Us Mancunians are a famously proud bunch and we always back our own whenever we hear tell of a local doing something important or noteworthy, and that moment when you find out a celebrity you’re a fan of is from Manchester never gets old.
We recently put out a question post on our socials asking people which celebrities they were surprised to learn were either born and/or raised in Greater Manchester. We must admit, there were plenty named in the comments that we had no idea about either.
It also surprised us to see how many famous faces we already knew as Mancs were completely brand new information to others, so it only made sense to round a few of them up.
This is by no means an exhaustive list and some of you might already know a lot of these but for the sake of those who don’t, here are a bunch of celebrities that you may not realise are from around these parts.
15 celebs you didn’t realise were Mancs
1. Martin Lewis
Credit: Good Morning Britain (screenshot via ITV)
Kicking us off, we were genuinely surprised to learn that none other than the ‘Money Saving Expert’ himself Martin Lewis is in fact from Manchester.
He may have been raised in the village of Norley near Delamere Forest, Cheshire but the 52-year-old journalist, researcher and presenter started out life close by.
Born in Withington Hospital in 1972, the economist has gone on to give financial advice to millions around the UK. Nice one for that by the way, mate.
2. John Mahoney
The name Charles John Mahoney might not mean much to most Brits but if you ever watched the US sitcom Frasier (the Cheers spin-off) and were a particular fan of the lead character’s dad, Martin Crane, you’ll pleased to know that he’s also a Manc.
He was born in Blackpool where his family evacuated to during WWII but it all started right here in Greater Manchester, spending much of his youth in 0161 after his parents moved back there and he even went on to buy a home in Stockport in later life.
He sadly passed away back in 2018 at the age of 77 but he was a regular early morning and evening face on Channel 4 for years; the lovable and amusing TV dad during many people’s childhoods. His co-star Jane Leeves (Daphne Moon) is also from Manchester as it happens, so consider this a twofer.
Farewell to John Mahoney, who has sadly passed away, aged 77. Goodnight Seattle, and thanks for all the laughs. pic.twitter.com/nykbU9JASh
Next up is a genuine Hollywood-level star: Olivia Cooke, of Ready Player One, Bates Motel and most currently House of the Dragon fame.
In fact, when the series first started and junkets to promote the show came out, people were surprised to hear her real-life accent wasn’t quite as neutral/RP as her character’s and that a Mancunian had somehow found herself in Westeros.
Common knowledge to a certain generation perhaps, but in case you didn’t know, Simply Red is a simple Manc called Mick Hucknall, a.k.a. the original ginger singer before that Ed Sheeran fella.
While Simply Red is technically the name of the soul and pop band, it was always about frontman and fellow local Mick, who was most popular during the 1980s and 90s but is still performing all over the globe to this day.
Best-known for tracks like ‘Holding Back the Years’, ‘If You Don’t Know Me by Now’ and ‘Sunrise’ (which you can hear down below), he was born just down the road at Saint Mary’s Hospital back in 1960 and even opened Castlefield’s Barca bar back in 1996 before selling in it 2010. Cheers, Mick.
‘Fairground’ is also a banger.
5. Ian McKellen
Yes, we’re ashamed to admit that it wasn’t until late that we learned that SIR Ian McKellen has roots in Greater Manchester too. You’re damn right we’re adopting him as one of our own given the chance, he’s bloody Gandalf!
From Burnley originally, the legendary British actor and ultimate thespian actually grew up in Wigan during the war and was also part of the Bolton School Boys’ Division from 1951 to 1958.
His super well-spoken voice is singular, there’s no doubt about that, but there’s a bit of Manc twang and Northern gruff buried somewhere in there – though it’s not that aspect of the region that he feels most connected to. We challenge you not to well up with happy tears when you listen to this wholesomeness:
6. Claire Foy
From one actor to another, we’d say Claire Foy is one of Britain’s very best acting talents around and she also happens to be a Greater Manchester native too.
Hailing from Stockport (don’t start all the Cheshire nonsense again), the 40-year-old First Man, All of Us Strangers, The Crown and The Girl in the Spider’s Web star was born at Stepping Hill like most locals but also spent time growing up in other parts of Manchester and Leeds too.
