Latest / Northern Quarter Talks / Hospitality Saved My Life | Matty White

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Hospitality Saved My Life | Matty White · Northern Quarter Talks

• 0:00
  Matty White: II've said this many times to many people.
• 0:01
  Matty White: Everything I do, be it DJing or presenting or radio or whatever, it's all in a bid to not get a real job.
• 0:09
  Simran Whitham: What does that journey look like?
• 0:10
  Simran Whitham: How do we get to this point?
• 0:15
  Simran Whitham: How do we s where we start here today where you're hosting TED Talks in Manchester?
• 0:18
  Simran Whitham: What's the journey of Matty White?
• 0:20
  Matty White: Well I suppose you need to go right back then.
• 0:21
  Matty White: The only legacy I want to leave is just that my kids remember having a good dad.
• 0:25
  Matty White: That's that's all I want.
• 0:27
  Matty White: And the the the one key thing that I love about Manchester is its togetherness and its supportiveness.
• 0:34
  Matty White: Everyone looks out for everyone.
• 0:36
  Andy Coley: So what advice will you give our TEDx speakers?
• 0:38
  Matty White: Don't f***
• 0:39
  Title: This is the TEDx Northern Quarter Podcast.
• 0:44
  Simran Whitham: Matty White.
• 0:46
  Matty White: Hello.
• 0:46
  Simran Whitham: The face of Manchester.
• 0:49
  Matty White: Oh, that's a nice thing to say.
• 0:50
  Andy Coley: Well the voice of Manchester.
• 0:51
  Simran Whitham: The voice, the face, DJ, presenter, and as of this year, TED Conference host.
• 0:59
  Matty White: I know, highlight, eh?
• 1:00
  Simran Whitham: Thank you for joining us for the TED and Talks podcast.
• 1:04
  Matty White: Thank you for having me.
• 1:04
  Matty White: It's a real pleasure.
• 1:06
  Simran Whitham: No, it's our pleasure.
• 1:07
  Simran Whitham: Now, normally I start this off with a bit of a segway, but I'm going to say Manchester's the best city in the world, isn't it?
• 1:13
  Matty White: Yeah, easily.
• 1:13
  Matty White: Yeah, of course it is.
• 1:14
  Matty White: Number one.
• 1:15
  Matty White: There is no better city.
• 1:17
  Simran Whitham: And when we founded this a year ago, I remember saying to Andy, I was like, there is one host who I want to host it.
• 1:25
  Matty White: Oh, he wasn't available.
• 1:26
  Simran Whitham: He wasn't available the first year.
• 1:27
  Simran Whitham: But I remember we went for a drink in your favourite place in the world, and I said to you, I'm gonna get you on that stage one day.
• 1:33
  Simran Whitham: I remember I was like, and I went, Matty, what's happening?
• 1:37
  Matty White: And true to your word, I was.
• 1:38
  Andy Coley: Yeah, it's been bigging you up for a couple of years.
• 1:41
  Matty White: Oh, that's nice.
• 1:41
  Matty White: No pressure there then for me.
• 1:43
  Simran Whitham: Because I love this city.
• 1:44
  Simran Whitham: I'm born and bred in Tameside.
• 1:46
  Simran Whitham: I love it.
• 1:47
  Simran Whitham: I absolutely love it.
• 1:48
  Simran Whitham: I think Manchester's the truly and I mean as people on LinkedIn are sick of me saying that phrase, but it is the greatest place on the earth.
• 1:53
  Simran Whitham: Good lads.
• 1:53
  Simran Whitham: And 2026 is the year of Manchester now more than ever.
• 1:57
  Matty White: I think so.
• 1:57
  Matty White: Now Burnham's in power as well, and everyone's talking about Manchesterism and they're gonna have the uh the summit here next year, aren't they?
• 2:04
  Matty White: And Trump will be here, Zelensky's been here, like it's yeah, it is all right.
• 2:09
  Simran Whitham: Well, we have to start calling it a town then if he's coming.
• 2:11
  Simran Whitham: We have to have to get the town ready, don't we?
• 2:13
  Matty White: I do call it town, though, do you not?
• 2:14
  Simran Whitham: I mean it is town, but if you go into town, you call it town.
• 2:17
  Simran Whitham: It is town, but obviously, oh I don't know.
• 2:18
  Simran Whitham: Do you know this that he referred to Manchester as a town?
• 2:21
  Matty White: Who oh Trump, yeah, when he was talking about Burnham.
• 2:23
  Simran Whitham: So that's what I was referencing.
• 2:24
  Matty White: The mayor of some town.
• 2:25
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, the mayor of some town, yeah, a second biggest city.
• 2:28
  Matty White: Oh, okay.
• 2:28
  Matty White: Yeah, go on then.
• 2:30
  Simran Whitham: And I thought it has to be Matty, it has to be Matty, because no one encapsulates more that what I want to do with TEDx Northern Quarter than Matty White.
• 2:39
  Simran Whitham: The voice and face of Manchester.
• 2:42
  Andy Coley: Is there a bit of a responsibility for being called that voice and face of Manchester?
• 2:45
  Andy Coley: Because you've got a big following.
• 2:46
  Andy Coley: Yeah, we were chatting before we came on here.
• 2:48
  Andy Coley: Like sometimes you refer to a place in a certain way and you get like loads of shtick for kind of you know, is there a responsibility that comes with being like 'the Manchester man'?
• 2:57
  Matty White: No, um, no, I don't feel a responsibility because I because I don't I don't necessarily feel like I am the Manchester man.
• 3:04
  Matty White: And it's really lovely when people say it and when I hear you say things like that, it's like that's great.
• 3:09
  Matty White: But I don't think I am, I don't set out to do it.
• 3:12
  Matty White: I just I I've said this many times to many people everything I do, be it DJing or presenting or radio or whatever, it's all in a bid to not get a real job.
• 3:23
  Matty White: That's that's all it is.
• 3:24
  Matty White: Because I have no skills, I have no talent, I can't do anything.
• 3:28
  Matty White: So if I can get paid to do as little as possible, then I have succeeded in life.
• 3:36
  Andy Coley: How did how did you evolve to be at this space where you do all of those things in that kind of creative sector?
• 3:42
  Andy Coley: Um, how do you start off by you know in life getting to this point where you are right now?
• 3:47
  Matty White: Like well, it professionally,
• 3:49
  Andy Coley: y eah,
• 3:50
  Matty White: I've had so many jobs, so many jobs over the years.
• 3:55
  Matty White: Um I spent time digging, I used to dig holes, literally dig holes in the side of a road.
• 4:01
  Matty White: Come rain or shine in my hives, just so people could lay pipes.
• 4:05
  Matty White: I've been an ice cream man, I've worked in furniture shops, I've done some mad shit over the years, and I just didn't like any of it.
• 4:14
  Matty White: I just didn't like it.
• 4:16
  Matty White: I didn't like being in a controlled environment.
• 4:18
  Matty White: I didn't like having a boss because I very rarely ever had a good boss.
• 4:24
  Matty White: I didn't like working for companies, I didn't like making money for other people.
• 4:29
  Matty White: So I think ultimately my life was always going to become freelance.
• 4:35
  Andy Coley: Yeah.
• 4:35
  Matty White: It just took it took me a long time to realise it because I only went freelance maybe six, seven years ago.
• 4:40
  Matty White: Um but yeah, I've I've just done so much over the years and tried more or less everything.
• 4:46
  Matty White: Um so I can with confidence and experience say what I don't like.
• 4:52
  Matty White: So now I get to do what I do, I I feel very, very lucky.
• 4:57
  Matty White: I don't take it for granted.
• 4:58
  Matty White: I know how lucky I am.
• 4:59
  Simran Whitham: No, and you it shows me that and everyone I know knows you in Manchester, and they all say the same thing.
• 5:07
  Simran Whitham: I love Matty White.
• 5:08
  Simran Whitham: They always do that for they always do this head shake as well, which they like, oh I love Matty White, I love Matty.
• 5:13
  Simran Whitham: Like everyone says it, and I think
• 5:14
  Matty White: that's nice,
• 5:15
  Simran Whitham: and you come across in person as well.
