Bernard Manning and examples of the proliferation of clips of the comedian on social media, some of which contain racist slurs
Hello Nerve readers,
It’s Imogen here, bringing you our Tuesday newsletter a bit later than planned due to a couple of hold ups on our breaking story about a new and depressing social media trend. Before I tell you about that, a massive thank you for being one of our launch week subscribers. We now have over 11,000 sign ups, which is an incredible tally for our first week and we are very grateful to you for being with us from the start. If you have been forwarded this please do consider signing up here - or even better, becoming a paid supporter.
After our very own brush with party conference season for our launch event in Liverpool last week, today on the Nerve we have author and human rights activist Natasha Walter reporting on a reinvigorated Green party conference in Bournemouth; Chris Stokel-Walker on how a new generation is consuming the notoriously racist jokes of the late northern comedian Bernard Manning on social media; and we present our very first Nerve Hotlist, a roundup of the best new culture for you to enjoy this week.
Toxic TikTok
Controversial comedian Bernard Manning made his name in the clubs of the north of England in the 1970s with a particular brand of ribald and explicitly racist humour. Journalist Chris Stokel-Walker reveals how, 18 years after his death, clips from Manning in the 1970s and 80s are going viral on TikTok and Instagram. Boosted by the algorithms of the social media giants, his toxic jokes and racism are now being shared by a new generation.
Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, speaking in Bournemouth at party conference. Photograph: Finnbarr Webster / Getty images
Go Greens!
Under new leader Zack Polanski, Britain’s Green Party has become the fastest growing political party in Britain in terms of membership. We sent new party member Natasha Walter to the conference to find out why so many of their new sign ups are women under 30 and what concerns beyond environmental issues are driving ‘the Greta Thunberg generation’ there in droves.Â
Letitia Wright and Golda Rosheuvel in Not Your Superwoman at the Bush theatre.
Photograph: Richard Lakos
Introducing the Nerve Hotlist
With new albums and books dropping more rapidly than leaves from the trees, and the London Film Festival and Frieze London about to open, autumn has officially started in British culture. What better time to launch our new weekly slot, the Nerve hotlist, in which our writers and editors will share their favourite new finds. We’ve got art critic Emily LaBarge on why even devotees of photographer Lee Miller’s work will be surprised by Tate Britain’s huge retrospective; music critic Kate Hutchinson on a clubbing memoir to make you ‘misty-eyed for debauchery’; the British Textile Biennial in Lancashire and much more.Â
That’s it for today - we’ll be back on Friday with the latest column from Stewart Lee (here’s last week’s if you missed it), Booker-shortlisted author Katie Kitamura sharing her cultural highlights in the Recommender, a delicious new weekend dish and more.
Until then, have Nerve!
Imogen, Sarah, Jane, Lynsey and Carole