A very talented lady indeed.
Credit: Netflix
7. Ross Brawn
Moving over to sport for a spell, we only recently discovered that Ross James Brawn OBE – yes as in the old Formula 1 team – is a Manc too.
Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, he’s the first Tameside representative on our list and there’s something very surreal about learning that F1’s ex-managing director also probably went to the Hyde swimming baths when he was a nipper.
We don’t know whether they had the wave machine back then but let’s just say he’s gone on to lead a pretty full life even without them.
Switching to a slightly different discipline now, it seems to be a little-known fact that England hero Geoff Hurst is also from Ashton, perhaps because he left the area when he was just six.
Maybe it’s also because we also tend to limit any Manc links to that legendary 1966 World Cup-winning team to the late Sir Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles but, in fact, the man who scored that iconic hat trick in the final against Germany is from around these parts.
He may have spent the bulk of his career down south at West Ham, making over 400 appearances and scoring 180 goals, but his first days of kicking a ball were on Manc cobbles.
One of the greatest moments in football history, courtesy of a Manc.
9. Lee Dixon
From one famous sporting son to another, it seems to be a bit of a running oversight among many footballers who made their name playing for a London club; sometimes it’s easy to forget they weren’t always based in the capital.
Now, while we’ve always definitely known Lee Dixon was from the North given his accent, we could never quite place where exactly in the region – it’s Greater Manchester, as it turns out.
That’s right, the Arsenal legend might have been the bane of many local football fans’ existence back in his heyday but, as plenty more may know, his dad Roy Dixon was a goalkeeper for Man City in the 1950s and the long-retired centre-back grew up as a boyhood Blue standing on the Kippax.
🏴 Lee Dixon: I remember my first North London Derby game, and Tony Adams literally had me up against the wall by the throat, and it was like ‘You don’t understand. We can’t lose this game!’ ⚪️🔴 pic.twitter.com/so68xydrJb
Once again, those of you who have been around a bit longer than others might not be caught as off guard but not everyone will be aware that legendary broadcaster Judith Chalmers is another famous British celebrity from Manchester.
The long-retired TV host known for the documentary series Wish You Were Here…? is another secret Stopfordian whose eloquent presenting voice meant that any hint of a Northern accent was long hidden and done so very well indeed.
Let’s just say she very much gave old Cheshire village vibes rather than Edgeley.
Another one on our list that often seems to go unnoticed is one of the most well-respected DJs in the UK, Carl Cox.
Born in Oldham back in 1962, the DJ, MC and producer is an absolute Ibiza icon and has more than two dozen awards within the industry over the years.
Now based in Australia and having even turned a love of his racing into his own motorsports team, he’s lived quite the life.
Milan as always it was an absolute pleasure!! Big thank you to all the party people who joined me at @AlcatrazMilano last night, it was one to remember. Now it’s onto Istanbul, let’s go!! 😎🖤 pic.twitter.com/G8mOAxPsIi
Next up is one that people always raise their eyebrows over when we bring it up. Admittedly, he was born in Germany and has Irish heritage but we will always be proud to call Merry Brandybuck himself one of our own.
For those of you who aren’t Lord of the Rings nerds like us, Dominic Monaghan played the lovable hobbit in one of the most successful films of all time and while he may not have always been here, the recognisable actor spent some of his most formative years as a Manc.
Yet another name on this list of Greater Manchester celebrities tied to Stockport, he moved to the area when he was just 11 and even went on to study at St Aquinas College before making it big in Hollywood as a young man. So there you have it: there’s a hobbit from SK.
Another local actor that we’ve really enjoyed people stumbling across over the past few years is Benedict Wong, who we still remember from that incredible cameo in The IT Crowd but who is now best known for his Marvel character of the same last name.
Yes, the MCU version of Wong in the Doctor Strange and Avengers movies was born in the humble market town of Eccles and has gone on to be in the biggest film franchise of all time, not to mention the likes of 3 Body Problem, The Martian and more.
