Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

Radio 4,19 Jul 2026,28 mins

The Rebirth of Orgreave

Currently

Available for 30 days

How South Yorkshire is attracting global companies for manufacturing and research on the ‘Battle of Orgreave’ site. In 1984, miners clashed with police in one of the most notorious moments of the strikes. An inquiry is underway into the events of that day. The sounds now heard on the former Orgreave coking plant and colliery in Rotherham are of a high street being created from scratch and the building of thousands of new homes, on the edge of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). It was created by academics in 2001, in partnership with Boeing. Since then, companies like Mclaren and Rolls Royce have also set up in the wider park, and other companies come for advice to make their production more efficient. Sean Farrington finds out how it works, whether it’s benefitting local people and if this is a model for other parts of the UK. Presenter: Sean Farrington Producer: Laura Jones Sound design: Cameron Ward Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey Production Coordinator Apprentice: Ellis Goodwin Editor: Clare Fordham

Programme Website
More episodes