Matty White, Manchester and becoming TEDx host

Matty White 0:00

II'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.

Simran Whitham 0:09

What does that journey look like? How do we get to this point? How do we s where we start here today where you're hosting TED Talks in Manchester? What's the journey of Matty White?

Matty White 0:20

Well I suppose you need to go right back then. The only legacy I want to leave is just that my kids remember having a good dad. That's that's all I want. And the the the one key thing that I love about Manchester is its togetherness and its supportiveness. Everyone looks out for everyone.

Andy Coley 0:36

So what advice will you give our TEDx speakers?

Matty White 0:38

Don't f***

Title 0:39

This is the TEDx Northern Quarter Podcast.

Simran Whitham 0:44

Matty White.

Matty White 0:46

Hello.

Simran Whitham 0:46

Simran Whitham 0:46

The face of Manchester.

Matty White 0:49

Oh, that's a nice thing to say.

Andy Coley 0:50

Well the voice of Manchester.

Simran Whitham 0:51

The voice, the face, DJ, presenter, and as of this year, TED Conference host.

Matty White 0:59

I know, highlight, eh?

Simran Whitham 1:00

Thank you for joining us for the TED and Talks podcast.

Matty White 1:04

Thank you for having me. It's a real pleasure.

Simran Whitham 1:06

No, it's our pleasure. 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?

Matty White 1:13

Yeah, easily. Yeah, of course it is. Number one. There is no better city.

Simran Whitham 1:17

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.

Matty White 1:25

Oh, he wasn't available.

Simran Whitham 1:26

He wasn't available the first year. 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. I remember I was like, and I went, Matty, what's happening?

Matty White 1:37

And true to your word, I was.

Andy Coley 1:38

Yeah, it's been bigging you up for a couple of years.

Matty White 1:41

Oh, that's nice. No pressure there then for me.

Simran Whitham 1:43

Because I love this city. I'm born and bred in Tameside. I love it. I absolutely love it. 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. Good lads. And 2026 is the year of Manchester now more than ever.

Matty White 1:57

I think so. 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? And Trump will be here, Zelensky's been here, like it's yeah, it is all right.

Simran Whitham 2:09

Well, we have to start calling it a town then if he's coming. We have to have to get the town ready, don't we?

Matty White 2:13

I do call it town, though, do you not?

Simran Whitham 2:14

I mean it is town, but if you go into town, you call it town. It is town, but obviously, oh I don't know. Do you know this that he referred to Manchester as a town?

Matty White 2:21

Who oh Trump, yeah, when he was talking about Burnham.

Simran Whitham 2:23

So that's what I was referencing.

Matty White 2:24

The mayor of some town.

Simran Whitham 2:25

Yeah, the mayor of some town, yeah, a second biggest city.

Matty White 2:28

Oh, okay. Yeah, go on then.

Simran Whitham 2:30

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. The voice and face of Manchester.

Andy Coley 2:42

Is there a bit of a responsibility for being called that voice and face of Manchester? Because you've got a big following. Yeah, we were chatting before we came on here. 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'?

Matty White 2:57

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. And it's really lovely when people say it and when I hear you say things like that, it's like that's great. But I don't think I am, I don't set out to do it. 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. That's that's all it is. Because I have no skills, I have no talent, I can't do anything. So if I can get paid to do as little as possible, then I have succeeded in life.

Andy Coley 3:36

How did how did you evolve to be at this space where you do all of those things in that kind of creative sector? Um, how do you start off by you know in life getting to this point where you are right now?

Matty White 3:47

Like well, it professionally,

Andy Coley 3:49

y eah,

Matty White 3:50

I've had so many jobs, so many jobs over the years. Um I spent time digging, I used to dig holes, literally dig holes in the side of a road. Come rain or shine in my hives, just so people could lay pipes. 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. I just didn't like it. I didn't like being in a controlled environment. I didn't like having a boss because I very rarely ever had a good boss. I didn't like working for companies, I didn't like making money for other people. So I think ultimately my life was always going to become freelance.

Andy Coley 4:35

Yeah.