If you know any superhero fans who might not be aware of where Wong is from, just play this endearing clip of him on Jimmy Fallon, in which he sounds just like any other Manc you grew up around:
The one we always enjoy bringing up when discussing famous celebrities from Manchester.
14. John Motson
The penultimate name on our list of celebrities you may or may not know are from Manchester is one whose voice you’ll know much better than his face, but he’s nevertheless a broadcasting legend.
When we think of footballing voices, there are exactly three names that come to mind before any other: Clive Tyldesley, Martin Tyler and John Motson.
The Salfordian commentator sadly passed away in February 2023 but, for generations, he was the soundtrack to their earlier memories of the beautiful game. Proud to have called him one of our own.
Last but not least, it would be weird to overlook arguably one of the most important Manchester celebrities not just in local but national heritage, although he’s less of a celeb in truth and more just a very important historical figure.
Yes, the UK’s Prime Minister for the final two years of WWI Lloyd George was born in Chorlton-on-Medlock and went on to be one of the most influential British politicians ever before retiring to Wales.
A member of the then Liberal Party and the last to ever be voted PM, he oversaw the end of The Great War and was one of the signatures of the Treaty of Versailles. Hard to imagine someone from Manchester being in that room but it’s true.
He helped free the world.He even features on the famous faces wall in Levenshulme.Credit: Library of Congress/Gerald England (via Geograph)
Honourable mention…
The Bee Gees
Oh, go on then, one more…
We couldn’t rightly compile this list of Manchester celebrities without recognizing the very cool fact that The Bee Gees got their start right here in Manchester – also from Chorlton.
All three Gibb brothers, Barry, Robin and Maurice, were born in the Isle of Man and eventually moved to Australia, but they formed their original band The Rattlesnakes whilst living in the Manchester suburb and even played their first gig together at the old Gaumont Cinema in 1957. Amazing bit of trivia, right?
Kendal Calling 2025 festival guide – everything you need to know ahead of a milestone year
Danny Jones
The fields are beckoning us back once more as Kendal Calling returns for its 20th anniversary, and we’re to deliver all the important information to you yet again, from the stellar lineup, stage splits, site map and more.
It’s hard to believe the Lake District‘s leading live music event has been going for two whole decades now and, as cliché as it may sound, it really has gotten bigger and better each and every time.
Having been three years in a row ourselves, we can certainly vouch for the recent form.
In fact, their big birthday edition saw the beloved Northern favourite festival sell out – as it has done every 12 months since it began – in record time and now we can’t think of anything else other than singing our hearts out in Lowther Deer Park. Hence why we wrote this guide.
Kendal Calling guide 2025 – all the key info
Without further ado, here are all the important details you need to know ahead of Kendal Calling’s milestone anniversary festival. Let’s start with the bread and butter, shall we?
Kendal Calling 2025 lineup and stage splits
We announced the Kendal Calling’s 2025 lineup late last year, which is set to be headlined by Greater Manchester’s very own Courteeners and The Prodigy, with other big names packing out the main festival stage and beyond.
Other regional acts were looking forward to seeing include Leigh’s The Lottery Winners, Sheffield’s famous sons and daughters, Reverend and the Makers; Leeds legends, Kaiser Chiefs, as well as The Wombats and The K’s, just to name a few.
You can see the full stage splits via Clashfinder HERE, but you’re still best downloading the official Kendall Calling app, which should see you right all festival long.
A party 20 years in the making…🙌 RT + Like for your chance to win 4 x VIP upgrades, Emperors Field camping & a £100 bar tab!
Main Stage – Where all the action and big headliners are playing at the northernmost spot.
Parklands – The second largest stage, pretty much smack bang in the middle of the site; there’s also a brilliant Glow takeover by night.
Calling Out – Rounding out the trio of Kendal stages with even more big acts to the west.
Woodlands – Exactly what it sounds like: a cosy stage set within the Lost Eden forest.
Chai Wallahs – Another large tent towards the North East of the site, boasting a variety of genres.
The Soapbox – Just northwest of Parklands, it’s where most of the live comedy is taking place.
