Hailed as the birthplace of heavy metal - and with bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Napalm Death calling it home, you'd be hard pressed to argue - Birmingham hasn't always done a great job of celebrating its heritage.
But resident Brummie and producer, comedian and co-host of the critically acclaimed A Gay And A Nongay podcast Dan Hudson is looking to change that. After Ozzy Osbourne's death in July 2025, he launched a campaign to get Birmingham Airport renamed to reflect the contributions The Prince Of Darkness has given the world and has already earned over 80,000 signatures.
But while Birmingham Airport's CEO Nick Barton has said they will not rename the airport, Dan is unphased in his campaign. Hammer caught up with him to find out why it's so important.
As a Brummie and Ozzy fan, were you surprised by just how widespread the reaction to his passing was?
"In a way, yes - because we are so used to alternative music being ignored by the mainstream. So I was genuinely taken aback that it was the lead story on the BBC News at Ten, for example. But I do remember being at the massive Taylor Hawkins tribute gig in Wembley a few years back and thinking… yeah when Ozzy dies the tribute concert will be ridiculous and Birmingham won’t know what’s hit it. And that’s how it played out - although obviously he was alive for the show!"
Did you attend the public funeral procession in Birmingham?
"Yes, it was quite something. Normally that part of town is just deserted outside of Friday and Saturday nights so to suddenly see the city so packed was amazing. I think that took a lot of people by surprise."
What did you think of the way Birmingham showed up for Ozzy?
"The thing is it wasn’t just Birmingham. That whole period from around the Back To The Beginning show to his death and weeks after that - there was an endless supply of people in black t-shirts wandering around the city and they had come from all over the UK and the world.
"That just isn’t normal for Birmingham - even when we’ve had events like the Commonwealth games in recent years - so it was amazing to see. The city has just extended the Ozzy Osbourne exhibit at the Birmingham Museum for a third time. People just can’t get enough Ozzy."
Where did the idea to rename Birmingham Airport come from?
"I’ve had the idea in the back of my head for a while. I’ve spent a lot of time travelling, and two things have been bugging me for a while - 1) How many airports are named after people and 2) when you think of the big musical cities in the states - Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Seattle - they don’t stop going on about the musical scenes that have emerged from those places. Conversely, Birmingham has always been embarrassed about its heavy metal heritage - and that’s unacceptable!"
When and how did that idea turn into action?
"As I say, the idea has been in my head for a while, and so when Ozzy died I was texting my girlfriend wondering if I should start this petition or not. I couldn’t really come up with a good enough reason not to, so I just cracked on and did it in about 15 minutes. That was about 9pm. Overnight it trickled up - but the next morning I got the 8 minute train from Solihull to Birmingham and it went from 50 to 100 signatures in that time. Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden was one of the first signatories. At that point i knew it was going to go crazy."
Can you describe the public response to your campaign?
"It’s been absolutely haywire. At the time of writing, it’s at 77, 100. Who knows where it’ll be when this goes to press. It’s been covered in every corner of the globe. I’m constantly doing interviews about it and there’s always a new update or someone amazing that’s backing it."
Birmingham Airport CEO Nick Barton recently ruled out a name change for the airport. How did it feel hearing that?
"I wasn’t surprised that Nick ‘ruled it out’ because - I assume, he just wants this to go away - and he doesn’t know anything about me to know that’s not going to happen. What did really upset me though was how so much of the press reported Nick’s statement - like this was the end of the whole thing - with barely anybody giving me a right to reply (so thank you Metal Hammer for giving me one!).
"I also had a lot of messages from friends almost offering their condolences. I was like, have you met me? Are we friends? Is this how you live your life? I’ve been working in the media long enough to know that rejection is part and parcel of every day - if I took every No as a sign to give up I would never get anywhere with anything. A No is a Delayed Yes."
What did you think of his claim that Birmingham is already a 'fantastic brand internationally?'
"So don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that Nick has such passion for Birmingham - but this claim just isn’t true - as much as I wish it was. I spend half my time in New York - perhaps the most international city in the world - and I meet new people every day. I can tell you with authority that barely any of these people have heard of Birmingham, with the notable exception of heavy metal fans! So the irony here is that the main driver of change is the life and legacy of Ozzy Osbourne.
Moreso, our campaign has given Birmingham International Airport more free press coverage around the world than the airport’s PR team could ever imagine. The other thing to note is that Nick made this claim on our local BBC station, BBC WM.
"About ten minutes previously they had spoken to Robin Tudor from Liverpool John Lennon Airport who said ‘the name is synonymous with the airport, you don’t even need to say where the airport is, people just know’. That’s also true of JFK and LaGuardia in New York, Harry Reid Airport in Las Vegas, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, Antonio Carlos Jobim in Rio de Janeiro, Grantley Adams in Barbados - I could sit here all day naming airports in more international cities than Birmingham, but I think you get the point."
Were you tempted to drop the campaign at that point?
"At no point have I been tempted to drop this campaign. What you’ve got to understand is that there are nearly 80, 000 people backing this - and they have given Change.org over £8000. That’s money that could have gone to Marie Curie or to your local food bank or to Childline.
"These people are trusting me to give this my very best shot, so that’s what I’m going to do - and that does not involve giving up at the first ‘No’ I come across. I grew up listening to Rage Against The Machine and Hatebreed - so it shouldn’t be that surprising to readers to hear that I don’t just accept the first No I’m given."
What comes next? How do you keep the momentum going?
"I can’t really reveal too much about what’s coming, but this is just going to grow and grow and it isn’t going away. One thing I can tell you is that I was lucky enough to speak to Sharon [Osbourne] on the phone about it. We didn’t get a chance to speak properly but I am hoping by the time you’re reading this that I will have done."
Why is this so important to you?
"This is a matter of principle to me. For one, I’ve had it up to here with metalheads being made to feel like we don’t exist and that our culture isn’t important. Enough is enough. Secondly, this is a fantastic business opportunity for our city. Birmingham City Council is literally bankrupt and neighbouring Solihull (where the airport is) is £349 million in debt.
"Meanwhile, my inboxes are inundated with people from around the world who tell me they would happily fly to Birmingham just to fly into Ozzy Osbourne Airport. Back To The Beginning netted £20 million in local tourism and raised $10 million for charity. Music tourism in the UK was worth £10 billion in 2024, and that’s set to have increased in 2025. Are we seriously going to look this gift horse in the mouth? We can’t afford to."
Can you describe exactly what Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath mean to Birmingham?
"Well growing up every band passing through would shout out Birmingham as the undisputed home of heavy metal. BUT if you weren’t in our world - you just wouldn’t know. Seriously. Up until they built the Black Sabbath bridge a few years back - there was nothing to indicate that this is the home of heavy metal. Compare that to literally any other musical city and it's a joke. Take Atlanta for example, it has a trap museum!!! But we’ve spent the last 50 years being embarrassed about one of our major exports, and that is just so sad."
To support the petition, click here.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