Matty White 4:35

It just took it took me a long time to realise it because I only went freelance maybe six, seven years ago. Um but yeah, I've I've just done so much over the years and tried more or less everything. Um so I can with confidence and experience say what I don't like. So now I get to do what I do, I I feel very, very lucky. I don't take it for granted. I know how lucky I am.

Simran Whitham 4:59

No, and you it shows

Being real and refusing to play a character

Simran Whitham 5:02

me that and everyone I know knows you in Manchester, and they all say the same thing. I love Matty White. They always do that for they always do this head shake as well, which they like, oh I love Matty White, I love Matty. Like everyone says it, and I think

Matty White 5:14

that's nice,

Simran Whitham 5:15

and you come across in person as well. 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.

Matty White 5:22

Hammered, yeah, I would have been.

Simran Whitham 5:23

And you were still the one of the loveliest people there on the night. I remember, and you were like, Let's go for a drink, let's talk about hosting. And he was like, Well, I remember you we sat down and you were like, Was I really that drunk? I was like, Yeah, yeah, buddy. 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.

Matty White 5:41

Yeah. Well, like anyone, I am a I am a deeply flawed man. A deeply flawed man. Um, and I suspect somewhat broken. Um but you just I don't know. I'll just try and be me. I'll just try and be real. Like, I'll just try and be real.

Andy Coley 6:00

Yeah. I think that's important, isn't it? And sometimes you meet people in real life, you go, You're nothing like the personality that we're presenting. All right. 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. Yeah, I think it's really important to just be you because otherwise people really see through the act. Ultimately, it's like a mask you're putting on.

Matty White 6:22

100%. So my media career started in radio, and I remember I had a uh my first radio boss guy called John Ryan, great guy. 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. Like, what what are you gonna project on air? But the only rules on that were is it just but it has to be really you. You like you you cannot pretend to be someone else because it will get tired. It's like telling lies. Sooner or later you're gonna get found out, aren't you? You trip yourself up. 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. So I'm I I just I'm always myself, always, no matter who I'm talking to, no matter where I am.

Andy Coley 7:17

I was listening to another podcast yesterday. Um, and Andy Parsons, a comedian, was on there talking about being on um uh TV show with Boris Johnson. 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.

Matty White 7:38

Yeah, a lot of people do it, and again, I think it just comes back to my laziness. Like, I can't be bothered to pretend. I can't, I can't bet I've not got the energy for it. I really haven't.

Simran Whitham 7:49

I think I think that's a very northern thing as well. That we're like that. I'm yours is that you can't be asked and that you're just I can't be bothered. Whereas me, I'm too candid. Like Andy knows this better than anyone. I'm just too candid to bullshit. 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. Yeah, okay. I'm very honest.

Matty White 8:07

I don't doubt that.

Simran Whitham 8:08

That I'm just like, listen, this is what it is, this is what we do. Yeah, don't want to be involved, fine, whatever. Like, or do you want to be bothered, mate? Um, that's just who I am. And I think that's why I vibed with you so much when I met you as well. 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.

Matty White 8:28

Thank you, man. Listen, I've had I've had quite a shit morning today, so this is nice, just you

Why Manchester feels like the world's biggest village

Matty White 8:33

two saying nice things about me. Let's just carry that on. I won't say anything, you just sit there.

Simran Whitham 8:38

I'll put it on you. Oh shit, I've misplaced it. Oh man.

Andy Coley 8:42

Sorry. But I love the expression like you can always start your day again. So no matter how you shit your morning is, you can suddenly choose to go, do you know what? I'm just gonna start from here.

Matty White 8:51

Right now, yeah, you can. You can. It's uh you just gotta keep just onwards and upwards, isn't it? Yeah, keep on keeping on.

Andy Coley 8:58

Days are gonna be good, days are gonna be shit. It's kind of you know, you just keep handling the day, really, isn't it?

Matty White 9:03

Yeah, that's that's exactly what you've got to do, yeah.

Andy Coley 9:05

You talked about earlier about sort of Manchesterisms starting to come through. What do you think is the the personality of Manchester then? Tell me a bit more about it. 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.