Tim Peaks Diner – Named after Salford icon Tim Burgess himself, this little hut is built for more pared-down sets.
Desert Island Disco – Where the electronic scene goes to shine and usher in the late-night fun.
Roots – Built to spotlight emerging talent from across the region, there are gems to be found here.
The Town Hall – The latest addition to the festival alongside the official Kendal Calling pub, which debuted last year.
Tim Peaks DinerThe Stagger Inn pubShit Indie Disco at Calling Out stageOnce you’ve made it into Kendal Calling 2025, feel free to consult this mini-guide/overview of the stages. (Credit: George Harrison/Jess Huxham/Supplied)
Kendal Calling 2025 map
Now, while Kendal Calling is just generally considered a Lake District festival, it’s technically located in the sloping valley that dips down into Lowther Deer Park.
The large, woodland-lined expanse is situated within the Cumbria town of Penrith; the park itself is roughly 3,000 acres but forms part of the much larger 75,000-acre Lowther Estate.
For context, the increasingly popular event now welcomes around 40,000 festival goers every year, with Kendal Calling having grown from a 900-capacity seed to a giant, forest-spanning attraction.
Not much has moved around since last time, so you can always check out our video tour from 2024, but you can find an up-to-date site map down below.
Here’s a quick guide on how to get into the Kendal Calling festival site and a map of stages, facilities, etc. (Credit: Supplied)
Travel info – how to get there, parking and more
If you’re wondering how to get to Kendal Calling, once again: the festival takes place at Lowther Deer Park in Hackthorpe near Penrith, Cumbria (no, it’s not quite Kendal)
For the sake of ease when it comes to popping the location into the SatNav, the postcode is CA10 2HT.
By car
Located roughly 25 minutes north of its namesake Kendal, you can drive up there via the M6 and south down the A6 from Penrith. You can easily download full directions on Google Maps.
Parking
The general car park is adjacent to the general campsites, but BE AWARE, the further away you park, the longer the walk up that hill – and it is a big one, we’re afraid.
Also, pre-warning, you must bring any alcohol purchased from outside the festival site up on the first trip up to your pitch. We found out the hard way…
Hoping to encourage people to carpool and ride share where possible, with Kendal remaining a dedicated and environmentally-conscious event (see their ‘Leave Nothing But Memories’ mission statement, for example), there is a charge for parking separate from festival admission.
Passes can be purchased online in advance for £24.50, or you can pay on the day for £40, but just like downloading/printing out your tickets prior to entry, we’d obviously advise you plan ahead and get them ready beforehand.
Emperors Field, Great Plains, Deer Lodge and Tangerine Fields all have their own respective car parks, which require specific parking passes as part of campsite upgrade packages. You can see all the options and secure your parking HERE.
The nearest train station to the festival site is Penrith (also known as Penrith North Lakes), which is just a 15-minute taxi journey from the site.
Alternatively, you can hop on the special shuttle bus service that runs from the station to the festival at various points over the weekend. Various services are available from Scotland, Birmingham, London, here in Manchester and across the North West – for example:
From Birmingham New Street to Penrith (2h31m) — trains every hour
From London Euston to Penrith (3 hours) — trains every 30 minutes
From Glasgow to Penrith (1h21m) — trains every hour
From Edinburgh to Penrith (1h30m) — trains every hour
From Lancaster to Penrith (34 mins) — regular service
From Manchester Piccadilly to Penrith (1h41m) – trains every 30 minutes, change at Preston
Shuttles will run to and from Penrith (North Lakes) Station to Kendal Calling from 10am-18:45pm on Thursday and 8:30am-19:15pm on Friday. They won’t resume again until early Monday, with the final service lasting from 8:30am-13:15pm.
The festival has a dedicated pick-up and drop-off point (PUDO) outside at Green Gate. Follow the road signage as you get closer to the site for directions to the PUDO, which is also where you’ll find the taxi rank alongside our coach drop-off spot – just a short 5-10 minute walk to the wristband exchange too.
By coach/mini-bus
Speaking of coaches, you can find ticket prices for official services from destinations like Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, and many more places across the UK HERE.