• 5:17
  Simran Whitham: Like, I've been for I remember actually the first time I've met you at the This is Manchester Awards three years ago, you were absolutely plastered.
• 5:22
  Matty White: Hammered, yeah, I would have been.
• 5:23
  Simran Whitham: And you were still the one of the loveliest people there on the night.
• 5:26
  Simran Whitham: I remember, and you were like, Let's go for a drink, let's talk about hosting.
• 5:30
  Simran Whitham: And he was like, Well, I remember you we sat down and you were like, Was I really that drunk?
• 5:33
  Simran Whitham: I was like, Yeah, yeah, buddy.
• 5:35
  Simran Whitham: But you're human, and I think that's can that conveys quite a lot both in your content and also how you come across.
• 5:41
  Matty White: Yeah.
• 5:41
  Matty White: Well, like anyone, I am a I am a deeply flawed man.
• 5:46
  Matty White: A deeply flawed man.
• 5:49
  Matty White: Um, and I suspect somewhat broken.
• 5:52
  Matty White: Um but you just I don't know.
• 5:56
  Matty White: I'll just try and be me.
• 5:57
  Matty White: I'll just try and be real.
• 5:58
  Matty White: Like, I'll just try and be real.
• 6:00
  Andy Coley: Yeah.
• 6:01
  Andy Coley: I think that's important, isn't it?
• 6:02
  Andy Coley: And sometimes you meet people in real life, you go, You're nothing like the personality that we're presenting.
• 6:08
  Andy Coley: All right.
• 6:08
  Andy Coley: It's so important that congruence between how you show up on socials and how you show up with people, and how you show up when you're online or on a stage.
• 6:16
  Andy Coley: Yeah, I think it's really important to just be you because otherwise people really see through the act.
• 6:20
  Andy Coley: Ultimately, it's like a mask you're putting on.
• 6:22
  Matty White: 100%.
• 6:23
  Matty White: So my media career started in radio, and I remember I had a uh my first radio boss guy called John Ryan, great guy.
• 6:31
  Matty White: Um, and he said to me, Right, you you need to sign up, you you need to kind of choose your on-air persona, you know, because there's so many sides to all of us.
• 6:41
  Matty White: Like, what what are you gonna project on air?
• 6:43
  Matty White: But the only rules on that were is it just but it has to be really you.
• 6:48
  Matty White: You like you you cannot pretend to be someone else because it will get tired.
• 6:53
  Matty White: It's like telling lies.
• 6:54
  Matty White: Sooner or later you're gonna get found out, aren't you?
• 6:56
  Matty White: You trip yourself up.
• 6:57
  Matty White: So if you're pretending to be someone, if you're pretending to be this other guy, then people will still see through it, and then they won't believe anything you ever say, and they won't engage, and and they won't be able to connect with you.
• 7:10
  Matty White: So I'm I I just I'm always myself, always, no matter who I'm talking to, no matter where I am.
• 7:17
  Andy Coley: I was listening to another podcast yesterday.
• 7:19
  Andy Coley: Um, and Andy Parsons, a comedian, was on there talking about being on um uh TV show with Boris Johnson.
• 7:25
  Andy Coley: He'd say that Boris Johnson would be something, and then up to the point where the camera would go on, then it'd ruffle off his head and then put on that and then put on that act of being the slightly bemused person on there, and it was just yeah, ultimately the act that got seen through.
• 7:38
  Matty White: Yeah, a lot of people do it, and again, I think it just comes back to my laziness.
• 7:42
  Matty White: Like, I can't be bothered to pretend.
• 7:44
  Matty White: I can't, I can't bet I've not got the energy for it.
• 7:47
  Matty White: I really haven't.
• 7:49
  Simran Whitham: I think I think that's a very northern thing as well.
• 7:51
  Simran Whitham: That we're like that.
• 7:52
  Simran Whitham: I'm yours is that you can't be asked and that you're just I can't be bothered.
• 7:56
  Simran Whitham: Whereas me, I'm too candid.
• 7:58
  Simran Whitham: Like Andy knows this better than anyone.
• 7:59
  Simran Whitham: I'm just too candid to bullshit.
• 8:01
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, I've been talking like listen, I'm not everyone's cup of tea, but one thing I am is I'm very honest.
• 8:05
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, okay.
• 8:06
  Simran Whitham: I'm very honest.
• 8:07
  Matty White: I don't doubt that.
• 8:08
  Simran Whitham: That I'm just like, listen, this is what it is, this is what we do.
• 8:10
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, don't want to be involved, fine, whatever.
• 8:12
  Simran Whitham: Like, or do you want to be bothered, mate?
• 8:14
  Simran Whitham: Um, that's just who I am.
• 8:15
  Simran Whitham: And I think that's why I vibed with you so much when I met you as well.
• 8:18
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, like not only do I think he loves Manchester, but he's also human, and that comes along very well when you're hosting, DJing, all these things that you do as well.
• 8:28
  Matty White: Thank you, man.
• 8:29
  Matty White: Listen, I've had I've had quite a shit morning today, so this is nice, just you two saying nice things about me.
• 8:34
  Matty White: Let's just carry that on.
• 8:35
  Matty White: I won't say anything, you just sit there.
• 8:38
  Simran Whitham: I'll put it on you.
• 8:39
  Simran Whitham: Oh shit, I've misplaced it.
• 8:40
  Simran Whitham: Oh man.
• 8:42
  Andy Coley: Sorry.
• 8:42
  Andy Coley: But I love the expression like you can always start your day again.
• 8:45
  Andy Coley: So no matter how you shit your morning is, you can suddenly choose to go, do you know what?
• 8:50
  Andy Coley: I'm just gonna start from here.
• 8:51
  Matty White: Right now, yeah, you can.
• 8:52
  Matty White: You can.
• 8:53
  Matty White: It's uh you just gotta keep just onwards and upwards, isn't it?
• 8:56
  Matty White: Yeah, keep on keeping on.
• 8:58
  Andy Coley: Days are gonna be good, days are gonna be shit.
• 8:59
  Andy Coley: It's kind of you know, you just keep handling the day, really, isn't it?
• 9:03
  Matty White: Yeah, that's that's exactly what you've got to do, yeah.
• 9:05
  Andy Coley: You talked about earlier about sort of Manchesterisms starting to come through.
• 9:08
  Andy Coley: What do you think is the the personality of Manchester then?
• 9:12
  Andy Coley: Tell me a bit more about it.
• 9:13
  Andy Coley: Because sell Manchester to me, you know, I I live in London right now, um, but if I was looking to come up to the north, west.
• 9:21
  Matty White: What do you hate about London?
• 9:22
  Andy Coley: What do I hate about London?
• 9:24
  Andy Coley: Um I hate the lack of people acknowledging each other.
• 9:30
  Matty White: Okay, well, you've got that
• 9:31
  Andy Coley: in London, and that's a good aspect of it.
• 9:33
  Andy Coley: I I'm lucky where I live locally in the little area, it's quite good from that point of view.
• 9:37
  Andy Coley: But everybody's just head down, nobody looks at each other.
• 9:40
  Andy Coley: I mean, I'm originally from the West Country, you know.
• 9:42
  Andy Coley: After I've just been there on holiday with my kids and like having to remember to say hello to people again who will actually say hello back, you know.
• 9:49
  Andy Coley: Uh I get the vibe that you get a bit more of that up in Manchester.
• 9:52
  Matty White: Yeah, of course you do.
• 9:53
  Matty White: Like uh it's it's a cliche, in it, that the people in the south aren't as friendly as people in the north, but it it is true.
• 9:58
  Matty White: Yeah, I say hello to everyone.
• 10:00
  Matty White: It it's an important part of who I am to be able to go into the butchers and say hello to the butcher when I'm buying some meat, you know, to say hello to the news agents.
• 10:09
  Matty White: So like I I got the bus in today because the trams are down in Manchester for a couple of weeks for improvements.
• 10:14
  Matty White: Um, and the bus driver just didn't even make any eye contact with me at all when I was trying to pay.
