons for a five quid breakfast and a pint of mild. This place is for luxuriating in style, consuming excellent food and cocktails.

Posted in Area: Central Shopping, Area: Colmore Business District, Birmingham Restaurant, birmingham restaurant review, birmingham review, Cuisine: Argentinian, Cuisine: Fine Dining, Cuisine: Steakhouse, Price: Get your dad to pay - above average, Price: My eyes are watering - expensive, restaurant review, Venue type: Restaurant | Tagged Birmingham Restaurant, birmingham restaurant review, birmingham review, birmingham steakhouse, eating out in birmingham, Out In Birmingham, out in brum, OutInBrum, where to eat in birmingham, Where To Go In Birmingham, where to go out in birmingham | Leave a comment

Architect-turned-photographer to stage first exhibition at Bar Opus

Posted on September 8, 2017 by outinbrum

The man who helped to drive city centre redevelopment in Birmingham has joined forces with Bar Opus, the leading independent city bar, to stage an exhibition of his photographs.

Philip Singleton’s Pause Project, which features 12 images of buildings that are in a state of transition, is the third art exhibition that the bar at One Snowshill has showcased this year in support of local talent.

Philip, the former CEO of Millennium Point and assistant director of city centre development at Birmingham City Council, is studying for a Masters in photography at the Falmouth University Institute of Photography and says he is looking forward to unveiling his atmospheric images on September 20th.

With a background in architecture and urban development, Philip says his interest in photography grew out of considering the architectural metamorphosis across the city.

“Birmingham has to be one of the most rapidly changing cities in the country and is a master at reinventing itself,” he said. “I wanted to capture and document what is happening and have been able to gain access to spaces that are private or hidden away. These aren’t architectural studies; instead, I’ve focused on another layer of the empty, melancholic spaces that people leave behind.”

The photographs include an empty cell in Steelhouse Lane police station; the safe deposit boxes in the former Municipal Bank in Broad Street; the industrial units at Icknield Port Loop; and the BCU Conservatoire, which has been demolished to make way for the new Paradise development.

To further cement the exhibition’s connection to the city, Philip used Digbeth-based photographic developers Palm Laboratories and framers Harris Moore to create the exhibition.

“Bar Opus has given me a tremendous opportunity to exhibit my work and it has been incredibly generous in its support,” said Philip. “It’s great that a high-quality independent business in the city is helping emerging local artists and I’m excited to have my works exhibited there in the Colmore BID.”

Irene Allen, director, said: “2017 has been a transformational year for us as we’ve sought to bring the work of local artists into Bar Opus. We’ve enjoyed giving a platform to some incredible artists and our last exhibition of the year is another fascinating study, documenting spaces that we don’t normally see. We’ve no doubt that they’ll be a real talking point for our customers.”

Since the beginning of the year, Bar Opus has showcased the work of internationally renowned artist Sophie Hedderwick, art from Birmingham-born innovators Key & Tam, the creative duo behind LOWLFE, and Birmingham artist and owner of Disorder Boutique Mark Howard.

Whilst you’re at Bar Opus, why not make the most of their tie-up in conjunction with Selfridges and local gin distillers Langley’s and give the new Birmingham Gin a try.

This London Dry Gin is carefully brewed with coriander, angelica root, liquorice and orange peel at the Langley Distillery in Birmingham. The chic bottle is decorated with copper foils dots, which are inspired by the iconic Selfridges discs and the 150-year old copper still in which the spirit is distilled, and is avilable exclusively at Selfridges Bullring for £44.99.

Bar Opus at One Snow Hill is now the first bar in town to be serving the Birmingham Gin. The expert booze technicians have created three bespoke Birmingham inspired cocktails to match this new flavour.

Brummie Mary

Birmingham Gin, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, volcano salt, ground black pepper, sriracha sauce, fresh lemon

Brumtini

Birmingham Gin, dry vermouth, grapefruit bitters, grapefruit garnish

Midlands Mojitio

Birmingham Gin, fresh lime, sugar, mint, ginger ale

For more information on Bar Opus, visit www.baropus.co.uk

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Otto Wood Fired Pizza

Posted on August 23, 2017 by outinbrum

Dichotomy of architectural style is apparent all over Birmingham, and nowhere more so than the Jewellery Quarter. Hideous 90s blocks of flats and offices sit side by side with beautiful Victorian temples to manufacturing, some of which have undergone chic refurbishments, repurposed to service the bustling village community that’s been built there. And so to Caroline Street, just off St. Paul’s Square, where a building that used to house part of the biscuit factory has been turned in to The Eight Foot Grocer and deli (built in the factory’s 8 foot wide loading bay), and Otto Wood Fired Pizza restaurant. A former London restaurant manager, Chris James, is behind both ventures.

