A supply teacher who has worked in some of the ‘most difficult schools’ in Greater Manchester has exposed the prevalence of county lines gangs in a six-part gritty drama on Amazon Prime. James Twyman, director and producer of Ringside, set in Wythenshawe, has witnessed knife crime from a young age and has had to confiscate homemade blades, disguised as drywipe pens, from pupils in his class.
When he clocks off from his day job and during the school holidays, the 36-year-old works on film projects - a passion that he says saved his life as a teenager when he was bullied for the colour of his skin. James wanted to portray the difficulties faced by today’s young people - and show how positive forces in the community can help pave a way out.
In the case of Ringside - which follows 15-year-old Chad, who is neglected by his mother and has been kicked out of school - it was with boxing. Scenes were filmed at Jimmy Egan's boxing gym, in Benchill, where champion Tyson Fury first trained.
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“A lot of these kids get a bad rap, some of the behaviour lends to that, but some of the stories these young people have, half of that would be difficult for an adult to deal with,” says James, who has worked in education for 17 years.
“At the school I’m at currently, we have a huge level of Adverse Child Experiences (ACEs)," he added.
"We can never truly understand - our job as educators is to see them through that and not let them use that as an excuse but nurture them. We want them to flourish and sometimes school can do that, and sometimes, it takes an outside influence.”
James says that over the past five years, one of the biggest issues in Manchester has been county lines - where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often facilitated by using young and vulnerable people.
“Teachers are trained about it now because it’s so prevalent,” James said. “Young people who are incredibly vulnerable from a young age are being brought into gang life in a way that’s manipulative, they think it’s a good route to go down.”
One particular former student of James’ inspired his drama, Ringside, after he saw a transformation in him. In years 7 and 8, the boy was angry and ‘difficult’ for a multitude of reasons. “He had joined year 11 and I walked up to this person, who was an incredibly polite, mature, and lovely young man. I said ‘oh you’re new’ and he said ‘no it’s me, do you not remember?’
"I spoke to him about that transition and he said it was because of boxing, it taught him discipline. That was what made me go ‘this is the story I want to tell.’ Boxing can take a young person making all the wrong choices and give them the nurture they need to take themselves to where they want to be in life.”
Working with children exposed to crime is a topic close to home for James. Before he moved to Wythenshawe aged 10, he was held at knifepoint as a young boy in Kent, and, as an adult, on one occasion had to talk down a man with a knife at a house party.
“I grew up around knife crime, I saw more knives in my childhood than anyone should in their lives,” James continued. “I had a knife held to me when I was about five. I remember it vividly. I was walking down the street with a friend in broad daylight and we were backed up against the wall by two lads with a small penknife.
"I remember not being scared at the time, the fear kicked in afterward. We were poor, we didn’t have anything. The brandishing of the knife was a status thing.”
In a theme echoed in his TV drama, James found a saviour in film when he was growing up. His brother’s dad, who wrote film reviews and read to him about playwriting at bedtime, became a role model for him. He then joined an acting club in Wythenshawe.
“By the time I hit year 5, I’d been subjected to racism, violence on the street. At the height of it, at 16, I’d been beaten up in the street,” James, said. “It got to a point where I didn’t know if I wanted to continue; for me, film saved my life.”
He added: “This TV show was a chance for me to communicate that to young people, to get them thinking about other choices. It doesn’t have to be boxing, doesn’t matter what, as long as it’s positive.”
James’ team at Black Card Productions includes himself, a guy for sound, and a runner. Ringside was filmed in 25 days across six months on a £1,000 budget of his own cash, but took years of planning and months of editing before it was released to Amazon Prime in February 2021. Support from his fiancée Jenny Fisher was vital throughout the process, James says.
Among the cast is lead Joseph Stanley, who plays Chad; his character’s girlfriend Ellie, who sees the consequences of his embroilment in crime, is played by Chante Keegan, from Sale; and actor Rich Brodie stars as Chad's enemy Meeky. James credits the generosity of the people of Wythenshawe in helping him bring his vision to life.
Strangers even opened up their homes to allow him to film there. “One of the things about Wythenshawe which is often missed by a lot of people is the community feel, people are very loyal and want to see you succeed,” the filmmaker said.
“When it comes to Jimmy’s (boxing gym) I couldn’t have made it without them. They let me film there for a week, were incredibly helpful, and championed the story. They wanted the story to be told.
"There is a lot of incredible work going on to help young people and schools fighting to make change; sporting institutions trying to get young people off the streets. I want people to feel proud of Wythenshawe."
Ringside filming locations
- Wythenshawe Civic Centre
- Jimmy Egan's boxing gym
- Wythenshawe amateurs football club
- Baguley
- Peel hall
- Manchester city centre
All six episodes of Ringside, an ITN production, are available to watch on Prime here. The drama is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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