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'People in Walton love proving you wrong'

Anna Jamesonand
Lauren Hirst,North West
News imageBBC Jimmy Mulville, who has grey, parted hair and is wearing a black jumper with a pink, open-collared shirt underneath, is standing in a school assembly hall. There are rows of empty green seats behind him along with a large screen with the opening title of his documentary superimposed over an aerial shot of Walton.BBC
Jimmy Mulville praised Walton's "generous, resilient and good-humoured people"

A Merseyside-born television producer said he was determined to prove people wrong about his area of Liverpool in the wake of the 2024 riots.

Jimmy Mulville, who grew up in Walton, is part of the team behind a 30-minute documentary - titled Of People and Place - which aims to ensure the area is not defined by the violence which unfolded last year.

Walton hit the headlines when riots culminated in Spellow Library being torched and shops being broken into following the Southport knife attack on 29 July.

"The one thing that the people of Walton have got is resilience and persistence," he said, "and those two qualities can get you through most things."

'Sense of pride'

Mulville said the documentary's ambition was to challenge recent narratives and focus on celebrating community spirit.

"The one thing I know about people I grew up with - I spent 19 years of my life here -is that they love proving people wrong," said the producer of shows including Have I Got News For You and Derry Girls.

"And this film proves people wrong."

He said he hoped Walton residents would feel a "sense of pride" while watching the film.

"I think if you forget where you come from, you're rootless and who wants to be that?"

News imageCaitlin Sullivan People have filled the seats in the assembly hall at Alsop High School. They are all looking towards a large screen showing the documentary.Caitlin Sullivan
The premiere of the documentary was held at Alsop High School

The documentary premiered at Alsop High School in front of a packed audience on Thursday.

The writer PJ Smith, who also attended the school, said he felt "protective" of Walton.

"I didn't want the rest of the country to think that it wasn't a safe place to be when I knew different," he said.

"From feeling anger, but then feeling like something good has to come out of this.

"And the library's been rebuilt through the kindness of people.

"I hope lots of people get to see this film and see that that night did not really represent the people who have grown up here."

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