Although I’ve heard it’s great, I can’t comment on the grocer’s (see what I did there grammar nerds?) as I’m never around when it’s open to try the produce, coffee, and lunches that they offer daily. I can however comment on the pizza as we’ve eaten there a couple of times now.

The last time was a summer’s Friday evening a few weeks ago. Straight from work we headed to the brilliant Rock ’n’ Roll Brewhouse for a couple, and then over to Otto’s. We sat out on a pavement table with a bottle of beer in some rare 2017 sunshine, looking over at the gold trimmed Bloc hotel. I’ve just noticed on the menu that I could’ve ordered a pre-dinner Negroni or Aperol Spritz, I shall give them a go next time.

This place is about provenance of ingredients. Coffee comes from Birmingham’s Quarter Horse Roastery, flour from the Cotswolds, salami from Shropshire, and the blue cheese is Colston Bassett. There’s nowhere to hide on a pizza, the ingredients and their quality must speak for themselves.

There are eight pizzas on the menu, and usually a couple of specials. It goes without saying that they make their own dough, and have a fiercely hot pizza oven to cook the pizzas in. I chose the ‘Nduja, mushroom, mozzarella, tomato, and I think it was drizzled with honey (I failed to get a copy of the specials menu). Sweet honey complimented the the spicy heat of the soft ‘Nduja sausage which packed great flavour. The base of the pizza was thin and crispy. I loved it, and I think it’s one of the best pizzas I’ve had in Brum. We also had a pizza with a white sauce base instead of tomato, perfect for tomato haters.

Pizzas will cost you less than a tenner here and they’re made with real care and attention. The food was great and the service was friendly, I’d highly recommend it.

Posted in Area: Jewellery Quarter, Cuisine: Pizza, Price: Cheap as Chips - Inexpensive, Venue type: Restaurant | Tagged Birmingham Restaurant, birmingham restaurant review, birmingham review, eating out in birmingham, Out In Birmingham, out in brum, OutInBrum, restaurant review, where to eat in birmingham, Where To Go In Birmingham, where to go out in birmingham | 1 Comment

Taxi Cop: Stay Safe on a Night Out

Posted on August 14, 2017 by outinbrum

We spent about eight years living in Brum City Centre, first near the top of Beetham Tower (that’s the top of the Radisson hotel building on Holloway Circus Roundabout aka “Pagoda Island”), and then near the top of the Orion Building tower opposite The Mailbox. While our reasons for moving out to leafy Harborne were numerous, part of the push was the unbearable amount of queuing traffic on the roads around our apartment, largely due to the rebuild of New Street Train Station. Worst of all though, when trying to get our cars in and out of the building, were the bloody taxis. It was through our despair at being told by at least one cab driver to “report me mate, we’re untouchable” that we started to chat to Birmingham Taxi Cop on Twitter, aka PC Dave Humpherson.

PC Humpherson has been policing the streets of Brum for the past 14 years trying to enforce the various Taxi laws to make sure both drivers and punters are safe. He’s on secondment to Birmingham City Council licence enforcement team which deals with all kinds of licensing, not just taxis.

Illegally operating as a taxi isn’t a safe occupation, and quite apart from the legal pitfalls and fines that can be meted out, drivers who’ve failed to follow the regulations have been beaten up and robbed by their punters. Neither is it safe for passengers to take cars that are breaking the rules, many have ended up paying over the odds, and worse still have been sexually assaulted. If you have an issue with a car that you haven’t booked and you don’t get the registration plate it’s very hard to do anything about it, booking a car gives you and drivers security that you know you’re getting a bona fide car, and that if anything goes wrong there’s a record of the journey. Sadly there are lots of examples of unscrupulous people willing to break the law to make a fast buck, and worse still using cars to lure in unsuspecting tipsy people. There’s an interesting BBC Inside Out article about it here.

The laws and regulations concerning taxis are a complete hodgepodge with both national and regional components. Mostly it’s regional rules by local councils that controls what taxis are and are not allowed to do, but neighbouring towns like Wolverhampton and Birmingham can have greatly different rules. What with the advent of smart phone application booking of cars it’s about time central government harmonised how licensing worked across the sector, but as yet there seems to be no appetite for change, so PC Humpherson is getting on trying to ensure that drivers and punters in Brum are safe. This includes mass operations to check insurance and vehicle issues and also spot checks of cars.

