It won’t be a title to shout about from the rooftops, but Blackpool has been named one of the worst seaside towns in the UK.
In what is grim reading for the North, The Telegraph has this week published a list of what it considers to be the top 20 best and worst seaside towns in the UK, giving each place on the list a ranking out of 100 – and Blackpool has, unfortunately, found itself quite close to the bottom.
The much-loved Lancashire resort has come in at number 17.
With a pretty brutal ranking of 22/100, claiming number 17 on The Telegraph’s list effectively means Blackpool has been named the fourth worst seaside town in the UK.
Sharing a top five spot with fellow Lancashire town Morecambe, and a place in the top 10 alongside Southport in the North West, Tyneside’s South Shields, Lincolnshire’s Cleethorpes, and North Yorkshire’s Scarborough, Blackpool is not only the most populous town in Lancashire, but according to The Telegraph, is also “one of the most storied in the UK”.
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Blackpool has been named one of the top five worst seaside towns in the UK / Credit: Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Described as having “pavements littered with tales of hedonism and high jinks, as much as poverty and neglect”, Blackpool is credited by the publication for having invented the “working-class weekend break” and serving as a “laughter lab” for generations of famous comedians.
The paper, surprisingly, even called the town “sort of sophisticated” – but only if you “ignore” the Pleasure Beach’s iconic Big One rollercoaster that looms over it.
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Giving a run-down of why Blackpool has been named in the top five worst seaside town’s in the UK, The Telegraph explains that it’s “too big to fail”, adding: “With the Illuminations, the Tower, Strictly glitz, a branch of Madame Tussauds, heavily made-up gay and trans scenes and stag and hen groups, Blackpool isn’t a sedate escape.
“A walk along its long prom in summer is like featuring in a documentary called Mad, Bad, Sad, Glad Modern Britain.”
The Lancashire resort is described as having “pavements littered with tales of hedonism and high jinks” / Credit: FreeImages | Geograph
The publication claims the town is “too idiosyncratic, too well-loved (and loathed), too generous to fit one style or market”, and rounded out the review claiming that even if you spent “£10 billion gentrifying” the place, it wouldn’t make much of a difference.
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“All you’d get is Miami with rain and donkeys,” the description concludes.
On the other end of the spectrum, St Ives in Cornwall took the number one spot on the list with a rating of 98/100, while Southwold, Whitstable, Lyme Regis, and North Berwick completed the rest of the top five.
The 2025 Manchester Marathon is set to create the UK’s biggest-ever day of running
Danny Jones
The 2025 Manchester Marathon is just a month away now and as this year’s race is once again set to coincide with another major event (quite literally), it’s about to become the biggest day of runningin UK history.
Like, ever…
Greater Manchester is no stranger to making sporting history, be it athletics, football, tennis or otherwise – you name it, we can lay our claim to plenty.
However, stuff like this always makes us feel part of something truly ‘greater’ and genuinely special as the tens of thousands preparing to run through the city centre and surrounding areas are about to put us in the record books in the running world.
Credit: Manchester Marathon
As more than 36,000 racers, joggers, fundraisers and downright legends are scheduled to take on the Manchester Marathon this year – with the annual event on course to break its attendance record – even more will be taking on the equivalent down south, given it is one of the official World Majors.
Recently, the Manchester and London Marathons have been colliding, and with the 2025 editions of both due to take place on the same day for the second year in a row, it means there’ll be an unprecedented number of participants taking on the 26.2-mile challenge.
More accurately, it’s predicted that over 90,000 runners will be out on the roads of the nation’s capital and its second city (yeah, you heard us, Birmingham), which will be the greatest concurrent number in British history – at least on record when it comes to marathons.
The potential milestones don’t stop with just those taking part, either; as per an official press release from the event time, it’s predicted to be a record-breaking day for charity too.
An estimated £80m is set to be raised for charitable causes, including the adidas Manchester Marathon charity partners: the British Heart Foundation, Alzheimer’s Society, The Christie and Cancer Research UK. Incredible stuff.
In one month you’ll be making your way to the 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon start line!📢
We are buzzing – are you? Comment the GIF that best describes how you are feeling one month out ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1ioROLfejW
Commenting on what will be a historic day for UK Marathons, Andrew Smith, CEO of A.S.O. UK, said: “Having the adidas Manchester Marathon and the London Marathon take place on the same day — Sunday 27th April — marks a landmark moment for British running.
“We’re incredibly proud to be part of this historic occasion, inspiring 90,000 people to take on 26.2 miles, supported by nearly a million spectators across the country.
As if all this wasn’t already momentous enough, nearly a million spectators are expected to line the streets to cheer on all the PB hopefuls and fundraisers – we can only hope for similarly groundbreaking crowds and levels of support to mark the occasion.
Featured Images — adidas Manchester Marathon (supplied)
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ITV’s Dancing on Ice is being taken off the air after nearly two decades
Danny Jones
A UK TV staple looks to have come to an end after nearly 20 years as ITV appears to have axed, or at the very least shelved, their long-standing annual show, Dancing on Ice.
The celebrity ice-skating competition and reality programme started all the way back in 2006 and was a British favourite for a long time, especially during the heyday of X-Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, I’m A Celeb and the like.
However, following a slump over recent years, ITV has announced that Dancing on Ice will not be returning next year and could be seemingly be sidelined indefinitely.
Confirmed on Thursday, 27 March, just over a fortnight after Coronation Street star Sam Aston (Chesney Brown) won the 2025 final, it looks like you won’t be seeing celebs skating on ice again for some time.
Speaking to the Metro, a spokesperson for the broadcaster said in an official statement: “Following another successful series earlier this year, Dancing On Ice will be rested in 2026 with no current plans for another series.”
The 2025 Dancing on Ice lineup (Credit: ITVX)
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the cast and crew who have worked on the show since 2006, and over the previous 17 series, for all of their hard work both on and off the ice.”
An average of just under three million viewers tuned into ITV1 live for the launch of the most recent show back in January, while approximately 3.6 million tuned in to watch the first episode last year.
Presented by familiar famous faces, Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern, judged by ice skating legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, as well as dancing duo Ashley Banjo and Oti Mabuse – with previous hosts including Christine Lampard and Phillip Schofield – it’s been a mainstay for 19 years.
ITV has actually halted Dancing on Ice once before just over a decade ago, when the show was rested after its ninth season; the ‘first’ run ended with an all-star series, only for it to ultimately return to our screens just four years later in 2018.
Having now been cut short just 12 months short of its 20th anniversary, fans as well as former cast and crew members alike have been bidding it bittersweet goodbye:
So #DancingOnIce has been shelved for the 2nd time. Sadly I saw this coming right from the moment I knew Jane & Chris were performing for the last time. The format had become tired and the ratings were atrocious. The correct decision. pic.twitter.com/bo7FZXozAP
— All Things Dancing On Ice (@AllThingsDOI) March 26, 2025
Radio and TV enthusiast Ryan Glendenning went on to add: “Also take a moment to acknowledge the hard work that went into Dancing on Ice from the pros, behind the scenes people, choreographers, judges and the celebs.
“Back in the Ray Quinn/Hayley Tamadon days, the show thrived – sadly, that’s not the case anymore. ITV killed this show!”
Emily Sergeant -
21st March 2023 