Matty White 9:21

What do you hate about London?

Andy Coley 9:22

What do I hate about London? Um I hate the lack of people acknowledging each other.

Matty White 9:30

Okay, well, you've got that

Andy Coley 9:31

in London, and that's a good aspect of it. I I'm lucky where I live locally in the little area, it's quite good from that point of view. But everybody's just head down, nobody looks at each other. I mean, I'm originally from the West Country, you know. 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. Uh I get the vibe that you get a bit more of that up in Manchester.

Matty White 9:52

Yeah, of course you do. 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. Yeah, I say hello to everyone. 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. So like I I got the bus in today because the trams are down in Manchester for a couple of weeks for improvements. Um, and the bus driver just didn't even make any eye contact with me at all when I was trying to pay. So I just made a point of kind of just catching and saying, Morning, man, I hope you're right. Just and it I don't know whether it made his day or not. He probably thought I was a dick, but he said hello back, whether he wanted to or not. And if you're in London and you tried that, I suspect you'd get thrown off. Yeah, like it's it's hard, isn't it? And I do say hello to people in London, and yeah, I get some funny looks.

Simran Whitham 10:40

I think you'll love something off the back of that then. Uh, because hospitality, you'll love us. 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. Proper geezer were talking, proper like no, he's like, You're right, geeze, how you doing, mate? How you doing? Yeah, and he came to Manchester for the first time four years. It was our first ever night out of siblings. Took him into Blues Kitchen, took him into Albert Schloss, and we were walking around and he went, Everyone here is really friendly. He was like, I can just go up to anyone and they'll have a chat with me. I'm like, Yeah, this is what I like in Manchester.

Matty White 11:13

True.

Simran Whitham 11:13

And he was like, mate, he was like, I fucking love it here. And he was like, mate, it is bare better than London. Like he was like, This place is amazing.

Matty White 11:20

Bear better.

Simran Whitham 11:21

Yeah, he was like, bear better.

Matty White 11:22

Bear better.

Simran Whitham 11:23

Bear better. I was like, that was the first time I've ever heard the use bear being used properly. I had to ask him to explain that one. He was like, mate, it's just better. I was like, Yeah, right, say that then. Yeah, I was like, just say better, but anyway, I think it's a geezer thing. But yeah, and he just loved Manchester and what we love as Mancunians. You saw someone experience that Manchester hospitality for the first time that makes it so special.

Matty White 11:45

I someone has used this analogy before, but I think it's true that Manchester's just the biggest village you'll ever get. 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?

Andy Coley 11:58

Uh yeah, yeah. So, yeah, well, I was down in Saltash.

Matty White 12:01

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. You can walk from one end of town to the other within half an hour. Yeah. Like, and you can't do that in London, for example. Um, and everyone knows everyone, and and the the the one key thing that I love about Manchester is its togetherness and its supportiveness. Everyone looks out for everyone. 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. 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. It's got such a supportive network in this city that it just makes it feel like anything is possible. Anything is possible. I came to this city 27 years ago with no money. I think I had about 20 quid, no family, no friends, no house, nothing. And yes, it was 27 years ago, but I've really built on that. 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. I think it's down to the people of Manchester. Everyone welcomed me in, and everyone still just keeps building me up, and and that's that's the power of this city.

Andy Coley 13:33

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. Yeah. 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?

Matty White 13:51

Oh it's difficult. I I can I can barely remember what I did last night. Um no, I can't think of a specific example. One

Why the best stories come from real people

Matty White 14:03

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. I'm trying to think of some examples now.

Andy Coley 14:20

Oasis.

Matty White 14:21

Thank you. Although I did do that, yeah. Um but you dream of meeting all these celebrities, you know. And then what you quickly find out is it isn't about celebrities, it's about real people. When you interview real ,working, people, that's when you get the gold, that's when you get the good stories. It isn't about celebrities, yeah. Because everyone's got a story, everybody's got a story, yeah.

Simran Whitham 14:46

And that's why we're here today. 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. And you don't know what's going on. We all and we all have it, you're guilty of it, I'm guilty of it. We all have main character syndrome, we're all the main character of our own story. 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. You're walking past aerospace engineers that are doing great technology advances.

