Charm, a sharp wit, and a wicked sense of humour can take you a long way as a journalist. Andy Nott, the former Manchester Evening News reporter, had all three in spades.
He was also a talented wordsmith, an astute collector of key contacts for getting the inside track on crime stories, and the vocalist in the MEN's band. He was unapologetically "old school" - embracing with gusto the necessity to "meet" cops and other suppliers of news tips in pubs and clubs across the city and beyond.
He, was the prince of a legendary cluster of MEN reporters who would hold court in The Abercrombie a backstreet boozer, when the paper lived on Deansgate, and later Scott Place. Having a ball was as imperative as landing that front page exclusive to him.