• 10:21
  Matty White: So I just made a point of kind of just catching and saying, Morning, man, I hope you're right.
• 10:25
  Matty White: Just and it I don't know whether it made his day or not.
• 10:28
  Matty White: He probably thought I was a dick, but he said hello back, whether he wanted to or not.
• 10:31
  Matty White: And if you're in London and you tried that, I suspect you'd get thrown off.
• 10:35
  Matty White: Yeah, like it's it's hard, isn't it?
• 10:37
  Matty White: And I do say hello to people in London, and yeah, I get some funny looks.
• 10:40
  Simran Whitham: I think you'll love something off the back of that then.
• 10:42
  Simran Whitham: Uh, because hospitality, you'll love us.
• 10:45
  Simran Whitham: So I've got a half-brother, and I won't go into all so we didn't know each other existed for 20 years, and he lived down south.
• 10:50
  Simran Whitham: Proper geezer were talking, proper like no, he's like, You're right, geeze, how you doing, mate?
• 10:56
  Simran Whitham: How you doing?
• 10:57
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, and he came to Manchester for the first time four years.
• 11:00
  Simran Whitham: It was our first ever night out of siblings.
• 11:02
  Simran Whitham: Took him into Blues Kitchen, took him into Albert Schloss, and we were walking around and he went, Everyone here is really friendly.
• 11:08
  Simran Whitham: He was like, I can just go up to anyone and they'll have a chat with me.
• 11:11
  Simran Whitham: I'm like, Yeah, this is what I like in Manchester.
• 11:13
  Matty White: True.
• 11:13
  Simran Whitham: And he was like, mate, he was like, I fucking love it here.
• 11:16
  Simran Whitham: And he was like, mate, it is bare better than London.
• 11:19
  Simran Whitham: Like he was like, This place is amazing.
• 11:20
  Matty White: Bear better.
• 11:21
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, he was like, bear better.
• 11:22
  Matty White: Bear better.
• 11:23
  Simran Whitham: Bear better.
• 11:24
  Simran Whitham: I was like, that was the first time I've ever heard the use bear being used properly.
• 11:27
  Simran Whitham: I had to ask him to explain that one.
• 11:29
  Simran Whitham: He was like, mate, it's just better.
• 11:30
  Simran Whitham: I was like, Yeah, right, say that then.
• 11:32
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, I was like, just say better, but anyway, I think it's a geezer thing.
• 11:35
  Simran Whitham: But yeah, and he just loved Manchester and what we love as Mancunians.
• 11:39
  Simran Whitham: You saw someone experience that Manchester hospitality for the first time that makes it so special.
• 11:45
  Matty White: I someone has used this analogy before, but I think it's true that Manchester's just the biggest village you'll ever get.
• 11:52
  Matty White: Because, like you were saying, where you were down in a village and everyone knows everyone when you're in the southwest, was that right?
• 11:58
  Andy Coley: Uh yeah, yeah.
• 11:58
  Andy Coley: So, yeah, well, I was down in Saltash.
• 12:01
  Matty White: So, yeah, everyone sort of knows everyone, and Manchester is like that, even though we are a massive city and part of Greater Manchester, which has got ten boroughs, yeah, the city centre itself and what is known as Manchester.
• 12:13
  Matty White: You can walk from one end of town to the other within half an hour.
• 12:16
  Matty White: Yeah.
• 12:16
  Matty White: Like, and you can't do that in London, for example.
• 12:18
  Matty White: Um, and everyone knows everyone, and and the the the one key thing that I love about Manchester is its togetherness and its supportiveness.
• 12:28
  Matty White: Everyone looks out for everyone.
• 12:30
  Matty White: That that could be a bar in the northern quarter runs out of ice and they know they can go across the road to a rival bar and they'll get some ice.
• 12:38
  Matty White: It could be someone wanting to break into the film industry, and I know any Manchester production houses would do their best to try and help someone.
• 12:46
  Matty White: It's got such a supportive network in this city that it just makes it feel like anything is possible.
• 12:53
  Matty White: Anything is possible.
• 12:55
  Matty White: I came to this city 27 years ago with no money.
• 13:02
  Matty White: I think I had about 20 quid, no family, no friends, no house, nothing.
• 13:08
  Matty White: And yes, it was 27 years ago, but I've really built on that.
• 13:13
  Matty White: I'm from going from knowing no one to knowing quite a lot of people, and and that I I don't think can be accredited to me or my perseverance or tenacity.
• 13:23
  Matty White: I think it's down to the people of Manchester.
• 13:25
  Matty White: Everyone welcomed me in, and everyone still just keeps building me up, and and that's that's the power of this city.
• 13:33
  Andy Coley: I mean, you must have come across loads of stories from people that you've met, you know, awards and events, and you know, all the various things that you've supported and presented upon and the stages you've been on.
• 13:43
  Andy Coley: Yeah.
• 13:43
  Andy Coley: Has there ever been a story that's really moved you that had actually uh a massive effect on your own life over those 27 years you've been here?
• 13:51
  Matty White: Oh it's difficult.
• 13:53
  Matty White: I I can I can barely remember what I did last night.
• 13:57
  Matty White: Um no, I can't think of a specific example.
• 14:02
  Matty White: One may come to me as I'm talking, but what I will tell you is that and again, since being in Manchester and getting into media, I think when you're a kid and you dream of being a presenter, you dream of interviewing um Madonna.
• 14:17
  Matty White: I'm trying to think of some examples now.
• 14:20
  Andy Coley: Oasis.
• 14:21
  Matty White: Thank you.
• 14:21
  Matty White: Although I did do that, yeah.
• 14:23
  Matty White: Um but you dream of meeting all these celebrities, you know.
• 14:26
  Matty White: And then what you quickly find out is it isn't about celebrities, it's about real people.
• 14:32
  Matty White: When you interview real ,working, people, that's when you get the gold, that's when you get the good stories.
• 14:40
  Matty White: It isn't about celebrities, yeah.
• 14:42
  Matty White: Because everyone's got a story, everybody's got a story, yeah.
• 14:46
  Simran Whitham: And that's why we're here today.
• 14:47
  Simran Whitham: That's why we founded this whole TEDx conference is that one I love Manchester and I wanted to highlight Mancunians, but for me, you pass people in the street every single day.
• 14:56
  Simran Whitham: And you don't know what's going on.
• 14:57
  Simran Whitham: We all and we all have it, you're guilty of it, I'm guilty of it.
• 15:00
  Simran Whitham: We all have main character syndrome, we're all the main character of our own story.
• 15:04
  Simran Whitham: But when you take a minute to just actually look around people, everyone's living their own story, and all of a sudden you're crossing, you're passing nurses that are saving lives on a day-to-day basis.
• 15:14
  Simran Whitham: You're walking past aerospace engineers that are doing great technology advances.
• 15:19
  Matty White: Good example.
• 15:20
  Simran Whitham: That was a good example.
• 15:20
  Simran Whitham: Well, one example I can use who we've got, one of the speakers, he's got 21 Instagram followers, and yet he was one of the rocket scientists that worked on the satellite technology for Uber Eats to help get Uber Eats delivered to your house.
• 15:31
  Simran Whitham: Wow.
• 15:32
  Simran Whitham: And you wouldn't think that looking at him, he's just an average Joe that you'd walk past in the street every day.
• 15:36
  Simran Whitham: Yet this is the man when you're ordering that late night Mackeys or KFC or whatever your fancies, he worked being he worked on the technology that told the Uber driver how to get that front door.
• 15:45
  Matty White: Absolute legend.
• 15:46
  Simran Whitham: And these are the people that make the change.
• 15:48
  Simran Whitham: And I'm a I this is my life philosophy is that we live in a society today where the loudest voices don't always have the best intentions.
• 15:55
  Simran Whitham: And I'm a firm believer in those people you walk past every day are the ones actually making the change.
• 16:01
  Simran Whitham: So, what you said, it's those little stories that you find out.
• 16:04
  Matty White: Yeah, of course.
• 16:05
  Simran Whitham: We could easily have like we could easily have turned this like the TED brand is so popular.
