The Pie at Night: In Search of the North at Play

by Stuart Maconie

Factory, mine, and mill. Industry, toil, and grime. Its manufacturing roots mean we still see the North of England as a hardworking place. But, more than possibly anywhere else, the North has always known how to get dressed up, take itself out on the town, and have a good time. After all, working and playing hard is its specialty, and Stuart Maconie is in search of what, exactly, this entails, and what it tells us about the North today. Following tip offs and rumor, Stuart takes trip to forgotten corners and locals’ haunts. From the tapas bars of Halifax to the caravan parks of Berwick Upon Tweed, from a Westhoughton bowling green to Manchester’s curry mile, via dog tracks and art galleries, dance floors, and high fells, Stuart compares the new and old North, with some surprising results. The Pie at Night could be seen as a companion to the bestselling Pies and Prejudice, but it is not a sequel. After all, this is a new decade, and the North is changing faster than ever. This is a revealing and digressive journey and a State of the North address, delivered from barstool, terrace, dress circle, and hillside.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Biography, Humor, Comedy, British Literature

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2015

About the author

Stuart Maconie is a TV and radio presenter, journalist, columnist and author.

He is the UK’s best-selling travel writer of non-TV tie-in books and his Pies and Prejudice was one of 2008’s top selling paperbacks. His work has been compared with Bill Bryson, Alan Bennett and John Peel and described by The Times as a 'National Treasure'.

He co-hosts the Radcliffe and Maconie Show on BBC Radio 2 every Monday – Thursday evening, as well as The Freak Zone on 6Music on Sunday afternoons, and has written and presented dozens of other shows on BBC Radio. His TV work includes presenting the BBC's On Trial shows, Pop on Trial and Style on Trial, as well as Stuart Maconie’s TV Towns, a popular gazeteer of major British cities and their roles in modern cultural life for ITV 4 and The Cinema Show/The DVD Collection on BBC 4.

As well as a popping up in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights, and on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Stuart was a favourite on hit TV series such as the BBC's I love the 1970s' , I love the 1980s , and is now in variously Grumpy... . His other books include the acclaimed official biographies of both Blur and James. He can name GQ Man of the Year and Sony Awards Radio Broadcaster of the Year amongst his accolades. He has regular columns in The Radio Times and Country Walking and writes for WORD magazine and The Mirror.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you think of the North of England an industrial landscape would come to mind, with the factories, mills and heavy industry. It is a hardworking place; but it knows how to have a good time and play hard too. Maconie decides that he needs to dust off his suit, polish his shoes and go out on the town in search of a good time.

Using the best intelligence that he can get, Maconie travels round the north, revisiting the classic haunts of leisure from Blackpool to the dogs, football and rugby of course. Any day off is enhanced by going out for a curry before walking it all off with a stroll across the moors. He hears a brass band, before trying something out of the ordinary and after all that needs a restorative pint.

This is another good book and kind of a companion book to The Pie at Night by Maconie as he travels back and forwards across the North finding out what they do in their leisure time. It is not particularly challenging to read, mostly as he writes in such an easy going and chatty way. That does not mean that he is not perceptive and it is laugh out loud in places too, as he has a knack of getting to the spirit of the event he is partaking in whilst not taking it too seriously. Another one of his that was worth reading.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stuart Maconie's affectionate look at the various ways northerners amuse themselves, covering music, sport, fell walking, heritage sights, art, restaurants etc. Some activities he says he left out due to lack of space, among these are'growing giant leeks' though that has been covered adequately in Harry Pearson's delightful 'racing Pigs and Giant marrows' (likewise pigeon racing, also covered by Mr Pearson). It is quite entertaining, though there are occasional moments when I find myself wondering, for instance,why he is so averse to the idea of men doing anything with other men that doesn't involve women. He seems to find the idea of men without women alarming(he expresses no such reserve about all-female group activities). Sometimes his attempts to curry favour with female readers come across as slightly absurd. for instance when discussing professional chefs he he quotes someone as having said 'women have been cooking for a thousand years, men have been cooking for about five minutes' which is patently untrue. Men have always been professional chefs, all those sumptuous banquets in medieval acstles, tudor palaces etc, were cooked by men. however, these minor irritants aside, this is quite an interesting book if you want to know about life and leisure in the north of England.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maconie has an simple, direct & amusing writing style & usually I find it easy to identify with him, surprisingly in some ways as firstly he's a man..& I'm not!...& secondly he's a....dare I say it?..a Lancastrian Well, I am a Yorkshire-lass through & through.....

