Nek’s graffiti is everywhere. Who is he?
One man’s search for the meaning of a Birmingham tag
Samuel McIlhagga
Samuel is a features writer and reporter whose work has appeared in the Financial Times, UnHerd, Jacobin and the LA Review of Books. In 2024, he won The Independent’s Rupert Cornwall Prize
Featured Stories
In Moseley, a multi-million pound London property firm is making life hell
The property management company Freshwater is nearly tripling fees for Wakefield Court residents. Many can’t afford it.
Investigation: Raja Khan’s empire of dirt
How a negligent housing provider courted Birmingham’s bigwigs
Latest Stories
Nek’s graffiti is everywhere. Who is he?
One man’s search for the meaning of a Birmingham tag
The stubborn booksellers keeping Brum's indie scene alive
'I am not interested in running a branch of WH Smith'
How the BNP almost conquered the Black Country
Simon Darby led a far-right insurgency in the West Midlands in the 2000s. Two decades later, how much has changed?
My hunt for the Brummie officers of post-war Bosnia — and other observations
A writer’s edition from Samuel
In Moseley, a multi-million pound London property firm is making life hell
The property management company Freshwater is nearly tripling fees for Wakefield Court residents. Many can’t afford it.
Beyond beer and bratwurst, what do Christmas markets bring to Brum?
Birmingham and Frankfurt have a decades-old relationship. But is it mutual?
Penda’s Fen reinvents Mercia for the modern age
How an experimental British 1970s television play pioneered a folk horror revival
Porn stars: the Birmingham university leading x-rated academia
With its porn studies strand, BCU earns its reputation for the radical
Let the battle for Moseley commence!
‘Well, who's being divisive?’
The Smithfield saga
Why is Birmingham struggling to develop a massive inner city brownfield site?
The flags dividing Birmingham
A local effort has snowballed into a national campaign — is it patriotism or something more sinister?
Droitwich's Raven Hotel was empty for 15 years. Then it burned down
Historic, beloved — and completely neglected
The revolution starts in Moseley
The Workers Party claims they're about to shake up Birmingham's politics. Birmingham isn't so sure.
Woon Wing Yip built an empire. Is it in decline?
Once locally beloved and a touchstone for the Chinese disapora, Wing Yip is fading on both fronts
Small Heath is drowning in rubbish. So why doesn’t the council’s data say so?
'I paid money for this, I have a contract with the council for this. Make sure you include that in your piece'