• 16:09
  Simran Whitham: Every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to do a TED talk.
• 16:11
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, every single we could have turned this into the celebrity.
• 16:15
  Andy Coley: Oh, yeah.
• 16:16
  Simran Whitham: We're not short of it.
• 16:17
  Simran Whitham: The amount of Love Island stars that apply for every year is ridiculous.
• 16:20
  Andy Coley: Yeah, we need we only let one in this year.
• 16:22
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, we form one, and he's actually done good stuff outside.
• 16:24
  Andy Coley: Has been on it twice,
• 16:25
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, but he did cool stuff out of it.
• 16:27
  Matty White: I'm saying nothing about Love Island.
• 16:29
  Matty White: Never don't get it.
• 16:30
  Matty White: I'm saying nothing.
• 16:31
  Simran Whitham: I watched one season with my missus just to see what it was like, and I felt my brain sells.
• 16:35
  Matty White: Fucking hell, mate.
• 16:35
  Matty White: You don't need to watch a whole series to see what it's like.
• 16:38
  Matty White: Watch ten minutes and get a grip.
• 16:39
  Simran Whitham: Well, do you know what it is?
• 16:40
  Simran Whitham: I'm one of these, I like to, I'm very analytical and logical and I approach things.
• 16:44
  Simran Whitham: I don't I like to understand how something works before I judge it.
• 16:47
  Simran Whitham: Like, I won't bring politics into it, but even politics, I'll sit down with people that might have opposite views to me because I like to understand how the whole thing works.
• 16:55
  Simran Whitham: I don't look at a small it's like a I'll use a pizza analogy, right?
• 16:58
  Simran Whitham: I won't judge a whole pizza based off of one slice because you might just have got the bad slice of that pizza.
• 17:04
  Simran Whitham: So I want to eat the whole pizza so I can understand is this place I'm having the pizza from really shit.
• 17:09
  Matty White: I respect that, but you wouldn't make a good food reviewer.
• 17:13
  Matty White: You'd be there all day, mate.
• 17:16
  Matty White: You'd be there all day.
• 17:17
  Matty White: Yeah, fair enough, mate.
• 17:18
  Matty White: But a good analogy, a good analogy.
• 17:20
  Simran Whitham: I'm an unpaid, I'm an unpaid food reviewer, mate.
• 17:23
  Andy Coley: Surely every slice should be just as good as the other, though.
• 17:25
  Andy Coley: So by sampling one, you did get a feel for all the rest of them.
• 17:30
  Matty White: Let's not pick apart his analogy.
• 17:32
  Matty White: It was it was good.
• 17:32
  Matty White: Yeah, okay.
• 17:33
  Matty White: I enjoyed it.
• 17:34
  Simran Whitham: And listen, I love pizza, right?
• 17:35
  Simran Whitham: That's why I love that's why I use the pizza analogy.
• 17:37
  Simran Whitham: But to bring it back to it is that people are incredible, yeah.
• 17:41
  Simran Whitham: And that's why I love people so much, and that's why we're sat here today is because you're a great person.
• 17:45
  Simran Whitham: I was like, I love Matty.
• 17:46
  Simran Whitham: Like, we could easily have gone to another like someone with more followers.
• 17:49
  Simran Whitham: Like, if we wanted the celebrity host, we could have been like, Oh, we'll go to
• 17:52
  Matty White: Who give me some names who who might you have gone for?
• 17:55
  Simran Whitham: I mean, we could have easily gone for some of the BBC presenters that we could have got
• 17:59
  Matty White: Fuck the BBC [laughing]
• 18:01
  Simran Whitham: We could have just gone for some of them, but I was like, no, he's human and he embodies what I think Manchester is about and the brand values of what we want to do, which is everybody has that voice.
• 18:10
  Simran Whitham: Powers everybody.
• 18:13
  Matty White: Good man.
• 18:14
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, and that's what it's about.
• 18:15
  Simran Whitham: It's about everyday people.
• 18:16
  Simran Whitham: Good.
• 18:16
  Simran Whitham: That's what it's about.
• 18:17
  Simran Whitham: And Mancunions, of course.
• 18:19
  Matty White: Yeah, who are the best of all everyday people?
• 18:20
  Simran Whitham: Aren't they Andy?
• 18:21
  Simran Whitham: Aren't Mancs the best people ever?
• 18:23
  Andy Coley: Yeah, they're lovely.
• 18:24
  Simran Whitham: Say it.
• 18:24
  Simran Whitham: Say it.
• 18:25
  Matty White: You can't don't make him say that.
• 18:27
  Matty White: That's mean.
• 18:29
  Simran Whitham: No. Our side quest before we get into the main one though.
• 18:32
  Simran Whitham: What is one of your best favourite places to eat in Manchester?
• 18:34
  Simran Whitham: You don't have to say all of them, but I'm curious.
• 18:36
  Simran Whitham: As the Mr.
• 18:36
  Simran Whitham: Foodie, like I'm a foodie.
• 18:38
  Simran Whitham: Like, I can I can name some of mine, but I'm curious.
• 18:40
  Simran Whitham: That's what's what you do have to be your definitive favourite.
• 18:43
  Simran Whitham: Well, what's one of them?
• 18:44
  Matty White: So I'll I'll I'll begin this by saying it changes every day.
• 18:48
  Matty White: If you ask me tomorrow, it might be different.
• 18:50
  Matty White: But today, my top three are Erst.
• 18:56
  Matty White: Good choice.
• 18:57
  Matty White: In Ancoats.
• 18:58
  Matty White: I adore it.
• 18:59
  Matty White: I adore it.
• 19:00
  Matty White: I went there for my 50th this year.
• 19:02
  Matty White: Uh Stowe.
• 19:05
  Matty White: Don't know if you've been to Stowe.
• 19:07
  Matty White: They don't have any fat fryers, they don't have any microwaves, it's just all charcoal and wood cooked.
• 19:13
  Matty White: Everything they do, it's absolutely magnificent.
• 19:16
  Matty White: Stowe on Bridge Street in the city centre, not far from here actually.
• 19:19
  Matty White: Uh and Winsome.
• 19:21
  Matty White: I don't know if you've been to Winsome.
• 19:22
  Matty White: It's very
• 19:23
  Simran Whitham: I know what it is, but I've not been yet.
• 19:24
  Matty White: It's I don't know whether they'll like the comparison or not, but it's a little like St.
• 19:29
  Matty White: John's in London with Fergus Henderson's restaurants.
• 19:32
  Matty White: Um it's all kind of nose to tail, there's no waste, it's quite experimental, but also quite accessible.
• 19:38
  Matty White: So yeah.
• 19:39
  Matty White: So Winsome, Stowe, and Erst.
• 19:42
  Matty White: There we go.
• 19:43
  Andy Coley: Good choice.
• 19:43
  Andy Coley: There you go.
• 19:44
  Andy Coley: We turned into the food podcast as well.
• 19:46
  Andy Coley: That's good.
• 19:46
  Simran Whitham: That's not a difficult thing for me to do.
• 19:48
  Matty White: No, I normally no.
• 19:49
  Matty White: I could sit here all day and talk to you about food.
• 19:51
  Andy Coley: So, what are some of the things you're passionate about supporting in Manchester?
• 19:54
  Andy Coley: Like, what are some of your um your things you kind of get heavily involved with or that you give your time to, or that you you just sort of love highlighting and would love to sort of support?
• 20:06
  Matty White: Well, at the risk of sounding like smashy and nicy from Harry Enfield, I do a lot of charity work, yeah, but I don't like to talk about it.
• 20:15
  Matty White: Um I'm very much involved in um a couple of homeless charities.
• 20:21
  Matty White: Um I've just spent the last four years working with Andy Burnham, funnily enough, for the Greater Manchester Mayors charity, which tries to raise enough money to try and end homelessness.
• 20:31
  Matty White: Um and and that's that's gonna I always feel a bit bad saying it's fun because it's a charity with a very serious message, but it is but it is fun, and it's nice it it's from a selfish point of view, it's really nice to help.
• 20:49
  Matty White: Do you know what I mean?
• 20:50
  Matty White: Like I I I just I like helping.
