Rephonic
Artwork for Our Lives, Our Stories

Our Lives, Our Stories with Carl Chinn

Our Lives, Our Stories
Birmingham
Birmingham, United Kingdom
UB40
Social History
Reggae
Local Journalism
Bullring
Working Class
Joe Lycett
Toronto
New York
British Music Scene
Boxing
World War II
West Bromwich Albion
The Birmingham Dispatch
Housing Benefit Exempt Accommodation
Hmos
City History
St Auburn's Catholic Primary School

Our Lives, Our Stories is hosted by social historian and writer Carl Chinn MBE, whose life’s work has been dedicated to bringing to the fore the lives and stories of people too often left out of traditional history books.

This podcast is built on a simple but powerful belief: that history must be democratised and that every person’s story matters.

In each episode, Carl sits down with guests rangin... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes21Founded6 months ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Society & CultureHistory

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Our Lives, Our Stories

Latest Episodes

Carl Chinn sits down in conversation with Lyle Bignon, Birmingham's Night Time Economy Ambassador and a lifelong champion of the city's music and culture.

Growing up in Balsall Heath as a third-generation Irish, second-generation French Brummie, Lyl... more

Carl Chinn sits down in conversation with Dr Siobhán Stevenson, a Birmingham oral historian and audio producer who has spent her career capturing other people's life stories, from community radio volunteers to imprisoned people to the women who fough... more

Carl Chinn sits down in conversation with Dr Karamat Iqbal, an educator and historian whose life crosses two worlds. Karamat grew up in a village of ten houses in Kashmir, walking hours to school across the ravines, until at barely a teenager he was ... more

Carl Chinn sits down with Rebecca McKinney, an outstanding headteacher and Catholic schools inspector whose story begins in a big, fiercely close Irish family with roots in the centre of Dublin and the countryside of Kildare. From her mom's childhood... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

The Blindboy Podcast
The Blindboy PodcastBlindboyboatclub
The Alexei Sayle Podcast
The Alexei Sayle PodcastAlexei Sayle and Talal Karkouti

Recent Guests

Siobhán Stevenson
Oral history participation curator, museum educator
Birmingham Museums
Episode: Siobhán Stevenson
Kieran Sahota
Speaker highlighting significance of grandfather in life
Medical/academic
Episode: Father's Day Special
Royfield Brown
Speaker recounting his father's dementia and care
Private individual
Episode: Father's Day Special
Toby Gorniak
Performer discussing being a father and family
Private individual
Episode: Father's Day Special
Sophie Martin Canning
Reflecting on her father's legacy
Private individual
Episode: Father's Day Special
Stacey Barnfield
Journalist, deputy editor, editor, media consultant, photographer, Colour Paletteur
Edwin Ellis Creative Media (PR/marketing)
Episode: Stacey Barnfield
Kate Knowles
Editor of The Birmingham Dispatch
The Birmingham Dispatch
Episode: Kate Knowles
Toby Gorniak MBE
Founder of Street Factory and proponent of the Gorniak Method
Street Factory / Gorniak Method
Episode: Toby Gorniak MBE
Christina Longden
Guest, researcher and activist focused on community history and social enterprise
Lorna Young Foundation; Past Truisms; author
Episode: Christina Longden

Host

Carl Chinn
Host of Our Lives Our Stories; social historian and writer focusing on Birmingham and working-class histories.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#127
United Kingdom/History
Apple Podcasts
#70
Ireland/History
Apple Podcasts
#154
New Zealand/History

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Roifield Brown
Q: What prompted your return to Birmingham and the move into Temper & Brown?
After a period of travel and entrepreneurship in Canada and the U.S., Roifield felt a strong pull back to Birmingham, deciding to establish a family-run bar that cements Birmingham's multicultural identity, honors his Jamaican heritage, and serves as a community hub.
Roifield Brown
Q: How did your experiences in Worthing and Winchester shape you?
He describes the police stops in Worthing and the cultural exposure in Winchester as pivotal moments that highlighted parallel Britons and sparked a nuanced understanding of national and personal identity, reinforcing his Brummie roots while acknowledging broader British and immigrant experiences.
Roifield Brown
Q: What brought your mom to Birmingham?
Roifield explains that his mother moved with the family as part of the post-war Jamaican diaspora seeking employment opportunities and a better life in the UK, a pattern mirrored by many of his relatives who came to England, especially Birmingham, for work and family stability.
Toby Gorniak MBE
Q: What did receiving the MBE mean for you and your family?
It was an incredibly humbling moment that validated decades of community work and mentorship, not just for him but for the Roma community and the young people he has supported.
Toby Gorniak MBE
Q: What happened when you were 11 and how did that affect you later in life?
A brutal attack by skinheads left Toby in a coma for months, shattering his sense of safety and forcing a reevaluation of his identity and future. The experience became a catalyst for resilience and a lifelong commitment to helping others avoid similar harm.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Lives, Our Stories

What is Our Lives, Our Stories about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A historically rich, person-centered interview show that blends social history with intimate storytelling. Conversations frequently explore how family narratives, local Birmingham heritage, and community experiences shape individual identities, careers, and worldviews. Episodes span personal origin stories, the evolution of local journalism, culture and music scenes, and broader social themes like migration, education, and urban change. The series often features guests who are journalists, historians, artists, and community leaders, providing both personal anecdotes and broader context about belonging, place, and memory. A standout thread is the strong emphasis on democratizing history—giving voice to everyday people and local histories tha... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Our Lives, Our Stories?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Our Lives, Our Stories. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Our Lives, Our Stories and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Our Lives, Our Stories get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Our Lives, Our Stories, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Our Lives, Our Stories?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Our Lives, Our Stories, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Our Lives, Our Stories have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Our Lives, Our Stories has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Our Lives, Our Stories?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Our Lives, Our Stories:

1. The Blindboy Podcast
2. The Louis Theroux Podcast
3. The Alexei Sayle Podcast
4. THE ADAM BUXTON PODCAST
5. Mike & Vittorio's Guide to Parenting

How many episodes of Our Lives, Our Stories are there?

Our Lives, Our Stories launched 6 months ago and published 21 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Our Lives, Our Stories?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Our Lives, Our Stories?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Our Lives, Our Stories from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Our Lives, Our Stories?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Our Lives, Our Stories. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Our Lives, Our Stories?

Recent guests on Our Lives, Our Stories include:

1. Siobhán Stevenson
2. Kieran Sahota
3. Royfield Brown
4. Toby Gorniak
5. Sophie Martin Canning
6. Stacey Barnfield
7. Kate Knowles
8. Toby Gorniak MBE

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days