New drama Rock Bottom draws inspiration from the real-life stories of children living on the breadline in Leeds.
The new series showcases the effects of ten years of austerity on Leeds' poorest families, following the lives of three children living in poverty in the city.
It's created by Leeds local Jason Lumsden, who has had first-hand experience of life at both ends of the scale - going from rags to riches, and back to rags again.
Born and raised in Leeds, he loves the city and says he "knows everywhere."
Having run an organisation working with children and families living in poverty in the city for many years, he also has intimate knowledge of the local issues experienced by the most vulnerable.
Now, he's written a TV series to highlight them to the rest of the country.
It's not necessarily an easy watch, but an essential one in Lumsden's opinion - who hopes the show will bring to light the problems experienced by those living in poverty in the city right now.
He's drawn on his own experiences to shape some scenes, including one in which a little boy opens his fridge to find absolutely nothing inside.
“There’s a strong link between financial anxiety and depression, and when you hit rock bottom to open the fridge door and there’s nothing there," he told Leeds Live.
A lot of the issues in the series are based on the issues I came across when I was working with kids in poverty,” he said.
“It was in the early 2000s, and around then, cuts hit and there was less budget to go around and more people were living in austerity.
“I met lots of kids who felt like no one cared, and I used to say, ‘You could fill Elland Road stadium up with all the kids not going to school’.”
Jason added: “Kids had been let down and faced financial discrimination, which I think is underestimated.
“These were the observations I made when working with people on the breadline and I tried to show that in the series.”
Five years in the making, the drama has been a real passion project for Lumsden and is now available to watch on Amazon Prime.
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Inside Sheffield’s new supersize JD Sports Store that has just opened in Meadowhall
Meadowhall has just welcomed a brand-new JD Sports Store - and it is absolutely mega.
Trainer and sportswear lovers, this one's for you as JD Sports has just opened the doors to its newest store.
Located in Meadowhall shopping centre on the Lower Level of the High Street, the new store is almost triple its previous size and spans a whopping 29,225 sq ft.
Shoppers can now browse an ever bigger selection of clothing, footwear and sportswear from big brands like Nike, Montirex, New Balance, Adidas and Berghaus just to name a few.
Image: The Sheff
To make your shopping experience even smoother, the new store features self-service tills so you can be in and out within a flash.
To celebrate the opening, Chunkz and Kenny from popular Youtube collective Beta Squad officially opened the store today and held a meet and greet for fans.
Image: The Sheff
And the celebrations don't stop there, as from Friday 31 July - Sunday 2 August customers can get involved in JD's Spin-to-Win, with the chance to win gift cards, trainers and JD-branded merchandise.
Not only that, but Montirex will be hosting games all-weekend-long.
And if you can't make it that weekend, then do not fear. As on Friday 7 - Sunday 9 August, The Crep Protect truck will be rolling into Meadowhall giving out free goodie bags for customers who sign up to JD Status and follow Crep Protect.
Image: The Sheff
Sneaker Throne will also be offering a shoe-cleaning experience, with demonstrations showing customers how to keep their trainers fresh using products available in-store and goodie bags will be on offer which will also include tokens to play the Cop & Flop game.
So, what are you waiting for? We'll see you there for a fresh new fit.
Shortlist for 2026 Mercury Prize announced with several northern names making the cut
Clementine Hall
The shortlist for the 2026 Mercury Prize has officially landed - and it's another huge year for music from the north.
The prestigious annual award, which celebrates the very best British and Irish albums released over the past 12 months, has unveiled its 12 nominated records ahead of this year's ceremony in Newcastle this October.
Among the biggest talking points is a first-ever Mercury Prize nomination for music legend and northern icon Sir Paul McCartney, whose latest album The Boys Of Dungeon Lane has earned him a place on the shortlist.
Elsewhere representing the north, Newcastle jazz collective Knats have been shortlisted for A Great Day In Newcastle while jungle pioneer Nia Archives, who comes from Bradford, is recognised for her acclaimed album Emotional Junglist.
Image: Audio North
Another artist flying the Newcastle flag is JADE with her debut solo album That's Showbiz Baby!, whilst other notable nominations include Olivia Dean, RAYE and and the charity compilation HELP(2) from War Child Records.
The full 2026 Mercury Prize shortlist is:
Paul McCartney – The Boys Of Dungeon Lane
Olivia Dean – The Art Of Loving
RAYE – This Music May Contain Hope
Dave – The Boy Who Played The Harp
Florence + The Machine – Everybody Scream
Dove Ellis – Blizzard
Knats – A Great Day In Newcastle
Kojey Radical – Don't Look Down
JADE – That's Showbiz Baby!
Nia Archives – Emotional Junglist
Suede – Antidepressants
War Child Records – HELP(2)
This year's Mercury Prize ceremony will return to Newcastle's Utilita Arena on Thursday 22 October after the city successfully hosted the awards for the first time last year.
The 2025 event saw hometown hero Sam Fender take home the coveted prize for People Watching, and who knows - maybe The Toon will bag another prize for a hometown hero.
Georgina Pellant -
20th May 2021 