• 20:53
  Matty White: Yeah, it makes me feel good about myself, and I don't know if that is selfish or not, I don't know.
• 20:57
  Matty White: But everybody wins, I suppose.
• 20:59
  Simran Whitham: I mean it's the moral argument.
• 21:00
  Simran Whitham: I've heard this all the time where people say, Is it really a good thing if you feel good about doing it?
• 21:04
  Simran Whitham: But ultimately it does how you feel about indicating the good act.
• 21:07
  Simran Whitham: That's how I look at it.
• 21:08
  Simran Whitham: It doesn't matter.
• 21:09
  Matty White: Yeah, I don't I don't know why it should, though.
• 21:10
  Matty White: If if you're doing something good that's making a difference, and that's presumptuous of me to say that, but I I feel like I make a a bit of a difference, surely I can feel good about that.
• 21:22
  Matty White: That I've helped someone, surely.
• 21:24
  Simran Whitham: I say that every human being who's born into this world should aim to just make the world a tiny bit of a better place than they'll have found it.
• 21:30
  Simran Whitham: It doesn't have to be on a huge scale, but even if it's just that little bit, you've done your bit for the collective good.
• 21:35
  Matty White: Yeah, maybe, yeah.
• 21:36
  Matty White: Yeah, I'd agree with that.
• 21:38
  Andy Coley: Also, do you know about the uh the five love languages?
• 21:41
  Matty White: The five love languages.
• 21:42
  Andy Coley: You ever come across those?
• 21:43
  Matty White: No, go on.
• 21:44
  Andy Coley: It's about how people like to show and receive love.
• 21:47
  Andy Coley: Okay, so they're things like physical touch, quality time, uh, gifts is another, um, acts of service and words of affirmation.
• 21:55
  Andy Coley: They're the five love languages.
• 21:57
  Andy Coley: And I just wonder if you'll maybe, because I see it myself, a bit of an Acts of service like doing stuff for other people is like how you like to show or give um you know love or appreciation or support in a way.
• 22:10
  Matty White: I'm gonna say
• 22:10
  Andy Coley: we filter on that.
• 22:11
  Matty White: I'm gonna say no.
• 22:12
  Matty White: Okay, because I also fucking hate helping people.
• 22:16
  Matty White: You know, like when the neighbour's texting you saying, Can you come and help me carry this wardrobe downstairs?
• 22:20
  Matty White: You think no, no, I don't want to.
• 22:23
  Matty White: Yeah, I'm watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
• 22:26
  Matty White: But when it's a bigger picture,
• 22:28
  Andy Coley: but I bet you do it anyway.
• 22:31
  Matty White: Uh I did for a while, there's a story there, but it my neighbour might listen to this, so I'll tell you when we're finished.
• 22:38
  Matty White: Um but but when it when it means something to me, like the homelessness, I I really don't want to go on about it too much, but I was homeless for years.
• 22:46
  Matty White: Okay.
• 22:46
  Matty White: Uh when I was very young.
• 22:49
  Matty White: Um, so because I've been in that situation and know how hopeless and helpless and loveless that can be, yeah, it it it it makes me want to help.
• 23:00
  Andy Coley: Yeah, and that I mean that's one of the reasons why we've partnered with Feed Manchester because of Simran.
• 23:04
  Andy Coley: Yeah, mega you know, experiencing that himself as well.
• 23:06
  Simran Whitham: So we've never spoken about this, but I was homeless as well, Matthew.
• 23:09
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, were you?
• 23:10
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, so I was I I don't like to talk about it because it's a bit traumatic for me, but it wasn't for very long, it was for a few days, but I slept in the woods.
• 23:17
  Matty White: But how long it was, man, it's stuff
• 23:19
  Simran Whitham: and it was an awful experience.
• 23:21
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, for me, it was the worst I've ever felt in my entire life.
• 23:24
  Simran Whitham: I don't know how you felt when it happened to you, but for me, I felt like I was the utter failure of my life.
• 23:29
  Simran Whitham: I feel like I'd failed as a man, as a human being.
• 23:32
  Matty White: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 23:33
  Simran Whitham: And again, this is not me saying homeless people are failures, like there's multiple sort of factors why you end up homeless.
• 23:38
  Matty White: Yeah, no, you're talking about how you felt, not how you think other people.
• 23:40
  Simran Whitham: And that's for me.
• 23:41
  Simran Whitham: I love just being able to help people.
• 23:43
  Simran Whitham: That's why we partner with Feed Manchester for me.
• 23:46
  Simran Whitham: I think that's what drew me to you as well as a host, probably on a subconscious level, because I've seen how active you are for homelessness.
• 23:52
  Simran Whitham: And for me, I actually see the work that these people in Manchester do, like Feed Manchester, going around, you see it all the time, going round feeding the homeless.
• 23:59
  Simran Whitham: Obviously, Andy's done great work for you, and it's it's a crime against humanity that even exists in 2026.
• 24:06
  Matty White: Yeah, no one should be homeless.
• 24:08
  Matty White: No, no, no one should be without a bed for the night.
• 24:11
  Simran Whitham: And that means a lot to me as well.
• 24:12
  Simran Whitham: See, I just wanted to add to that.
• 24:14
  Matty White: Yeah, no, good man.
• 24:15
  Matty White: And and I know you don't like talking about it because it's traumatic.
• 24:17
  Matty White: I don't find it traumatic.
• 24:19
  Matty White: I don't want to talk about it just because I feel like I'm just always banging on about it.
• 24:24
  Matty White: I feel like anytime anyone's opening up the social media or they're like, oh Matt's talking about being homeless again.
• 24:30
  Matty White: Yeah.
• 24:31
  Matty White: And I don't like it when I talk about it, I'm not talking about it to to get attention or to have people feel sorry for me or anything like that.
• 24:41
  Matty White: It's simply to raise awareness so that I can help someone else.
• 24:45
  Matty White: Yeah, that that's that's all it is.
• 24:47
  Matty White: So the trauma, I think it probably has affected me in my life.
• 24:53
  Matty White: Like I said earlier, I'm I'm broken.
• 24:55
  Matty White: But it the trauma doesn't live with me anymore.
• 24:58
  Matty White: I'm alright with it all.
• 25:00
  Matty White: Because, like you said, you're like you were embarrassed, you didn't want anyone to know.
• 25:04
  Matty White: I kept it inside for it.
• 25:07
  Matty White: It's only been the last two years I've started talking about it.
• 25:10
  Matty White: Um even when I started doing the the work with the the homeless charity, the Greater Manchester Mayors charity, I didn't tell them I kept that secret because for some reason I thought I don't know what if they might not want me once they find out about my past, which is mental because they've been so lovely.
• 25:31
  Matty White: Um but yeah, it's just life, innit?
• 25:35
  Andy Coley: It's really interesting, isn't it?
• 25:37
  Andy Coley: Because I I did some work with a charity in Birmingham that supports homelessness as well.
• 25:40
  Andy Coley: One of the things I actually do is get volunteers who have been homeless and who have now gone beyond that and and found support and gotten themselves in different situations to actively support and mentor people who are in that situation,
• 25:53
  Matty White: which is wonderful, and that yeah, amen to that.
• 25:55
  Andy Coley: It's that that lived experience, and of course it's your experience is different to the other person's experience, but at least you come from a place of better empathy because you've got something there with that.
• 26:05
  Matty White: Oh, I've got empathy coming out of my ass.
• 26:07
  Matty White: So much of it, yeah,
• 26:09
  Simran Whitham: and that's just because it's Manchester mate, we're very empathetic.
• 26:12
  Matty White: Yeah, I think so.
• 26:13
  Matty White: I think so.
• 26:14
  Matty White: It's true.
• 26:15
  Matty White: People care here, yeah.
• 26:16
  Simran Whitham: We do.
• 26:17
  Simran Whitham: But on the do you mind if I jump in here?
• 26:19
  Simran Whitham: Yeah.
• 26:19
  Simran Whitham: I want to ask, I wanna I want to have to ask you a very cliche question, but how did you get to where you are today for the journey?