Matty White 15:19

Good example.

Simran Whitham 15:20

That was a good example. 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. Wow. 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. 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.

Matty White 15:45

Absolute legend.

Simran Whitham 15:46

And these are the people that make the change. 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. And I'm a firm believer in those people you walk past every day are the ones actually making the change. So, what you said, it's those little stories that you find out.

Matty White 16:04

Yeah, of course.

Simran Whitham 16:05

We could easily have like we could easily have turned this like the TED brand is so popular. Every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to do a TED talk. Yeah, every single we could have turned this into the celebrity.

Andy Coley 16:15

Oh, yeah.

Simran Whitham 16:16

We're not short of it. The amount of Love Island stars that apply for every year is ridiculous.

Andy Coley 16:20

Yeah, we need we only let one in this year.

Simran Whitham 16:22

Yeah, we form one, and he's actually done good stuff outside.

Andy Coley 16:24

Has been on it twice,

Simran Whitham 16:25

Yeah, but he did cool stuff out of it.

Matty White 16:27

I'm saying nothing about Love Island. Never don't get it. I'm saying nothing.

Simran Whitham 16:31

I watched one season with my missus just to see what it was like, and I felt my brain sells.

Matty White 16:35

Fucking hell, mate. You don't need to watch a whole series to see what it's like. Watch ten minutes and get a grip.

Simran Whitham 16:39

Well, do you know what it is? I'm one of these, I like to, I'm very analytical and logical and I approach things. I don't I like to understand how something works before I judge it. 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. I don't look at a small it's like a I'll use a pizza analogy, right? I won't judge a whole pizza based off of one slice because you might just have got the bad slice of that pizza. So I want to eat the whole pizza so I can understand is this place I'm having the pizza from really shit.

Matty White 17:09

I respect that, but you wouldn't make a good food reviewer. You'd be there all day, mate. You'd be there all day. Yeah, fair enough, mate. But a good analogy, a good analogy.

Simran Whitham 17:20

I'm an unpaid, I'm an unpaid food reviewer, mate.

Andy Coley 17:23

Surely every slice should be just as good as the other, though. So by sampling one, you did get a feel for all the rest of them.

Matty White 17:30

Let's not pick apart his analogy. It was it was good. Yeah, okay. I enjoyed it.

Simran Whitham 17:34

And listen, I love pizza, right? That's why I love that's why I use the pizza analogy. But to bring it back to it is that people are incredible, yeah. 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. I was like, I love Matty. Like, we could easily have gone to another like someone with more followers. Like, if we wanted the celebrity host, we could have been like, Oh, we'll go to

Matty White 17:52

Who give me some names who who might you have gone for?

Simran Whitham 17:55

I mean, we could have easily gone for some of the BBC presenters that we could have got

Matty White 17:59

Fuck the BBC [laughing]

Simran Whitham 18:01

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. Powers everybody.

Matty White 18:13

Good man.

Simran Whitham 18:14

Yeah, and that's what it's about. It's about everyday people. Good. That's what it's about. And Mancunions, of course.

Matty White 18:19

Yeah, who are the best of all everyday people?

Simran Whitham 18:20

Aren't they Andy? Aren't Mancs the best people ever?

Andy Coley 18:23

Yeah, they're lovely.

Simran Whitham 18:24

Say it. Say it.

Matty White 18:25

You can't don't make him say that. That's mean.

Simran Whitham 18:29

No. Our side quest before we get into the main one though. What is one of your best favourite places to eat in Manchester? You don't have to say all of them, but I'm curious. As the Mr. Foodie, like I'm a foodie. Like, I can I can name some of mine, but I'm curious. That's what's what you do have to be your definitive favourite. Well, what's one of them?

Matty White 18:44

So I'll I'll I'll begin this by saying it changes every day. If you ask me tomorrow, it might be different. But today, my top three are Erst. Good choice. In Ancoats. I adore it. I adore it. I went there for my 50th this year. Uh Stowe. Don't know if you've been to Stowe. They don't have any fat fryers, they don't have any microwaves, it's just all charcoal and wood cooked. Everything they do, it's absolutely magnificent. Stowe on Bridge Street in the city centre, not far from here actually. Uh and Winsome. I don't know if you've been to Winsome. It's very

Simran Whitham 19:23

I know what it is, but I've not been yet.

