𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

By the age of 16, Charles was performing at Liverpool’s Everyman Bistro basement venue, which was known for its open-mic events.

Within a year, he was performing his poetry on BBC 2 show Riverside.

“I just got stuck into that and started shouting from the rooftops my opinion on things,” he said.

“I was quite an angry young man, I suppose, but for some reason it resonated with people.”

He described how Liverpool’s “really vibrant” music and poetry scene was a reflection of the city’s reaction to hardship.

“Liverpool has always had a different kind of attitude, especially to adversity,” he said.

“We make something out of it, we make a song, make a poem, make a football chant.

“We do something with it, and we’ve always had the gift of the gab.”