Tony Wilson

The high times and many lives of the man behind the Factory Records and The Hacienda.

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Tony Wilson was the TV reporter turned would-be music mogul whose life was more rock'n'roll than the bands he nurtured. He co-founded Factory Records and The Hacienda, he kick-started Joy Division, Happy Mondays and New Order and he was the inspiration for 24 Hour Party People. From a childhood growing up with a gay father and a domineering mother to his tragic death in 2007 after battling the NHS for a drug that could prolong his life, David Nolan investigates the man they called 'Mr Manchester'. Drawing on interviews with musicians, DJs, writers, actors, family and friends - including Wilson's partner Yvette Livesey - Nolan paints a picture of a driven, chaotic man whose influence is still felt today in music and television. Everybody knows the legend - Tony Wilson spent a lifetime creating it - for the first time, here's the truth.