Jul 19, 2023 · 9 min
TB
Society & Culture
The Brentwood Buzz
The Brentwood Buzz
Celebrating all that is good about the people and places of Brentwood, Essex
- 99 episodes
- Updated July 22
Episodes99
- TBJul 7, 2023 · 21 min
S1Ep17 BOSSY Needs New Boss - The Brentwood Buzz
Brentwood is fortunate in having one of the best youth musical groups around in the form of BOSSY Theatre, which puts on full musicals in proper theatres with a cast aged 11-18. Bus BOSSY is in need of a new boss, as current Musical Director Max Harris is heading northwards for the joys of marriage and a new job. The Brentwood Buzz has visited BOSSY during rehearsals for their new show, Footloose, to find out how much they will miss Max, and what a new Musical Director will need to bring to the table.
- TBJun 21, 2023 · 17 min
S1Ep16 Ian Davidson, Photojournalist on The Brentwood Buzz
Pick up any newspaper featuring a picture of the Prime Minister or a Cabinet Minister, and there is a good chance it was taken by Brentwood-based photojournalist, Ian Davidson. Ian's lived in the town for 35 years, moving here to work for Ford and then following a career which took him to Crawley, the City and now, most often, the press pen at Downing Street. This week The Brentwood Buzz meets Ian in the town's United Reform Church to hear how a good picture is worth a thousand words.
- TBJun 3, 2023 · 18 min
S1Ep15 Brentwood Art Trail - bring art to The Brentwood Buzz
The annual Brentwood Art Trail, organised by Villene Hyam and sponsored by the Brentwood Business Partnership, is taking place across the Borough throughout June. Art, in the form of ceramics, needlework, photographs, painting and collages, is on display in shops in the High Streets of Brentwood, Ingatestone and Shenfield. There are workshops too for those who want to get more involved, and a guided tour each weekend of some of the exhibits. The Brentwood Buzz joined the first tour as the Art Trail began this weekend to meet the organiser and some of the artists as they joined interested locals on Brentwood High Street. You can find out more about the Brentwood Art Trail at www.brentwoodarttrail.co.uk. If you have a story to tell, or someone you know is a jolly interesting person, do get in touch with The Brentwood Buzz at thebrentwoodbuzz@gmail.com
- TBMay 28, 2023 · 19 min
S1Ep14 St Thomas Music Foundation with Thomas Rayner
The St Thomas Music Foundation runs a series of free lunchtime concerts throughout the year for anyone who happens to be in Brentwood town Centre on a Friday lunchtime. The concerts are held in the glorious setting of St Thomas's, the parish church for the town, and organised by Thomas Rayner, an aspiring opera singer who grew up and went to school in Brentwood. This week The Brentwood Buzz has been to St Thomas's to meet Thomas in another podcast which showcases some of the wide range of music and musicians we have in Brentwood. If you know anyone who would love to chat to The Brentwood Buzz, please get in touch at TheBrentwoodBuzz@gmail.com
- TBMay 14, 2023 · 10 min
S1Ep13 Coronation Special with Extra Scouts on The Brentwood Buzz
Amid the celebrations surrounding the Coronation of King Charles III last weekend, The Brentwood Buzz spent Bank Holiday Monday at the excellent Coronation Festival to reflect on what local people thought of the service and what really stood out for them. The Coronation Festival took place in a slightly damp and grey King George's Park, but nothing could dampen the excitement of a bunch of Explorer Scouts who were fundraising for trips to South Korea and North America. With wet sponges flying, and leaders recruiting through a display of firelighting, it was a fun packed day and ideal for podcasting... #Coronation #KingCharlesIII #Scouts #Brentwood
- TBMay 3, 2023 · 19 min
S1Ep12 The Brentwood Buzz Coronation Preparation Special
The Coronation of King Charles III is this weekend and this historic event is being celebrated across Brentwood . Conversations about the Coronation, and memories of the last Coronation, are being shared by friends and families across the Borough. Shop windows are full of red, white and blue displays, while musicians from the Brentwood Imperial Youth Band, Brentwood School Big Band and church choirs are rehearsing for the Coronation Festival in King George's Park on Monday 8th June organised by Brentwood Borough Council. The Brentwood Buzz has been to meet some of those involved in the preparations for a Coronation Preparation Special!