• 26:27
  Simran Whitham: Like, how did you go?
• 26:28
  Simran Whitham: I know you don't like being referred to at it, but I'm sorry, but we the community of Manchester will always call you the face and voice of Manchester.
• 26:34
  Simran Whitham: How did you get to be to where you are today, where you are this cultural icon in Manchester?
• 26:39
  Simran Whitham: Cultural icon.
• 26:40
  Simran Whitham: Hey, we were in a pub, right?
• 26:41
  Simran Whitham: And I don't know how many people came up to us when we were sat there, like, I know you, you're the guy from Instagram or TikTok.
• 26:47
  Simran Whitham: Like, and I love how you interact with your fans, by the way, it's very humble.
• 26:50
  Simran Whitham: I I I hang around with a lot of content creators, celebrities in my industry, and
• 26:56
  Andy Coley: They're your favourite people.
• 26:59
  Simran Whitham: Let's not go down that rabbit hole.
• 27:01
  Simran Whitham: And I see how some of them react to when people recognise them in the street, and I respect the ones who carry on just being themselves, and you, you were just like, Yeah, no, chill, and you take you take the time for them.
• 27:13
  Simran Whitham: Like we had it with Neil Newbon, one of our speakers, massive following, like massive following, and he took the time for everyone who came to the conference to say even it was just 40 seconds to have a picture, yeah.
• 27:24
  Simran Whitham: No requests was too much.
• 27:26
  Simran Whitham: And I felt that with you as well.
• 27:28
  Simran Whitham: When you when we were in that pub and those people were coming up to you, or even when we were in the street when we were trying to film the TED X video, which was funny because people were stopping you there as well.
• 27:36
  Simran Whitham: But how did you where does what does that journey look like?
• 27:40
  Simran Whitham: Let's let's walk through the Wikipedia page.
• 27:42
  Simran Whitham: Like, how do we get to this point?
• 27:44
  Simran Whitham: How do we where we're sat here today, where you're hosting TED Talks in Manchester?
• 27:48
  Simran Whitham: Um, what's the journey of Matty White?
• 27:50
  Matty White: Well, I suppose you need to go right back then.
• 27:52
  Matty White: Um, so I I was uh homeless, living on the street, living on the streets, look all all the diff different things that come with homelessness, hostels and and stuff like that.
• 28:03
  Matty White: Uh and then I through the work of a charity, I was found a one-bedroom ground floor flat in Nottingham, and the charity furnished it.
• 28:14
  Matty White: They gave me like a second-hand sofa and a second-hand bed and uh a bed, a sofa, a chest of drawers, and an oven, they gave me.
• 28:23
  Matty White: So that's all I had.
• 28:24
  Matty White: But that was mint, is the most I'd ever had on my own, ever.
• 28:27
  Matty White: Um and then I just ended up just get getting my shit together.
• 28:31
  Matty White: Once I got that flat, I got a job in a bar, hospitality saved my life.
• 28:36
  Matty White: Um, and then I I I carried on working for a bit, and then that's when I was like, no, I need to do something better because I'd been given this second chance where I I thought I was gonna die on the streets.
• 28:47
  Andy Coley: Yeah.
• 28:47
  Matty White: So then all of a sudden, hang on, I've got a flat and a job.
• 28:50
  Matty White: Like, this is mint.
• 28:51
  Matty White: What else can I do?
• 28:53
  Matty White: Yeah.
• 28:53
  Matty White: And it's like I'll go to college.
• 28:55
  Matty White: And I didn't necessarily have the right qualifications to get into college, but there was a conversation because I'd had lived experience and I was a bit older and I was classed as a uh mature student, although I was only about 22, 23.
• 29:09
  Matty White: Um went to college, studied, kept working to afford it and uh living in this flat, then uh did really well at uni, went to college, um did really well at college, went to university in uh place called St.
• 29:26
  Matty White: Helens, which I'm sure you all know.
• 29:28
  Matty White: Uh and St.
• 29:30
  Matty White: Helens didn't have much to offer in terms of nightlife, um, and that's me being polite.
• 29:37
  Matty White: So while we were there at university, we'd either go because it was equidistant to Liverpool or to Manchester.
• 29:42
  Matty White: And then when everyone left uni, everyone went home to their families.
• 29:47
  Matty White: I didn't have a home to go to, so I was like, alright, fuck, I'm gonna have to do something on my own.
• 29:51
  Matty White: So then that's when I came to Manchester.
• 29:53
  Matty White: Yeah, so I had my degree, I had my college um qualification, and I got a job in a restaurant or various bars around Manchester, the cornerhouse space, chromer, loads of places like that.
• 30:06
  Matty White: Um and I just kept spreading the word that I wanted to be a presenter.
• 30:11
  Matty White: Anyone I could talk to, tell them, tell them, tell them.
• 30:15
  Matty White: Because there's no point keeping it to yourself.
• 30:16
  Matty White: If other people know, they're like, oh, I know a guy that wants to be a presenter.
• 30:19
  Matty White: Um, and then I finally met some man in uh the restaurant who was an old hacienda DJ called John McCready.
• 30:27
  Matty White: Not heard from him in years, actually, but he then got me a job uh just answering phones in the BBC for free.
• 30:34
  Matty White: Yeah.
• 30:34
  Matty White: Um, and then that was it once I was in.
• 30:37
  Matty White: I was in.
• 30:38
  Matty White: Yeah.
• 30:38
  Matty White: Um, and that was 26 years ago, something like that.
• 30:42
  Matty White: Wow.
• 30:42
  Matty White: And I've just stuck with it.
• 30:45
  Andy Coley: And what's it like to be on like stages like the this is Manchester Awards?
• 30:49
  Andy Coley: I mean, I've done some awards, I've done some hosting, but mine have been like a few hundred people.
• 30:54
  Andy Coley: I mean, ' This is Manchester' must just be a stonking thing to be hosting and the host of and on on stages like that.
• 31:01
  Andy Coley: Do you have a sort of pinch myself a moment on those, or are you just in autopilot at that point?
• 31:05
  Matty White: Not anymore.
• 31:06
  Matty White: I I used to when I first started doing live posting and uh awards and stuff, it it's it's it's a big thing, isn't it?
• 31:16
  Matty White: Just to step out on stage in front of loads of people.
• 31:19
  Matty White: Um but then you just you learn you learn your craft.
• 31:25
  Matty White: Like I've been on the stage now hosting for 20 years, so you you learn your craft, you learn not to worry, you know that you're gonna handle it, you know you're not gonna fuck up, and then you and you start to learn about how events and things work as well, so you so you know what's happening, yeah.
• 31:40
  Matty White: Um, but now I just I just love it.
• 31:42
  Matty White: I'm just grateful that people are quite happy to sit there looking up at me on the stage, yeah.
• 31:49
  Matty White: Rattling on.
• 31:50
  Simran Whitham: If you don't mind me asking, what is it about hook because you mentioned it earlier before, like growing up dreaming of being a presenter.
• 31:56
  Simran Whitham: Is there something was there a particular person or event that made you go, I want to be a presenter, that something that drew you to that career?
• 32:04
  Matty White: Um no, not not a person particularly, but I always had radio like when I was a kid, radio was very much my friend.
• 32:15
  Matty White: There used to be a late-night radio show on um Mercier Sound, it was called in the Midlands.
• 32:20
  Matty White: An old DJ called Mark Keene.
• 32:23
  Matty White: And he had this way of broadcasting, then they teach this now at kind of colleges and unis.
• 32:27
  Matty White: But if you're gonna be on the radio, you you never say listeners, you never go everyone out there, it's just you.
• 32:34
  Matty White: How are you tonight?
• 32:35
  Matty White: Are you okay?
• 32:35
  Matty White: Talk to one person, and this DJ used to do that, this presenter many years ago, and I just really felt like I connected with him, and I think that maybe gave me a spark.
• 32:45
  Matty White: But then, and again, I have talked about this before, but my my grandpa is the only real male role model that I've ever had.
• 32:54
  Matty White: Uh, sadly, not with us anymore.
• 32:56
  Matty White: But when I was a kid, he moved to Cornwall with my grandma.