Matty White 19:24

It's I don't know whether they'll like the comparison or not, but it's a little like St. John's in London with Fergus Henderson's restaurants. Um it's all kind of nose to tail, there's no waste, it's quite experimental, but also quite accessible. So yeah. So Winsome, Stowe, and Erst. There we go.

Andy Coley 19:43

Good choice. There you go. We turned into the food podcast as well. That's good.

Simran Whitham 19:46

That's not a difficult thing for me to do.

Matty White 19:48

No, I normally no. I could sit here all day and talk to you about food.

Andy Coley 19:51

So, what are some of the things you're passionate about supporting in Manchester? 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

Homelessness, charity and helping others

Andy Coley 20:04

sort of support?

Matty White 20:06

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. Um I'm very much involved in um a couple of homeless charities. 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. 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. Do you know what I mean? Like I I I just I like helping. Yeah, it makes me feel good about myself, and I don't know if that is selfish or not, I don't know. But everybody wins, I suppose.

Simran Whitham 20:59

I mean it's the moral argument. I've heard this all the time where people say, Is it really a good thing if you feel good about doing it? But ultimately it does how you feel about indicating the good act. That's how I look at it. It doesn't matter.

Matty White 21:09

Yeah, I don't I don't know why it should, though. 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. That I've helped someone, surely.

Simran Whitham 21:24

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. 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.

Matty White 21:35

Yeah, maybe, yeah. Yeah, I'd agree with that.

Andy Coley 21:38

Also, do you know about the uh the five love languages?

Matty White 21:41

The five love languages.

Andy Coley 21:42

You ever come across those?

Matty White 21:43

No, go on.

Andy Coley 21:44

It's about how people like to show and receive love. Okay, so they're things like physical touch, quality time, uh, gifts is another, um, acts of service and words of affirmation. They're the five love languages. 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.

Matty White 22:10

I'm gonna say

Andy Coley 22:10

we filter on that.

Matty White 22:11

I'm gonna say no. Okay, because I also fucking hate helping people. You know, like when the neighbour's texting you saying, Can you come and help me carry this wardrobe downstairs? You think no, no, I don't want to. Yeah, I'm watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire. But when it's a bigger picture,

Andy Coley 22:28

but I bet you do it anyway.

Matty White 22:31

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. 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. Okay. Uh when I was very young. 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.

Andy Coley 23:00

Yeah, and that I mean that's one of the reasons why we've partnered with Feed Manchester because of Simran. Yeah, mega you know, experiencing that himself as well.

Simran Whitham 23:06

So we've never spoken about this, but I was homeless as well, Matthew. Yeah, were you? 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.

Matty White 23:17

But how long it was, man, it's stuff

Simran Whitham 23:19

and it was an awful experience. Yeah, for me, it was the worst I've ever felt in my entire life. 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. I feel like I'd failed as a man, as a human being.

Matty White 23:32

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Simran Whitham 23:33

And again, this is not me saying homeless people are failures, like there's multiple sort of factors why you end up homeless.

Matty White 23:38

Yeah, no, you're talking about how you felt, not how you think other people.

Simran Whitham 23:40

And that's for me. I love just being able to help people. That's why we partner with Feed Manchester for me. 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. 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. Obviously, Andy's done great work for you, and it's it's a crime against humanity that even exists in 2026.

Matty White 24:06

Yeah, no one should be homeless. No, no, no one should be without a bed for the night.

Simran Whitham 24:11

And that means a lot to me as well. See, I just wanted to add to that.

