“No other city in Britain has this much drama”

Is Charlie Veitch a clear-eyed chronicler of Manchester’s decay – or exploiting it for “content”?

Dear readers – you either haven’t heard of Charlie Veitch, or you definitely have. He’s a professional YouTuber, whose provocative videos of Manchester life can rack up over a million views. In them, he has run-ins with the police, drug addicts, the homeless – and of course, his loyal fans. Many are unimpressed with his approach, branding it “exploitative”, and Veitch an “agitator”. But for others, he is doing more than anyone to capture the sorry state of Britain today.

Veitch himself is an intriguing character. Political, but not obviously left or right, he has a background in conspiracy theories that he has since disavowed. It’s easy to dismiss him as a straightforward controversialist, but when Darryl Morris went to spend time with him, it became clear that he’s built a community around his brand of off-beat commentary. So who is Veitch really, and what’s driving him?

That’s our story for today. To read the full thing, as ever, you’ll need to be a Mill member. It’s exactly the kind of story that we love to cover on The Mill, looking at a big trend – the rise of vlogging – and the intriguing characters who have come along for the ride. But first, your Mill briefing.

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Your Mill briefing

There is continued tension at Ryebank Fields, a plot of green space in Chorlton set to be developed by a partnership including Manchester Metropolitan University. Previously, members of a campaign against the development blocked the fields off to surveyors and investigators, but now they have gained access, starting work the campaigners say is disruptive to wildlife. Yesterday morning, workers wearing protective gear were photographed by residents who say that MMU and Manchester City Council are “ignoring” their concerns over post-industrial land on the site — which contains asbestos — being excavated, particularly considering its proximity to St Johns RC Primary. “They're digging up an area that's well known to have asbestos, right next to a school?” emailed one resident.

Plans for the Bee Network’s next stage of expansion have been announced and include four new tramlines, and new train stations in Cheadle and Golborne. The new tram lines would extend the Metrolink to Salford Crescent, Port Salford, Stockport and Middleton. Eight new integrated train routes would also help with seamless travel across train, bus and tram. But before you move to Wigan in anticipation of its new tram and busway, it’s worth noting the heavy use of the word “option” in the map below. The business cases are still being developed, and the shiny map below is likely something TfGM are putting out to try and galvanise the new Labour government to stump up the funding.

Credit: Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Two newly elected Lib Dem MPs in Stockport are calling on the government to make urgent repairs to Stepping Hill Hospital, where one building has already been condemned and leaks are closing other wards. Cheadle MP Tom Morrison and Hazel Grove’s Lisa Smart have written a joint letter to the health secretary, saying the hospital was a principal concern amongst voters in the build up to last week’s election.

Eamonn Boylan OBE, the former chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority who stood down from the role earlier this year, will be interim chief executive of Manchester City Council ahead of current CEO Joanne Roney’s move to Birmingham City Council. 

And finally: Tickets are now live for Manchester Baroque’s performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons centred around the “Summer”. Click here to book.

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By Darryl Morris

Charlie Veitch grips his camera on the platform of Market Street tram stop as pro-Palestinian protesters march across the tracks below.

“Darling, darling viewers, here they come,” he barks over the thumping sound of chanting and drums, “I want to show you the balaclava-ed ones at the front, they always send the balaclava-ed scary ones to intimidate the people to get out the way.”

Charlie is filming one of his daily videos for his 419,000 YouTube subscribers, in which he wanders the streets of the North West, sweeping his camera through town centres, goading protesters, police officers, security guards, homeless people, and passersby, uploading the confrontations with a flurry of dramatic captions.

‘Police Smash Crackhead Conspiracy, Arrests & More!’

‘RAGE BOY: I Had to Punch Him (Trafford Centre)’

‘GAME OVER Crackheads: Police Go Strong & Hamas Camp Reconnaissance’   

Recently, I have been contributing to the millions of views he’s accumulated. My heart thumps as each video builds. It’s addictive. One video becomes two, becomes three. The more antagonistic, the more views. Thousands of people cheer him on in the comments, feasting on the drama. ‘Grab your popcorn and enjoy your front row seat to the collapse of modern Britain’ says one viewer. Not everyone agrees. ‘Dickhead agitator’ says a post about him on the online forum Reddit. ‘This poverty tourist is just another example of how journalism can be dangerous and intrusive.’

It’s tempting to ignore people like Charlie — especially if you don’t inhabit the same corner of the internet, or fail to see the appeal of watching someone walking around being difficult.

But that would be a mistake. Online videos now strongly condition how people view the physical world. Hundreds of thousands of viewers have had their first introduction to Manchester via Charlie’s YouTube channel. I wanted to understand why he does what he does, so I get in touch and ask to join him on one of his trips to the city centre.

Charlie filming a protest. Image credit: Darryl Morris

Which brings us to a wet Saturday afternoon on Market Street. A young woman in a blue cagoule positions herself in front of him on the tram stop platform. She has been staying close since he arrived in Piccadilly Gardens an hour earlier, warning other protesters not to engage with his claims that they are pro-Hamas, or his questions about where the Israeli hostages are being kept. Another young woman in an orange hi-vis jacket that reads ‘legal observer’ circles nearby, clutching a notepad. There is a quiet tension on the platform as the protest rumbles past. More people gather with phones and go-pros, each staking out the other, waiting for one wrong move. A hooded man with a rucksack pushes his way through. There is an altercation. The tension snaps. Charlie’s bodyguard, Fred, throws an elbow, and then a punch. The ‘legal observer’ gasps, frowns and scribbles into her notepad.