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Tony Collins

Tony Collins

Outer space.

New school course is out of this world

AT last... a lesson where children gazing into space will be praised to the heavens by their teachers. Read

The Crescent Theatre

Actors' smoking left me fuming

A THEATRE-GOER in Birmingham today hit out at the public smoking ban for not going far enough. Read

Knife crime

Kids see friends attacked with weapons

MORE than one in ten children across the West Midlands have seen a fellow pupil being attacked with an offensive weapon in their school during the past year. Read

Superkid winner Olivia Bowery.

It's the high life for our Superkids

THEY are two very special children - and to prove it Superkids Christian Griffin and Olivia Bowry will be treated to their very own VIP night out. Read

lenny_henry

Lenny gets ready to rock Dudley

LENNY Henry is coming home - and it promises to be one helluva night! Read

Brum's BT Tower turns 40

FOR four decades it has lorded over the Birmingham skyline as the tallest structure in the city. Read

Mohinder Kaur

Coroner rejects family body plea

A CORONER today refused a plea to release the body of an 81-year-old Birmingham grandmother so she can be laid to rest by her heartbroken family. Read

Birmingham City University

New name for Brum's UCE

THE University of Central England today became Birmingham City University. Read

Parents angered at head's term time break

A BIRMINGHAM head teacher was under fire from angry parents today - after she went on a two-week cruise during term time. Read

Birmingham Council House

Crime checks 'hit recruiting' of male teachers

MEN are being put off a career in teaching because of concerns over comprehensive criminal checks, Birmingham education officers fear. Read

Andy Parsons

Fame has its drawbacks for Andy

ANDY Parsons has almost become a 'victim' of his own success. Read

Joshua Powell of Erdington.

Winning Joshua in child play paradise

IT has to be the ultimate day trip for any child. And for six-year-old Joshua Powell, from Birmingham, it was definitely a visit to "paradise". Read

Toni-Ann-Byfield

City in social worker 'crisis' drive

COUNCIL bosses in Birmingham are turning to America to recruit experienced social workers following concerns that vulnerable children in the city are being put at risk. Read

The hydrogen-powered canal boat at Birmingham University.

Hydrogen - it's the way forward, says prof

"WATER is the coal of the future" - This bold prediction was made almost 30 years ago by a Birmingham university researcher as he unveiled a hydrogen-powered moped. Read

Il Divo

Future mapped out for quartet

Il Divo on why life at the top isn't always as good as it might seem. Read

Captain Hook at Drayton Manor Park.

Your chance to audition for panto fame

PANTO time is coming to a Midlands theme park - oh yes it is! Read

Water

Thousands hit by burst water main

AROUND 15,000 Birmingham homeowners, schoolchildren and office workers were hit by a major water mains burst which brought chaos to the city today. Read

'Tis the season to be jolly....!

AUTUMN is clearly the season for mirth-making. Read

Boy band star to front choir

POP star Lee Ryan will be hitting the right note with thousands of Midlands schoolchildren when he headlines a choral event in Birmingham later this year. Read

Stolen artwork 'in dump'

PRIZED artwork stolen from a Birmingham park may have ended up on the rubbish tip, it emerged today. Read

Author Profile

Tony Collins joined the Birmingham Mail in 1980.After working in a couple of the Mail's district offices, he became Education Correspondent in 1994. Being regarded as something of a Groucho Marx lookalike, it is no surprise that he is also the Mail's 'Mr Comedy', responsible for interviews with many of our top comics.

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