Matty White 24:14

Yeah, no, good man. And and I know you don't like talking about it because it's traumatic. I don't find it traumatic. I don't want to talk about it just because I feel like I'm just always banging on about it. I feel like anytime anyone's opening up the social media or they're like, oh Matt's talking about being homeless again. Yeah. 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. It's simply to raise awareness so that I can help someone else. Yeah, that that's that's all it is. So the trauma, I think it probably has affected me in my life. Like I said earlier, I'm I'm broken. But it the trauma doesn't live with me anymore. I'm alright with it all. Because, like you said, you're like you were embarrassed, you didn't want anyone to know. I kept it inside for it. It's only been the last two years I've started talking about it. 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. Um but yeah, it's just life, innit?

Andy Coley 25:35

It's really interesting, isn't it? Because I I did some work with a charity in Birmingham that supports homelessness as well. 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,

Matty White 25:53

which is wonderful, and that yeah, amen to that.

Andy Coley 25:55

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.

Matty White 26:05

Oh, I've got empathy coming out of my ass. So much of it, yeah,

Simran Whitham 26:09

and that's just because it's Manchester mate, we're very empathetic.

Matty White 26:12

Yeah, I think so. I think so. It's true. People care here, yeah.

Simran Whitham 26:16

We do. But on the do you mind if I jump in here? Yeah. 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? Like, how did you go? 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. How did you get to be to where you are today, where you are this cultural icon in Manchester? Cultural icon. Hey, we were in a pub, right? 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. Like, and I love how you interact with your fans, by the way, it's very humble. I I I hang around with a lot of content creators, celebrities in my industry, and

Andy Coley 26:56

They're your favourite people.

Simran Whitham 26:59

Let's not go down that rabbit hole. 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. 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. No requests was too much. And I felt that with you as well. 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. But how did you where does what does that journey look like? Let's let's walk through the Wikipedia page. Like, how do we get to this point? How do we where we're sat here today, where you're hosting TED Talks in Manchester? Um, what's the journey of Matty White?

Matty White 27:50

Well, I suppose you need to go right back then. 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. 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. 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

"Hospitality saved my life": Matty's road to broadcasting

Matty White 28:23

me. So that's all I had. But that was mint, is the most I'd ever had on my own, ever. Um and then I just ended up just get getting my shit together. Once I got that flat, I got a job in a bar, hospitality saved my life. 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.

Andy Coley 28:47

Yeah.

Matty White 28:47

So then all of a sudden, hang on, I've got a flat and a job. Like, this is mint. What else can I do? Yeah. And it's like I'll go to college. 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. 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. Helens, which I'm sure you all know. Uh and St. Helens didn't have much to offer in terms of nightlife, um, and that's me being polite.

Matty White 29:37

So while we were there at university, we'd either go because it was equidistant to Liverpool or to Manchester. And then when everyone left uni, everyone went home to their families. 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. So then that's when I came to Manchester. 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. Um and I just kept spreading the word that I wanted to be a presenter. Anyone I could talk to, tell them, tell them, tell them. Because there's no point keeping it to yourself. If other people know, they're like, oh, I know a guy that wants to be a presenter. Um, and then I finally met some man in uh the restaurant who was an old hacienda DJ called John McCready. Not heard from him in years, actually, but he then got me a job uh just answering phones in the BBC for free. Yeah. Um, and then that was it once I was in. I was in. Yeah. Um, and that was 26 years ago, something like that. Wow. And I've just stuck with it.

Andy Coley 30:45

And what's it like to be on like stages like the this is Manchester Awards? I mean, I've done some awards, I've done some hosting, but mine have been like a few hundred people. I mean, ' This is Manchester' must just be a stonking thing to be hosting and the host of and on on stages like that. Do you have a sort of pinch myself a moment on those, or are you just in autopilot at that point?

Matty White 31:05

Not anymore. 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? Just to step out on stage in front of loads of people. Um but then you just you learn you learn your craft. 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. Um, but now I just I just love it. I'm just grateful that people are quite happy to sit there looking up at me on the stage, yeah. Rattling on.

Simran Whitham 31:50

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. Is there something was there a particular person or event that made you go, I want to

Radio, his grandad and finding his voice

Simran Whitham 32:00

be a presenter, that something that drew you to that career?