• 33:00
  Matty White: They retired.
• 33:01
  Matty White: Um, and we didn't write letters or phone them.
• 33:06
  Matty White: We we'd send each other cassette tapes.
• 33:09
  Matty White: We had one of those little do you remember the the kind of little handle, and they're about the size of that iPad, but there's a tape going on.
• 33:16
  Matty White: One of those, so I just record him a message telling him about my week of school or whatever was going on.
• 33:20
  Matty White: We'd send it down in the post, he'd then send one back, and he he started doing his thing where he was banging to his music, classical music, and he'd press record on his little tape deck, and he'd have music playing in the background, and as it was playing, he would talk me through the story of what's going on in the composer's mind and what's happening, you know.
• 33:40
  Matty White: And I would then start doing stuff like that back to him, and I think that's when I got the the bug, really.
• 33:48
  Matty White: And and then he was the first person years after that, he was the first person I knew to get a camcorder.
• 33:55
  Matty White: So then when we go down to Cornwall to see him in the summer holidays, I'd pick up this camcorder.
• 33:59
  Matty White: There's still we've still got the footage somewhere, just me filming my family in a restaurant or whatever on the beach, but just doing little what I thought was hilarious voiceovers.
• 34:08
  Matty White: It's cringe when I listened back to it.
• 34:10
  Matty White: But I think that was my first taste of it all.
• 34:14
  Matty White: Um, yeah.
• 34:16
  Andy Coley: And what do you think he would think of your career now, though, with what you're doing, because of that kind of early, I guess I'm gonna call them like voice memos in the tapes that that came in the post.
• 34:27
  Andy Coley: I mean, that's that's quite it's so similar and yet you know, such an evolution.
• 34:33
  Matty White: Um, I get paid for it now, that's the only difference.
• 34:36
  Matty White: Yeah, still doing the same shit, yeah, and amazed that to be getting away with it.
• 34:40
  Matty White: I think um the people say, don't they, whenever you're feeling down, just think about the the the you one year ago and how proud he'd be of where you are.
• 34:52
  Matty White: But I think that's an anomaly.
• 34:55
  Matty White: I don't I don't I think that's such a hard thing to do because I don't think anyone's truly oh this is again I've had a bad day today, so but I don't think anyone's truly ever completely happy where they are, are they?
• 35:08
  Matty White: Oh well I'm not maybe.
• 35:09
  Matty White: I think mate that's more about me than other people.
• 35:12
  Matty White: So I I I think obviously that little kid years ago would be amazed to see where I've come today, but the today year old me isn't I want more, I always want more, yeah, whatever it is.
• 35:28
  Simran Whitham: I think we need to normalise that as a society, though, that people often try to make people feel guilty for not being satisfied in life.
• 35:35
  Simran Whitham: Whereas I can't remember what documentary I want to say it's David Attenborough, it probably was David Attenborough, but I watched a Nature documentary years ago and it said that human beings are the only animal in the earth that are programmed to never be satisfied with whatever resources and home that we have that we will always desire more.
• 35:55
  Simran Whitham: And it compared us to other animals.
• 35:56
  Simran Whitham: It was penguin.
• 35:57
  Simran Whitham: I don't know why they compared us to penguins.
• 35:58
  Matty White: Everyone loves a penguin,
• 35:59
  Simran Whitham: yeah.
• 35:59
  Simran Whitham: But it was like penguins are satisfied, dogs are satisfied, cats are satisfied.
• 36:03
  Simran Whitham: But it said human beings are the only animal to wired to physically want more.
• 36:08
  Simran Whitham: So that's not a selfish view, and I wouldn't butt yourself down.
• 36:10
  Simran Whitham: I know you said you had a bad day, but that's not a lot of people always want more.
• 36:14
  Simran Whitham: Like I don't know whether generally what your upbringing was, but mine was I come from a very low-income household, like very, very and I won't get into it because it's it's just horrible.
• 36:24
  Simran Whitham: But I will never stop wanting more, even though I've got to a point in my life where I've got a nice house, I've got a wonderful fiance, I've got the things that I dreamed of having, and yet I always find myself, should I start a new business?
• 36:37
  Simran Whitham: Or should I do a new thing?
• 36:38
  Simran Whitham: Like for I didn't have to start TEDx with you, but I was in a I was in a stage where I'm financially secure, I don't have to do these things, but I want to do something more because that's selfish that I just want to keep doing stuff because you need purpose in life.
• 36:50
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, I think so, yeah.
• 36:52
  Simran Whitham: And human beings crave purpose fundamentally.
• 36:54
  Matty White: Yeah, true, yeah, very true.
• 36:56
  Matty White: Yeah.
• 36:57
  Matty White: I I used to work with a man who he referred to his penis as his purpose.
• 37:01
  Matty White: Whenever he if ever it came up, he'd just refer to it as his his special purpose.
• 37:07
  Andy Coley: I mean, there are and how often did his special purpose come up?
• 37:10
  Matty White: Do you know what he mentioned it a lot?
• 37:11
  Matty White: He mentioned it a lot.
• 37:13
  Matty White: I'll tell you who it was.
• 37:14
  Matty White: You know who Justin Lee Collins is?
• 37:16
  Matty White: Yeah.
• 37:16
  Matty White: It was Justin Lee Collins.
• 37:17
  Matty White: Justin Lee Collins, you know.
• 37:18
  Matty White: Special purpose was.
• 37:19
  Matty White: I used to do a radio show with him years ago, and he will just yeah.
• 37:24
  Andy Coley: Interesting.
• 37:25
  Andy Coley: So, what advice will you give our TEDx speakers for getting on stage and having a few years?
• 37:28
  Matty White: Don't fuck it up.
• 37:29
  Matty White: Don't fuck it up.
• 37:30
  Matty White: Okay.
• 37:30
  Matty White: Well, that's what I think that hey, that's what I say to them.
• 37:33
  Matty White: So what advice would I give to them?
• 37:36
  Andy Coley: We'll play that to them on a voice memo.
• 37:37
  Andy Coley: Yeah.
• 37:38
  Andy Coley: Into the speaker screen.
• 37:39
  Andy Coley: Don't fuck it up.
• 37:41
  Simran Whitham: And this is the host who's gonna be introducing you on the day.
• 37:44
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, here's his number one advice for you, and it'll just be that clip.
• 37:46
  Simran Whitham: I'll give you a clear take.
• 37:47
  Simran Whitham: Don't fuck it up.
• 37:49
  Andy Coley: Yeah.
• 37:50
  Simran Whitham: However, you think I'm joking, I'm gonna I'm gonna do it.
• 37:53
  Matty White: You can you can.
• 37:53
  Matty White: Um I don't think any of them need any advice.
• 37:55
  Matty White: The thing is with with TEDx, is everyone that goes on that stage is an expert in whatever their chosen field is or whatever they're talking about, or themselves.
• 38:06
  Matty White: Exactly.
• 38:07
  Matty White: Yeah, every single one of them is an expert, so none of them need any advice from me.
• 38:12
  Matty White: None of them.
• 38:13
  Matty White: They're all the people that I wish I could be.
• 38:15
  Matty White: Yeah, I I'm not an expert or a specialist in anything.
• 38:19
  Matty White: So if anything, I'll be asking them for advice on the day.
• 38:24
  Andy Coley: You'll you'll get plenty, and you get the chance to meet them day before at the speaker's meal as well.
• 38:28
  Andy Coley: Um, yeah, I forgot about that.
• 38:29
  Andy Coley: This is one of the things that we really you know want to do is is create that social feel.
• 38:33
  Andy Coley: Uh, I've been to, I don't know what you've been to many events, I'm sure, where you sort of rock up, do your thing, and then go again.
• 38:38
  Andy Coley: Yeah.
• 38:38
  Andy Coley: You get some speakers who do that.
• 38:40
  Andy Coley: I like to get there early, I like to get the vibe, I like to meet people, I like to stay afterwards.
• 38:44
  Andy Coley: Like for me, that that really yeah, I love that bit.
• 38:48
  Andy Coley: I hate things where you get airdropped in, do your thing, and then bugger off again afterwards.