This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. There were parts I found thoroughly enjoyable, especially those set in my own neck of the woods & despite spending my whole life around Huddersfield I've found out things about the town I never knew. There were parts I quite liked & things that caught my interest & have seen me googling for further info (Lowry's paintings of girls or the group Henry Cow for example) & also adding books to my TBR (Jeanette Wintertons "The Daylight Gate" & Robert Aickman's "Dark Entries") But then there were parts that had me glazing over - pretty much anytime football or rugby was mentioned! - but I just skimmed those bits & kept going.

It's taken me a while to read this book as it's been one I've kept dipping in & out of but for me its the ideal book for doing that. I enjoyed it & it gets three & a half stars from me. It might have been four had it not been for a major faux pas in Chapter nine, "Striking Up the Band"- NO mention of the Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band!! *tut tut tut* we're world famous for gawd's sake :o)

[Rosario · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look at the way people in the North of England entertain (or entertained) themselves. I spent a wonderful decade of my life living in Livepool, so this was right up my street.

Some of it was fun and full of fascinating information, some of it not so much. Mostly, it's that this is written very much from the point of view of what captures Maconie's attention, and much as I like the guy, some of what interests him I find very tedious (especially on the music front, I'm afraid). So some of the chapters become a bit of a slog. Still, it was worth reading.

[Clive Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty, intelligent, delightfully and affectionately written, and very funny. Another first rate book from Mr Maconie.

[Brian Clegg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been a fan of the 'hello sky, hello grass,' Fotherington Thomas school (or should that be skool?) of travel writing that is packed with purple prose and lengthy descriptions of scenery. What does the trick for me is a travel book that explores the (often humorous) interaction between the writer and people and places, preferably with more urban and suburban adventures than countryside and wilderness. When it comes to plain humour, the master of this genre is Bill Bryson (even if he did freewheel a little in his latest), but if you want a combination of humour; wry, intelligent observation and lyrical writing, the trophy has to go to Stuart Maconie.

Whether he is exploring his experience as a music journalist in Cider with Roadies, the north in Pies and Prejudice or more southerly climes in Adventures on the High Teas, Maconie delivers. Now he has returned to his first love, the north of England in The Pie at Night. Rather than being a straight travelogue, here Maconie concentrates on 'the north at play', from crown green bowls and the worst league football team ever, to food and drink, seaside fun and, inevitably, music (where Opera North even shows him it's possible to enjoy opera).

I'm probably more than a little biassed as I have a similar background in some ways to Maconie - we both come from a Lancashire mill town (Wigan and Rochdale respectively) but have made our careers elsewhere, which makes it very easy to feel every bit of Maconie's hymns of praise to northern life that some might find less easy to identify with. But I defy anyone not to enjoy the author's enthusiasm for everything from the most brash northern entertainment to sophisticated food and drink.

Perhaps the only thing that seems a little odd is his admission to not liking the observational humour of many modern stand-up comedians, when Maconie's own humour is very much about people and their little quirks. I love, for instance, his remark 'I'm reminded of the time I asked for Scotch and Dry Ginger in a Salford boozer and the barman said, "What do you think this is, Life on Mars?"' Yet there is a difference - most of the stand-ups I've seen mock those they describe, but Maconie's gaze is usually a beneficent one.