Matty White 32:04

Um no, not not a person particularly, but I always had radio like when I was a kid, radio was very much my friend. There used to be a late-night radio show on um Mercier Sound, it was called in the Midlands. An old DJ called Mark Keene. And he had this way of broadcasting, then they teach this now at kind of colleges and unis. But if you're gonna be on the radio, you you never say listeners, you never go everyone out there, it's just you. How are you tonight? Are you okay? 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. 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. Uh, sadly, not with us anymore. But when I was a kid, he moved to Cornwall with my grandma. They retired. Um, and we didn't write letters or phone them. We we'd send each other cassette tapes. 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. One of those, so I just record him a message telling him about my week of school or whatever was going on. 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. And I would then start doing stuff like that back to him, and I think that's when I got the the bug, really. And and then he was the first person years after that, he was the first person I knew to get a camcorder. So then when we go down to Cornwall to see him in the summer holidays, I'd pick up this camcorder. 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. It's cringe when I listened back to it. But I think that was my first taste of it all. Um, yeah.

Andy Coley 34:16

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. I mean, that's that's quite it's so similar and yet you know, such an evolution.

Matty White 34:33

Um, I get paid for it now, that's the only difference. Yeah, still doing the same shit, yeah, and amazed that to be getting away with it. 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. But I think that's an anomaly. 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? Oh well I'm not maybe. I think mate that's more about me than other people. 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.

Simran Whitham 35:28

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. 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. And it compared us to other animals. It was penguin. I don't know why they compared us to penguins.

Matty White 35:58

Everyone loves a penguin,

Simran Whitham 35:59

yeah. But it was like penguins are satisfied, dogs are satisfied, cats are satisfied. But it said human beings are the only animal to wired to physically want more. So that's not a selfish view, and I wouldn't butt yourself down. I know you said you had a bad day, but that's not a lot of people always want more. 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. 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? Or should I do a new thing? 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. Yeah, I think so, yeah. And human beings crave purpose fundamentally.

Matty White 36:54

Yeah, true, yeah, very true. Yeah. I I used to work with a man who he referred to his penis as his purpose. Whenever he if ever it came up, he'd just refer to it as his his special purpose.

Andy Coley 37:07

I mean, there are and how often did his special purpose come up?

Matty White 37:10

Do you know what he mentioned it a lot? He mentioned it a lot. I'll tell you who it was. You know who Justin Lee Collins is? Yeah. It was Justin Lee Collins. Justin Lee Collins, you know. Special purpose was. I used to do a radio show with him years ago, and he will just yeah.

Andy Coley 37:24

Interesting.

TEDx, failure, purpose and being a good dad

Andy Coley 37:25

So, what advice will you give our TEDx speakers for getting on stage and having a few years?

Matty White 37:28

Don't fuck it up. Don't fuck it up. Okay. Well, that's what I think that hey, that's what I say to them. So what advice would I give to them?

Andy Coley 37:36

We'll play that to them on a voice memo. Yeah. Into the speaker screen. Don't fuck it up.

Simran Whitham 37:41

And this is the host who's gonna be introducing you on the day. Yeah, here's his number one advice for you, and it'll just be that clip. I'll give you a clear take. Don't fuck it up.

Andy Coley 37:49

Yeah.

Simran Whitham 37:50

However, you think I'm joking, I'm gonna I'm gonna do it.

Matty White 37:53

You can you can. Um I don't think any of them need any advice. 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. Exactly. Yeah, every single one of them is an expert, so none of them need any advice from me. None of them. They're all the people that I wish I could be. Yeah, I I'm not an expert or a specialist in anything. So if anything, I'll be asking them for advice on the day.

Andy Coley 38:24

You'll you'll get plenty, and you get the chance to meet them day before at the speaker's meal as well. Um, yeah, I forgot about that. This is one of the things that we really you know want to do is is create that social feel. 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. Yeah. You get some speakers who do that. I like to get there early, I like to get the vibe, I like to meet people, I like to stay afterwards. Like for me, that that really yeah, I love that bit. I hate things where you get airdropped in, do your thing, and then bugger off again afterwards. Yeah, yeah. 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.

Matty White 39:00

Yeah, brilliant.