• 38:52
  Andy Coley: Yeah, yeah.
• 38:52
  Andy Coley: We try to create that kind of sense of community and and and and sort of you know, oneness about the event is really important to us.
• 39:00
  Matty White: Yeah, brilliant.
• 39:01
  Title: Like this now, like a lot of TEDx's wouldn't invite the host onto a podcast, but we want to because and that's why I said you can come to the meal the night before because I love community, and and that does stem from being homeless.
• 39:12
  Title: I can I openly admit that comes from not having a community, yeah.
• 39:15
  Title: Of course, and that's why I like to create community.
• 39:17
  Title: All my work is community work.
• 39:18
  Title: Yeah, I do, that's why I do events because I love bringing people together and see that magic.
• 39:22
  Title: Because events are magical.
• 39:24
  Title: Like when we walk through that door, everyone just leaves the shit.
• 39:26
  Title: Yeah, it's cool.
• 39:27
  Title: They come in and they enjoy whatever experience you've crafted for, hopefully enjoy whatever experience you've crafted for them.
• 39:32
  Matty White: Yeah, and well, that's why, and and I can only imagine that the the people that are going to be talking, the experts feel the same way.
• 39:39
  Matty White: But whenever live radio, I did live TV for three years on Channel 4, and being on stage, it's all stuff that once you're in it, you're in it, you've got to stay locked in.
• 39:52
  Matty White: Yeah, if it's a live 10-minute section on air on tele, yeah, you can't suddenly just start thinking about something else, or once you're in, you're in, so there is no room to think about anything else.
• 40:03
  Matty White: And I loved that.
• 40:04
  Matty White: That's one thing I would say being on stage, because you cannot allow yourself to think about anything else.
• 40:09
  Matty White: Yeah, you can just be in the moment, and and that's that's a a blessing, yeah.
• 40:15
  Matty White: A real luxury as well.
• 40:16
  Matty White: It's it's nice to be able to do that.
• 40:18
  Andy Coley: Do you know what?
• 40:18
  Andy Coley: So we have a tradition on our TEDx Northern Course podcast that the previous guests leave a question for the next guest.
• 40:26
  Andy Coley: Oh, understood.
• 40:27
  Andy Coley: So um we had Jess uh from Hotel Football, lovely girl, um, who was uh our previous guest, and she's written you, although she didn't know it was you at the time, she's written you a question.
• 40:36
  Andy Coley: Okay.
• 40:37
  Andy Coley: Um so I'm gonna read the question out for you.
• 40:38
  Andy Coley: Okay.
• 40:39
  Andy Coley: So if you knew you had to fail ten times before something you wanted to happen succeeded, how quickly would you want to fail?
• 40:48
  Andy Coley: And how would you tell yourself, your younger self, that obstacles are not final?
• 40:55
  Matty White: Ooh, good question from Jess.
• 40:57
  Matty White: Um I it's life's all about failing.
• 41:00
  Matty White: I in my life I failed way more than I've succeeded.
• 41:06
  Matty White: Way more, and none of the success I've ever had, or what other people might consider to be successes, have ever come without failing.
• 41:14
  Matty White: I've spent 50 years failing.
• 41:16
  Matty White: Failing's one of the most important things you can do.
• 41:19
  Matty White: If you're not prepared to fail, you can't win.
• 41:21
  Matty White: You can't.
• 41:23
  Matty White: And what's would my advice be to my younger self?
• 41:26
  Matty White: Yeah.
• 41:26
  Matty White: Is that what she said?
• 41:27
  Matty White: Yeah.
• 41:27
  Matty White: Um don't give up, don't give up.
• 41:31
  Matty White: People will love you.
• 41:33
  Matty White: We love you as well, man.
• 41:38
  Andy Coley: And I've got one last question, just to tuck in there as well.
• 41:41
  Andy Coley: What do you think your legacy will be within Manchester?
• 41:45
  Matty White: I can't, that's not for me to say.
• 41:47
  Matty White: I can't say that.
• 41:49
  Andy Coley: You've got a sense of purpose, you've got a sense of moving forward about things you'd love to have happen.
• 41:53
  Andy Coley: No where you want that net legacy to be for the city, for yourself, or whatever.
• 41:58
  Matty White: The only legacy I want to leave is just that my kids remember having a good dad.
• 42:02
  Matty White: That's that's all I want.
• 42:04
  Simran Whitham: I did want to segway one thing, i was going to say it.
• 42:06
  Simran Whitham: So your kid, you have got a beautiful family.
• 42:09
  Simran Whitham: I want to say this, and this is just off top this is off the podcast is that as someone who grew up in a single parent household, I love how you are with your boys.
• 42:18
  Simran Whitham: Like, you've got such a wonderful relationship.
• 42:20
  Matty White: Love em.
• 42:21
  Simran Whitham: So I just want to say because we've spoken before like you mad respect to you, mate, for being an amazing dad.
• 42:27
  Simran Whitham: I mean that.
• 42:28
  Simran Whitham: Like, and also means a lot.
• 42:29
  Simran Whitham: Shout out to your son who tackled you to the ground recently.
• 42:32
  Simran Whitham: That was very hilarious.
• 42:33
  Matty White: Oh shit, the footballer went down like an absolute sack of shit.
• 42:35
  Matty White: My my two boys, and again, I hope this doesn't sound all cheesy and schmutzly, but I my two lads that are just the best company.
• 42:44
  Matty White: There's there's no one I would rather be.
• 42:46
  Matty White: I'd rather be at home with them than with my best mate in the pub.
• 42:49
  Matty White: Like I do the three of us went to a festival last weekend, just us three.
• 42:53
  Matty White: Mum um stayed at home.
• 42:55
  Matty White: Uh, and it was just it was just it was great.
• 42:58
  Matty White: Yeah, very different experience to the festivals that I used to go to.
• 43:01
  Matty White: Like, there was a lot less consumption, let's say.
• 43:06
  Matty White: But uh, yeah, I love them.
• 43:08
  Matty White: And thank you for saying that, man.
• 43:09
  Matty White: That's the greatest compliment anyone can give me when they say, Look, my kids, my kids are cool, or you're like when someone comes up to me and says, Uh, oh, I met your son the other day, he was so polite.
• 43:18
  Matty White: Oh, that's nice.
• 43:20
  Matty White: That's what you want.
• 43:21
  Andy Coley: Well, it's good to hear you like football as well.
• 43:23
  Andy Coley: Bring your trainers for the uh the day before the talks.
• 43:25
  Andy Coley: Oh, yeah, Simrans got a football match playing.
• 43:27
  Simran Whitham: We're doing a TEDx 2026 football match.
• 43:29
  Simran Whitham: Do you want to do you want to come play a five-side match with us, Matt?
• 43:33
  Matty White: No.
• 43:35
  Simran Whitham: I think that's a great way to leave the podcast
• 43:39
  Matty White: Listen, I love football, but I can't play it, man.
• 43:41
  Matty White: I'm a 50-year-old man.
• 43:42
  Simran Whitham: It's not serious.
• 43:43
  Simran Whitham: We're all just there for the bants tonight.
• 43:45
  Matty White: Every part of my body aches.
• 43:48
  Matty White: Yeah.
• 43:48
  Matty White: Every part.
• 43:49
  Andy Coley: As a 50-year-old man, I hear you.
• 43:50
  Matty White: Yeah, man.
• 43:51
  Matty White: Solidarity.
• 43:52
  Simran Whitham: So it just gets because I'm 31 in oh hush young six days, and I ache now.
• 43:57
  Simran Whitham: Does this get worse?
• 43:58
  Simran Whitham: Yeah, of course it does.
• 44:00
  Andy Coley: It gets worse, and then you get parts replaced.
• 44:02
  Matty White: Yeah, I'm not at the parts replaced bit yet, but yeah.
• 44:06
  Andy Coley: Awesome.
• 44:06
  Andy Coley: Matty White, thank you so much for joining us on our TEDx couches.
• 44:11
  Matty White: Thank you for having me.
• 44:12
  Title: This is the TEDx Northern Quarter podcast.