- TBApr 19, 2023 · 16 min
S1Ep11 The Brentwood Buzz - Tom Hodgkinson, 2022 Essex Young Musician of the Year
S1Ep11 - The Brentwood Buzz has already featured a very talented local musician, Amy Hollingsworth, who is just finishing her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and heading out in the big world of jazz vocals. But Brentwood is a hotbed of young musical talent, and this week The Brentwood Buzz meets Tom Hodgkinson, an 18 year old student at the Brentwood School. Tom is the 2022 Essex Young Musician of the Year, and his astounding skills in playing the classical guitar have brought him to the attention of none other than John Williams, whose recording of "Cavatina" was very well-known in the 1970s. Tom's on the brink of the next stage of his musical training, so The Brentwood Buzz headed off to Brentwood School to meet Tom and hear him play.
- TBApr 7, 2023 · 5 min
S1Ep10 The Brentwood Buzz - Mario Corile
Anyone who has walked past the Spread Eagle Pub on Queen's Road in Brentwood will be familiar with the wonderful murals which regularly appear on the wall opposite the back entrance to St Thomas's Churchyard. The artist behind these murals is artist Mario Corile (http://www.corile-design.co.uk/) , and a couple of weeks ago I happened to see him painting his latest artwork on the pub wall. It was too good an opportunity to mis so we had a chat about his work and what brings him to Brentwood on a regular basis.
- TB
Mar 22, 2023 · 27 minS1Ep9 The Brentwood Buzz - Jane Bennett of Bennetts Funeral Directors
The cheerful and ever-changing displays in the windows of Bennetts Funeral Directors in Brentwood reflect the company's long-standing position and importance in the lives - and deaths - of many Brentwood inhabitants. But if you think the funeral business involves little more than a long car and some men and women in black suits, you may wish to think again. There are qualifications and regulations, training and a good eye for a good hearse needed. Jane Bennet took over her family's firm more than thirty years ago and had to learn it all from scratch so The Brentwood Buzz has been to meet her and find out some of the finer details of planning a funeral.
- TBMar 18, 2023 · 8 min
S1Ep8 1The Brentwood Buzz - Make Your Market
A special additional episode of The Brentwood Buzz today, celebrating young entrepreneurs in the town who have been taking part in Brentwood's first 'Make Your Market' event in the Baytree Centre. The Covid pandemic made many young people take a good look at their lives and passions, and the outcome seems to have been the enthusiastic decision to make, create and sell all kinds of products. Brentwood has never been a place lacking in entrepreneurial vigour, and Brentwood Borough Council have embraced this by bringing 'Make Your Market' to the town and encouraged those aged under 30 to take part. Things started small today, but they will grow, and there's no doubt The Brentwood Buzz will be talking to the likes of Charlotte (Minus Cloud Nine), Lucy (Amara London) and Lily (DottysCreatives) again in the future as their business careers develop.
- TBMar 9, 2023 · 19 min
S1Ep7 Marc Sardinha of Hey Joe!
S1Ep7 Music, coffee and a hefty dose of nostalgia is what you get at Hey Joe!, Brentwood's only independent record shop. The shop in the Baytree Centre is run by Marc Sardinha, who decided Brentwood was the perfect place for the shop he wanted to open and he moved here three years ago. This week on The Brentwood Buzz Marc explains why Brentwood offers everything he wants for home and work, and runs through what's hot and what's not in the music scene at the moment. And if Sam Ryder or Depeche Mode tune in to The Brentwood Buzz, Marc would be happy for them to come and play at the shop! If you'd like to know more about The Brentwood Buzz, or think someone you know would make a brilliant guest, please get in touch at TheBrentwoodBuzz@gmail.com or via The Brentwood Buzz on Facebook.