Maconie introduces us to a good roster of human characters, but it is the characterful places that dominate whether we are visiting a station buffet that sounds more fun that any pub I've ever been in or the eerie beauty of the Trough of Bowland. He can make the Lake District seem wonderful, but then absolutely captures one of my favourite buildingscapes, Salford's Media City: 'I love the light and the water, the facilities, the campus-like feel of the place. I love the fact that at night it feels like Blade Runner, like Tokyo. It excites the child in me just like those fairground lights and floodlight did and do.' If you've ever been there at night, you will know exactly what he means.

I'm sure southerners get fed up of us northerners droning on about how special it is in t't north (especially if we have chosen to live elsewhere). But I hope The Pie at Night will give a glimpse of some of the reasons behind that love affair - and for those of us who are northern, however long we've been away, it will generate delightful pangs of memory. Is it a little over-rosy? Possibly - but it works wonderfully well.

[Suzie Grogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to write like Stuart Maconie. Sharp and witty but warm and with a real affection for his subjects - here focusing once again on his native north of England in the sort of follow up to Pies and Prejudice from about 10 years ago. Here he looks at how people spend their evenings and the cultural focus of their spare time and despite his sometimes comedic descriptions, this has, at heart, something serious to say about what is and isn't important in Britain today.

I wouldn't gripe, but would love to discuss with him some of the feelings he attributes specifically to those living north of Watford; I think 'ordinary' Londoners and SWesterners have many of the same interests. We aren't all media types from Islington eating tiny portions in gastropubs. My family were fanatical Hackney speedway fans (before it ended up under the Olympic Stadium) and there is some fabby art stuff going on in Bristol. But these are small things really - my only issue with the book is that in hard back it has a surprising number of typos....

[Russ Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Stuart Maconie. His radio work, his public speaking and his writing. This book crafts heartfelt travels in the north of England but someone should have told him that Yorkshire is in the north and maybe he would have given just weighting to visits there?

[Liz]

Another enjoyable read from this author, where I got to reminisce about lots of things, such as the Berni Inns in Bristol; the first restaurant I can remember going to was the one by the Hippodrome for my 13th birthday party. I even enjoyed the football chapter, surprisingly my husband by talking about FC United of Manchester.

[Paul McFadyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid 7 out of 10 for me.

Being a Northerner (and almost a near neighbour, at least for a small shared portion of our lives), I will chirpily devour a new book by Stuart Maconie, a real champion of these parts, especially when he returns to the subject of "our" part of the world.

This one covers plenty of bases: sport, art, theatre, music, drinking, the countryside etc. and as an advert for all sorts of lesser-known (to me) places to visit, it's excellent - there's a strong chance that our 2016 Summer mini-break has been planned around at least a couple of the locations/venues named in this book.

He's good at meeting people and teasing individual stories out - there's always someone sharing a great tale or anecdote, everywhere we go & it's really the people in the book that make it, as well as the warm, wry & affectionate way Stuart views his world.

A few things didn't work for me - the book veers a little too often towards Manchester-centricity (is that even a word??) which I do understand, given that the author has spent a large part of his life looking that way, as well as working and playing there, but it feels slightly unbalanced to me; then again, maybe because I work there against any personal preference & I chuffing hate travelling to the place, I'm more than a bit biased myself. Nice to see a mention of the Briton's Protection though, also my favourite pub in Manchester (and a regular haunt in the early Noughties) which *almost* makes up for it.

I also found myself glazing over a bit during the "walking" chapter - knowing how much Stuart loves a walk and the countryside, it was probably always slighly inevitable that he'd be drawn to write about it eventually (and the Lake District, too), but it's not a subject that grabs this reader. Still, he makes it clear that he is treading where other greats have literally written the book(s) and you may love this part, so that's all the criticism from me on this topic.

Overall, an easy read and an engaging one - keep it up, sir.

