logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2022
10m 10s

The funk and soul club that changed Manc...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In 1962, Nigerian man Phil Magbotiwan opened a brand new nightclub in Manchester, England.

In part because of his own personal experiences of racism, Phil wanted to create somewhere where everyone would be welcome – Manchester’s first racially inclusive nightclub. The Reno was born.

The nightclub became a particularly important space for Manchester's mixed heritage community, who felt unwelcome in city centre venues.

Phil’s youngest daughter, Lisa Ayegun shares her memories, of the Reno and her dad, with Matt Pintus.

This programme contains descriptions of racial discrimination.

(Photo: Phil Magbotiwan (right) standing in front of the Reno nightclub in Manchester. Credit: The Magbotiwan family)

Up next
Yesterday
How BRICS got its name
In 2001, a few months after 9/11, economist Jim O’Neill was working at Goldman Sachs when he wrote a report about which countries might become big players in the world economy. That’s when he came up with the name BRIC - short for Brazil, Russia, India and China. At first, nothin ... Show More
9m 55s
Oct 9
Japan surrenders in Beijing
Eighty years ago, in the autumn of 1945, World War II surrender ceremonies took place across the Japanese Empire.The one in China was held at the Forbidden City in Beijing bringing an end to eight years of occupation. Thousands of people watched the incredible moment Japanese gen ... Show More
10m 12s
Oct 8
The remote island that was evacuated to 10,000km away
On 10 October 1961, a volcanic eruption threatened the population of Tristan da Cunha, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, and all 264 islanders were evacuated to the UK. Two years later, the majority voted to return. In an interview she gave to the BBC in 1961, M ... Show More
10m 43s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2023
The Haçienda - Manchester, UK
The Haçienda, a nightclub run by the record label behind Joy Division and New Order, was a once-in-a-generation club that came to define British northern youth culture. It belonged to the young people of Manchester and during the rise of ecstasy, it pioneered acid-house music and ... Show More
32m 49s
Aug 2022
Episode 359: The Club Kid/Party Monster Murder
Michael Alig, or you may know him better as Party Monster, was crowned king of the Club Kids back in the late 80’s/early 90’s. You may have heard of the club kids, some famous examples today are Bjork, Amanda Lepore, and Ru Paul. They ruled the streets of Manhattan when the stree ... Show More
1h 26m
Sep 2021
A Manchester United traveler: The Büttner story
Hundreds of people are dancing in the streets of Kleintjeskamp, a traveler community in the Netherlands. Men walk around bare chested, showing their tattoos. Women chug beers. Grandpas and grandmas dance too. A singer is singing Dutch folk songs. Kids are running around. Bonfire’ ... Show More
36m 19s
Oct 2021
Roaring Twenties | The Age of Jazz | 2
In the 1920s, Americans moved to the city in droves, and a new, diverse generation sparked an era of dizzying social change. It was the Age of Jazz, a time when Black Americans brought a revolutionary new musical style to northern cities. Free-spirited flappers haunted urban nigh ... Show More
40m 22s
Jul 2023
Episode 1: Music Institute - Detroit, US
This is the story of how a Black-owned club in downtown Detroit became central to the birth of Techno. The Music Institute was only open for 18 months, but in its short lifetime, it championed the birth of Techno music and became home to some of the most influential DJs and produ ... Show More
37m 29s
Jun 2023
The History of the World's Greatest Nightclubs | Official Trailer
“The History of the World’s Greatest Nightclubs.” From London Audio, iHeartRadio, and executive producer Paris Hilton.  Hosted by Ultra Naté, is a 12-part podcast exploring how different clubs around the world revolutionized the way we party. How they ushered in the birth of new ... Show More
2m 55s
Jun 2023
Ghost Town
'Ghost Town' was recorded by British two-tone band The Specials as a comment on urban decay and social unrest. It was released in June 1981 as riots were springing up around the UK and with the help of an iconic video it topped the UK singles charts. It was also be the band's fin ... Show More
27m 43s
Feb 2024
Dance Yourself Free (Throwback)
Beyonce's Renaissance brought house music back to mainstream audiences. But even when it wasn't gracing the Grammys, house never went away. Born from the ashes of disco in the late 1970s and '80s, house was by and for the Black, queer youth DJing and dancing in Chicago's undergro ... Show More
50m 1s
Oct 2020
British black history special
We present five eyewitness accounts of moments in British black history. Including the late Sam King remembering the voyage of the Empire Windrush, plus Britain's first black headteacher Yvonne Conolly, Dr William Lez Henry on confronting the Far Right in the battle of Lewisham, ... Show More
50m 35s
Oct 2021
Black history: Britain and race
As part of our British black history coverage we look back at the racism faced by London's first black policeman from his own colleagues. We also hear about the death in police custody of black ex-soldier Christopher Alder. Plus, the intriguing story of a Somali sailor based in t ... Show More
49m 41s