- TBMar 1, 2023 · 21 min
S1Ep6 At the Chicken and Frog Bookshop with Natasha Radford
S1Ep6 - Nestled in the heart of Brentwood's wonderful Crown Street is the Chicken and Frog bookshop, run by Natasha and Jim Radford. The bookshop provides a focus for young readers wanting to find new inspiration, and for adults who want to read something which might be less widely available online or in High Street chains. The shop embraces diversity and everyone is made to feel welcome - unless they are a chicken... This week The Brentwood Buzz visits the Chicken and Frog to meet owner Natasha Radford to find out what Brentwood, and books, mean to her.
- TBFeb 7, 2023 · 22 min
S1Ep5 Early Doors Productions Bring Original Musical to Brentwood
S1Ep5 The Brentwood Buzz has been given exclusive access to rehearsals of a new and original musical, 'If They're Human', by the talented team at Early Door Productions. Early Doors Productions rehearse and perform in Brentwood, and their latest show, set in a concentration camp in Second World War Germany, promises to challenge audiences when it comes to Brentwood Theatre on 1st-4th March 2023.
- TBFeb 1, 2023 · 16 min
S1Ep4 Amy Hollingsworth - Home Grown Talent Bringing Jazz to Brentwood
S1Ep4 - For those in the know, Brentwood offers a wide range of theatrical and musical opportunities for the youngest learners to the oldest professionals. Brentwood Theatre, the Bardswell Social Club, the Essex Arms are just a few of the venues where actors and musicians meet, act and perform. And that's not even mentioning all the church and school halls hosting rehearsals and performances across the town. And this week, The Brentwood Buzz is hearing from a young jazz singer who has grown up in the town and is due to front her own show, live at the Ingatestone Community Centre on Saturday 18th February 2023, with the Jon Bennett Big Band. Amy Hollingsworth learnt her craft through school shows at Warley Primary School, the Ursuline High School and Shenfield High School, as well as Brentwood Theatre and many of the local orchestras and bands. She's now in her final year studying jazz vocals at the Guildhall School of Music. The Brentwood Buzz is delighted to support Amy - she is a great vocalist and will go far! You can her some of Amy's amazing vocals on her Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/amymay.hollingsworth
- TBJan 29, 2023 · 15 min
TBB S1Ep3 Brentwood's Banksy Expert - John Brandler
TBB S1Ep3 Tucked away on a small row of shops behind Brentwood High Street is Brandler Galleries. Its owner, fine art dealer and street art collector, John Brandler has lived in Brentwood all his life and has become known as a world expert on the art of Banksy. The Brentwood Buzz has been to meet John to find out what keeps him in Brentwood and why Banksy holds such a fascination for him.
- TBJan 14, 2023 · 18 min
S1Ep2 The Brentwood Buzz - Julian Goode - If I Could Walk 500 Miles
S1Ep2 The Brentwood Buzz is back, with walking boots on and out in the open air with Julian Goode. Julian's survived leukaemia and lockdown in the the last four years and has walked 500 miles across all four countries of the UK to raise money and awareness. And, in the words of the Proclaimers, he will walk 500 more as he's set up a business giving all of us the chance to have a good walk in the countryside and woods around Brentwood and Essex. You can find out more about Julian and his walks at GoodeWalks.co.uk July 2026 This episode was recorded in January 2023 on a sunny day at the Pavilion at King George's Playing Fields when Julian was in good health and keen to get back to walking. Sadly, the ailments persisted and Julian died at the end of December 2025. He is greatly missed, and this second ever episode of The Brentwood Buzz exists in memory of his cheerful, determined, stoicism and humour.
- TBJan 7, 2023 · 23 min
S1Ep1 The Brentwood Buzz - Cllr Mark Reed...and a hedgehog
S1Ep1 The Brentwood Buzz's first guest is Mark Reed, a current Brentwood Borough Councillor and a former Mayor of Brentwood, who used to run Brentwood Theatre and now wrangles animals at children's parties.
- TB
Jan 2, 2023 · 33 secS0Ep0 The Brentwood Buzz - The Introduction. Hello!
The Brentwood Buzz is a podcast celebrating all that is good about Brentwood, Essex through the people who live and work here. Kay Bellwood has lived in the town for 25 years and will be talking to guests about how they came to be in Brentwood, what they do here and what makes them stay. If you have an interesting tale to tell about your life in Brentwood, get in touch at TheBrentwoodBuzz@gmail.com