[Derek Issacs · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A companion to Pies and Prejudice," says Maconi, about this, his second book about the North.
He writes in a very chatty style and the book itself is almost as good, or is as good, as a travel companion. I have written down loads of places that he mentioned and that I want to visit when I go back home to the North (as I do most years), places of which I had never heard before reading this, even though I am a notherner. I think he rambles ( no pun intended) in parts but I kept on turning the pages. It is all very tongue-in-cheek. I am happy to say that I have experienced much of the entertainment scenarios of which he has written, and of those I haven't, I wished I had.

A quick and humorous read as uusal.

[Janet Panter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as enjoyable as some of the others I've read. This was a bit more heavy-going.

[Marjorie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

It's not all flat caps and whippets - unless you're in Yorkshire where they still don't have electric light or fitted carpets (sorry Lancastrian, so not sorry) - and this is what Stuart Maconie is hoping to prove here. At least, that's what I think he's trying to prove. It is very hard to tell between his frequent forays in to locations that are decidedly NOT the North (Sorry but Birmingham, Wolverhampton et al are in a Metropolitan County called the West Midlands - the clue is in the name for goodness sake!) and his constant references to Socialist and Sociology texts. It all managed to make it rather tedious reading and just as you are thinking things are getting better he meanders off again.

I had a love/hate relationship with this book and found it very hard going. It didn't help that in many ways this was a North that I genuinely didn't recognise and I have lived in Lancashire all my life. Yes, he does manage to point out that we have a wide and varied cultural heritage up here and we know how to celebrate it BUT (yes it's a big one) somehow the whole tone felt kind of patronising. Yes, he's from up here but it felt as thought he was a Professional Northerner rather than a Real Northener.

We didn't get off to the best of starts when talking about Crown Green Bowling - I am semi-affiliated with this peculiar phenomenon because my 26 year old son plays for two league teams. League teams that compromise a wide age range but are mainly under fifty and I was waiting for this to be acknowledged but it still seemed to be the preserve of old men. Then we get on to Football and Rugby League (always League round here, not of that Southern Softies garbage for us where they cuddle on the pitch - sorry have a scrum) and at least he gets the atmosphere at a game right. What I couldn't agree with was his stance on entrance fees - ticket prices are simply ridiculous and are pricing the game out of many people's purview.

The thing about the North isn't what we do for play so much as how we try and make work play. I see it daily in our office and have done in my past 20+ years of work. There is a camaraderie and a sense we are all in it together - even with that annoying apprentice in Finance or the slightly weird guy that nobody knows what he does but he turns up every day so we tolerate him. He does at least attempt to recreate some of the bizarre conversations that people round here have - trust me the things you hear on Blackpool Prom are pure comedic bliss.

I've been told that Pies And Prejudice is a much better book but after reading this I'm not entirely sure I want to dip my toe in to those waters.

[Peter K · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable book , charmingly written by the journalist / author / DJ ( as they used to be called )

Unlike many readers of this book ( I suspect) I have not yet read the predecessor to the work - Pies and Prejudice - but I may well do after enjoying this book.

With an always affectionate eye our author takes us through themed chapters, and many towns and cities in the North of England ( some spiritually rather than geographically - yes, you Wolverhampton )

As a northener at heart I enjoyed this very much, his style is witty and warm , and I learned much about crown green bowling, silver bands and towns and cities such as Hull and Huddersfield and much inbetween

A lovely book full of passion and ( at times ) a persistance of advocacy that may get the non northern reader sighing somewhat .

Written in 2015 I cant help but wonder what a post 2016 version of the book would be like, but that is as far as Im going to venture in that direction as that turn in our history dominates too much as it is without creeping into this review.

Always a pleasure to hear on the airwaves and also to read ...good stuff Mr M

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess I ought not to like Stuart Maconie as a writer, seeing as he is down on us 'Southerners' a lot of the time, tarring us all with the same brush! Yes, I do like some opera (when it's sung in English and sung well) but also I generally say hello to people even if I don't know them (although never on the London Underground when I visit the city, or they think you're a psychopath!).