Different types of cars are allowed to operate in different ways. Private hire cars, let’s call them mini-cabs, can work in any region for which their operator has a licence. With the advent of Uber and such like that means many cars can pretty much work nationally, but only needs to obey the regulations imposed by their authority. You’ll note in Birmingham there are a lot of cars registered in other authorities.

Mini-cabs, dependent on size of vehicle can carry up to eight passengers, cannot ply for trade nor pick up anyone unless they’ve been booked by phone or smart phone app. Bookings must be made by the operator, not by the driver. If someone on the street is offering to call you a mini-cab, touting, that’s against the rules. In Birmingham on Broad Street and near Hurst Street there are some taxi marshals but they’re only there to organise the queue of taxis and punters. Mini-cabs with more than eight seats, for instance minibuses that try to round up groups of students going back to halls, are regulated by the DVSA rather than local council but they must still be pre-booked. Hackney Carriages, also known as Black Cabs or simply Taxis, dependent on size of vehicle can carry up to 8 passengers, and can ply for trade in the area they’re registered in. Outside that area they can pick up only booked passengers. Both mini-cabs and Taxis must be able to provide a price list or tariff.

Legitimate taxis and mini-cabs have to undergo a normal MOT plus a supplementary MOT, and all legitimate drivers are DBS checked to ensure they’re not likely to assault their passengers. You should be able to tell whether your taxi is legitimate by looking at the license plates or stickers (it depends on the registering authority whether it’s in the window or fixed to the license plate).

Here are some top tips for staying safe when ending your night out:

Only get in to a private hire car (mini-cab) you’ve booked, or a legitimate Taxi;
Do not approach private hire cars (mini cabs) parked at the side of the road asking them to take you unless you have booked it;
Wear your seatbelt – you are required to by law.

If you’ve a complaint about a taxi or mini-cab, ideally you should report it to the licensing authority on the taxi license plate or sticker – try and get the badge number or the license plate number. PC Humpherson is usually around on Twitter if you have concerns or questions. You can follow Birmingham Taxi Cop on twitter here.

https://twitter.com/Bhamtaxicop/status/855503086525304833

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Birmingham Pride 2017 – Photos and Write Up

Posted on June 21, 2017 by outinbrum

Last year I wrote about Birmingham Pride after the awful attacks on the LGBT community at Pulse nightclub in Orlando where 49 people were murdered. This year I must write about Pride having taken place in a world where Chechnya’a leader Ramzan Kadryov has reportedly organized a pogrom against the LGBT community, rounding up gay men, torturing, and killing them; a time when the “leader of the free world”, US President Trump, has decided that The Whitehouse will not acknowledge LGBT Pride month as it has done over recent years; and even more close to home, I must write up a Pride that took place just a week after the bombing of the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester where 22 people were killed.

It is no surprise that due to the preceding week’s events that we arrived with our friends at Victoria Square to watch the start of the Pride parade somewhat apprehensive. Many of us had received phone calls and texts from relatives and friends telling us to “stay safe” and to “keep vigilant”, in fear that such a large event, for a cause in conflict to those terrorists’ beliefs who found it fit a week previously to murder children, might attract nefarious attention. Subdued compared to previous years the crowd applauded and cheered the efforts of our emergency services to keep us all safe, and remembered the victims of the Manchester attack with a minute’s silence. As the parade kicked off the crowd became more relaxed, and were soon whooping, clapping, and hollering – tolerance resounding across the city as drag queens revelled in sequins and feathers, and go-go boys danced in the street. Thankfully at around 2pm the national threat level was reduced and the weekend went off entirely without incident. The security felt super well organised and security checks, given the recent events, were stringent.

And so to the fun, the frolics, the highlights, and the photos. This year’s pride featured the usual array of drag and cabaret artists, entirely irreverent, and often downright offensive – god help those in the audience who felt like playing their face to Sandra, Miss Jason, and the other seasoned professionals because they were hilariously taken down. Topping & Butch kept it current with their normal topical political banter – their job must’ve been made that much easier with the advent of Trump, Brexit, and the ridiculousness of the last few months of politics. Dua Lipa, Boney M, Charlotte Church, Sophie Ellis Bextor and so so many more rocked the main stage to a thronging crowd. The local joints outside the cordon offered their normal welcome to the weary festival goer who just wanted a sit down and a pint in a proper glass.

We’re already looking forward to next year!

Take a look below at some of the photos we took at the event.