Alex Taylor, HERO Magazine Journalist Profile

Articles

Sparkbrook’s pigeon plague

3 weeks ago | birminghamdispatch.co.uk | Alex Taylor

“You’ve got it all wrong,” warns a small man in his eighties, pushing a loaded shopping trolley. It squeaks across the pavement. “The pigeons didn’t just arrive one day: they’ve always been here. We all know what they want too.” He raises a weathered hand from the sleeve of his jumper, and gestures toward the carpet of birds obscuring the tarmac of the Aldi car park in Sparkbrook. Hundreds — and I mean hundreds — of pigeons surround us, pecking calmly around my trainers.
Exclusive behind the scenes of Ryan Calais Cameron’s Retrograde

1 month ago | afridiziak.com | Alex Taylor

Ten years before he becomes the first Black man to win the Oscar for Best Actor, Retrograde, this gripping drama captures the moment a young Sidney Poitier prepares to sign a career-defining Hollywood contract that could make him a star. But there’s a catch. Will he put his career before his principles? In a time of betrayals, will he name names? Will he sign his life away? Ryan Calais Cameron’s punchy Retrograde will debut at the Apollo Theatre following a sold-out run at the Kiln Theatre.
‘Like gunshots going off outside my window’: how padel tore a Sutton Coldfield community in half

2 months ago | birminghamdispatch.co.uk | Alex Taylor

By Alex TaylorI’m sitting in Jason Kerrigan’s cottage in a residential area of Sutton Coldfield, when the conversation turns to the conspiratorial. In a low whisper, Jason unspools the story of the fox. The fox had a den behind the row of houses Jason and his neighbours live in, backing onto the local tennis court. The fox was beloved by the local community, Jason tells me. He would often film it on his phone and his neighbours enjoyed watching it scurry about.
Corteo, Cirque Du Soleil – review • Afridiziak Theatre News

Jan 17, 2025 | afridiziak.com | Alex Taylor

Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo, a mesmerising celebration of life and dreams, has premiered at the Royal Albert Hall. Written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, it masterfully explores human vulnerability through a whimsical journey of acrobatics, music, and theatre. With spine-tingling feats from some of the best acrobats and clowns in the world, Corteo is a high-energy, captivating spectacle.
Oliver! – review • Afridiziak Theatre News

Jan 17, 2025 | afridiziak.com | Alex Taylor

The Gielgud Theatre has premiered its vibrant revival of Oliver! Producer Cameron Mackintosh and director/choreographer Matthew Bourne have collaborated on the staging of ‘Oliver!’ for over 30 years, breathing new life into Lionel Bart’s 1960 classic. Once again, their latest production is a delight for modern audiences. Oliver! tells the story of a young orphan boy, Oliver Twist (Cian Eagle-Service), who escapes a harsh workhouse and ends up in the seedy streets of Victorian London.
The University of Birmingham’s Dubai campus is up and running. But do its LGBTQ+ students feel safe?

Oct 17, 2024 | birminghamdispatch.co.uk | Alex Taylor

Dear readers — in 2017, when the University of Birmingham announced it would be opening a campus in Dubai, there was almost immediate backlash. Staff and students expressed concerns over what Edgbaston MP Preet Gill referred to as the “watering down” of LGBT rights and the university’s Rainbow Network warned that an act as simple as wearing a rainbow lanyard could be considered illegal in Dubai.
Swipe or Swing?

Oct 15, 2024 | birminghamdispatch.co.uk | Alex Taylor

Dear Patchers — we’ve made it to the midweek hump, a fitting time for today’s article. This week, Alex got elbow deep (figuratively) in the world of West Midlands swinging, after learning a friend of his had visited a sex club called Chameleons, in Walsall. A real ‘fish out of water’ piece, Alex interviews patrons of all ages and learns about the ins, outs and leather seating, all to answer the question, why are more young people engaging with ‘the lifestyle’?
From clandestine parties to sober socials - did Freshers’ Survive COVID at UoB?

Oct 2, 2024 | birminghamdispatch.co.uk | Alex Taylor

Dear Patchers — for most people who attend uni, the first year is a time for making new friends and exploring new surroundings. For those who entered their first year in September 2020, it was a very different experience. Our intern, Alex Taylor, was one of those bright eyed and bushy tailed freshers who had their freshers experience curtailed by COVID. Students at other unis seemingly had it easier — parties were illicit but still frequent.
Jewellery fit for a Freemason - the Birmingham shop that’s been bejewelling the brotherhood for 100 years

Sep 25, 2024 | birminghamdispatch.co.uk | Alex Taylor

Dear readers — Masonic Jewellers, in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter, upholds a century-old tradition: crafting bespoke jewellery and paraphernalia for the Freemasons. On a rainy afternoon, The Dispatch visited the workshop, which uses techniques and equipment handed down through the generations. The Freemasons are a fraternal organisation, shrouded in secrecy, with a history that spans centuries. That didn’t stop them from trying to recruit our journalist, however.
Does David Craddock truly have Good Intent?

Sep 18, 2024 | birminghamdispatch.co.uk | Alex Taylor

Dear readers — The Good Intent is a plush pub in Birmingham city centre’s historic Great Western Arcade. It is one of five pubs owned by the Stourbridge business Craddock’s Brewery. But the watering hole is more than just a well-oiled bar — all of the pub’s profits go to local charities. Or do they? When The Dispatch received a tip-off that organisations weren’t receiving the money, of course we had to find out what was going on.