A lot of his criticisms perhaps do apply to people who live in the capital (surely not all of them!), but not to those of us who live away from London and who don't benefit from the number of things that go on in the capital any more than he does. Despite this, I really like his writing and enjoy his books, and this was no exception - he is probably my favourite non-fiction writer.

I have a real soft spot for northern England and, like when I read Pies and Prejudice, I have finished with a list of places to visit the next time I'm up there! All in all a very enjoying read.

[Janet Trench · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t think this is one of his better books; it did seem self indulgent at times. However, there were two things that really annoyed me; the reference to tennis being an elitist sport and very quickly dismissed in a paragraph. Maybe Stuart needs to take time to check it out at grassroots level and he may find it’s very similar in spirit to the non league football he enjoys. And then the screamer, page 261, the Pitmen Painters from “Ashington in County Durham”. Anyone looking for the Pitman Painters needs to go about 40 miles further north, into Northumberland, to Ashington, once said to be the largest coal mining village in the world, where there’s a permanent display of their work at the Woodhorn museum. There’s something else Ashington’s famous for, can’t quite remember, something to do with two footballing brothers...

[Jessica Li · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subject matter, historical background and spotlights on interesting places were brilliant. The narrative voice and personal interjections were fine to start, grating towards the middle and unbearable by the end. I didn't have any previous knowledge of the writer before starting the book, while his fans might enjoy his style I found a 400 page book far too long to read with the over-romantacised, self-indulgent writing. As someone who loves the north, I don't understand why a love letter must keep reverting back to snide views about London and the south. Everything was focussed on stereotypical white working class pursuits, any mention of minorities felt awkward and and shallow (mentions of Asian men, foreign waitresses, nothing more). I'm sure the book would appeal to those in the same demographic as the writer, but I wanted more from this subject.

[Michael Rumney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stuart Maconie reflects on how northerners play and since I found this in the biography section of my local library I assumed it was going to be more about his life.Yes there some snippets, how he learned about classical music by taping radio 3 and borrowing records from his library but mostly it's about geography of the north and its history with leisure.
The geography angle is a little strained in that great chunks of the book are located in Birmingham, the midlands and the Swindon Railway works.
The book on the whole is factual served with slices of dry humour which felt as if Maconie was talking to the reader and he did like to name drop especially names connected with his pop world.
This book through the author shows the north has its own identity which he celebrates.

[Mark Butterworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Maconie's books. At times he can wander into the "professional northerner" territory but his love for where he comes from and the people of the region is genuine and it comes through in every chapter. The Pie at Night is a sort of sequel/companion to Pies and Prejudice, which I slightly preferred.

The book was let down by a few editorial mistakes which I just found irritating, but they may have been corrected in subsequent editions.

[Pamela Fellows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biased Review

Brilliant book. Being from the North and immensely pleased and proud that I am , perhaps a bit biased. Interesting historical facts, well written, funny. I find all this author's books, entertaining, educational and honest.

[Janette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just delightful! Allowed me to visit and revisit some favourite places during Lockdown and appreciate even more why we should treasure them, stay away and stay home. In the meantime, I’ve made a ‘to visit’ and ‘to revisit’ list.

[Andy Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

No grim up north

Thoroughly enjoyed the journey For what is a wonderful illustration of so much that is great about the north, it’s people and its heritage, and that’s coming from a southerner. An entertaining and educational read.

[Steve Dempsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book by Stuart Maconie focusing on the 'north' of England. It is a travel book, a history book, a humanity book but most of all a great read. Maconie makes you want to visit places for the history, the people, the experience, the humour but mainly because they are worth visiting

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A companion work to his earlier book Pies and Prejudice this book focuses on 'leisure' pursuits in the north. I can't really say anything more than this is a must read

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Stuart Maconie, Love the chapters on the seaside and football.

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Professional Northerner writes thinly researched book about not very much. Potboiler.

[Michelle Witcombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another funny book

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maconie is always excellent company

[Pauline Midwinter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love his writing style!

[Jonny Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good on football, greyhound racing and variety shows, this is a wonderful memorial to leisure time in the North of England.