Title 39:01

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. I can I openly admit that comes from not having a community, yeah. Of course, and that's why I like to create community. All my work is community work. Yeah, I do, that's why I do events because I love bringing people together and see that magic. Because events are magical. Like when we walk through that door, everyone just leaves the shit. Yeah, it's cool. They come in and they enjoy whatever experience you've crafted for, hopefully enjoy whatever experience you've crafted for them.

Matty White 39:32

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. 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. 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. And I loved that. That's one thing I would say being on stage, because you cannot allow yourself to think about anything else. Yeah, you can just be in the moment, and and that's that's a a blessing, yeah. A real luxury as well. It's it's nice to be able to do that.

Andy Coley 40:18

Do you know what? So we have a tradition on our TEDx Northern Course podcast that the previous guests leave a question for the next guest. Oh, understood. 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. Okay. Um so I'm gonna read the question out for you. Okay. So if you knew you had to fail ten times before something you wanted to happen succeeded, how quickly would you want to fail? And how would you tell yourself, your younger self, that obstacles are not final?

Matty White 40:55

Ooh, good question from Jess. Um I it's life's all about failing. I in my life I failed way more than I've succeeded. 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. I've spent 50 years failing. Failing's one of the most important things you can do. If you're not prepared to fail, you can't win. You can't. And what's would my advice be to my younger self? Yeah. Is that what she said? Yeah. Um don't give up, don't give up. People will love you. We love you as well, man.

Andy Coley 41:38

And I've got one last question, just to tuck in there as well. What do you think your legacy will be within Manchester?

Matty White 41:45

I can't, that's not for me to say. I can't say that.

Andy Coley 41:49

You've got a sense of purpose, you've got a sense of moving forward about things you'd love to have happen. No where you want that net legacy to be for the city, for yourself, or whatever.

Matty White 41:58

The only legacy I want to leave is just that my kids remember having a good dad. That's that's all I want.

Simran Whitham 42:04

I did want to segway one thing, i was going to say it. So your kid, you have got a beautiful family. 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. Like, you've got such a wonderful relationship.

Matty White 42:20

Love em.

Simran Whitham 42:21

So I just want to say because we've spoken before like you mad respect to you, mate, for being an amazing dad. I mean that. Like, and also means a lot. Shout out to your son who tackled you to the ground recently. That was very hilarious.

Matty White 42:33

Oh shit, the footballer went down like an absolute sack of shit. 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. There's there's no one I would rather be. I'd rather be at home with them than with my best mate in the pub. Like I do the three of us went to a festival last weekend, just us three. Mum um stayed at home. Uh, and it was just it was just it was great. Yeah, very different experience to the festivals that I used to go to. Like, there was a lot less consumption, let's say. But uh, yeah, I love them. And thank you for saying that, man. 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. Oh, that's nice. That's what you want.

Andy Coley 43:21

Well, it's good to hear you like football as well. Bring your trainers for the uh the day before the talks. Oh, yeah, Simrans got a football match playing.

Simran Whitham 43:27

We're doing a TEDx 2026 football match. Do you want to do you want to come play a five-side match with us, Matt?

Matty White 43:33

No.

Simran Whitham 43:35

I think that's a great way to leave the podcast

Matty White 43:39

Listen, I love football, but I can't play it, man. I'm a 50-year-old man.

Simran Whitham 43:42

It's not serious. We're all just there for the bants tonight.

Matty White 43:45

Every part of my body aches. Yeah. Every part.

Andy Coley 43:49

As a 50-year-old man, I hear you.

Matty White 43:50

Yeah, man. Solidarity.

Simran Whitham 43:52

So it just gets because I'm 31 in oh hush young six days, and I ache now. Does this get worse? Yeah, of course it does.

Andy Coley 44:00

It gets worse, and then you get parts replaced.

Matty White 44:02

Yeah, I'm not at the parts replaced bit yet, but yeah.

Andy Coley 44:06

Awesome. Matty White, thank you so much for joining us on our TEDx couches.

Matty White 44:11

Thank you for having me.

Title 44:12

This is the TEDx Northern Quarter podcast.