Now, it’s not all airborne pints and tunage, though there is plenty of that; one of the things that makes Kendal Calling one of our favourite festivals not only in the North but the entire country is the wide range of entertainment, activities and spaces it offers beyond just bands and artists.
As well as child-friendly facilities like laid-back Picturehouse social cinema, the annual parade, a dedicated ‘Kids Calling’ zone for said little ones, and the chilled-out Green Room outdoor area, there’s live alternative theatre, silent disco and tonnes more.
For instance, Mancunian comedy veterans Jason Manford and Justin Moorhouse will both be performing their own stand-up sets, which should provide a nice sense of home even while you’re away in the fields. And that really is just the tip of the iceberg.
We here at The Manc will be there in person as part of our Audio North team as somewhat of a boots-on-the-ground representation of our Kendal Calling 2025 guide, so feel free to say hello if you happen to spot the logo bouncing around.
Not if we’re in the middle of the pit or dancing though – that’s private time and you daren’t interrupt one of us mid-groove.
And if any of you are first-timers facing some newbie jitters or simply wondering how good a time you’re about to have this weekend, we think our most recent review sums it up pretty well:
Featured Images — Audio North/The Manc Group/Press shots (supplied)
TV & Showbiz
Oasis are clearly doing something very deliberate for the as-yet-unconfirmed Live ’25 reunion album
Danny Jones
We’ve still not emotionally recovered from Oasis’ five homecoming nights in Manchester, and after seeing that the band just released a live recording of ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ from Heaton Park, it’s taken us right back to Friday, 11 July, and we can’t stop thinking about a Live ’25 album.
In fact, while the live record of the reunion world hasn’t been confirmed just yet, we’re becoming increasingly convinced that this is exactly what fans are going to get – and following the second Live ’25 concert capture dropping this week, we’re almost certain we know what they’re doing.
And if so, you can consider the vinyl of the ‘Oasis Live ’25‘ LP already in the basket.
Many of you might have already thought the same thing, but for anyone it hasn’t yet clicked for, let us explain; we got the live taping of ‘Slide Away’ from the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to start with, i.e. the first stop on the world tour. Here’s a snippet of how it sounds:
Have we listened to it pretty much non-stop ever since? Yes, but concentrate, that’s not the point we’re getting at; we think Oasis are doing something very specific for their almost inevitable Live ’25 album.
Up next was the aforementioned ‘Cigs and Alcohol’, performed and recorded on home turf right here in 0161, and released in honour of their magnificent Manc comeback.
More accurately, the live version of the song is plucked from their unforgettable opening evening at Heaton Park, as opposed to any of the other five dates.
Can you see where we’re going with this yet?…
With their place of birth having waited more than a decade and a half to hear the first few iconic chords that signal the start of the timeless Oasis classic and a pure rock and roll blowout, you can literally hear the energy from the crowd in your ears.
If you haven’t heard it dozens of times already, take a listen for yourselves and feel free to Poznań wherever you happen to be reading this:
That first Poznań for #OasisManchester hit like a chuffing freight train. 🔥
Upon checking the date of the Cardiff recording of ‘Slide Away’ was taken from, we noticed that they had also chosen the inaugural night of the entire Live ’25 tour, i.e. their very first live show in 16 years.
While we’re aware an official Oasis reunion tour album is technically still TBC, if you see a third live track released after the first of their SEVEN shows in the capital get underway this Friday (25 July), you can pretty much bank on the special live release being all but nailed on.
So, not only are we getting an Oasis Live ’25 reunion documentary from the man behind Peaky Blinders, but it looks like they’ll be providing fans with a virtual tour and a chance to experience/relive the gigs aurally, with each of the 23 tracks on the setlist being pulled from a different city on the world tour.
Now, while this isn’t an entirely unheard of idea in the world of live albums, that’s not all.
Better still, if our suspicions are correct and the next drop is taken from night one of Oasis Live ’25 in London (bonus points if you can guess which tune they go for), then the entire thing will capture the sonics and atmosphere at its best: propped up by the utter euphoria of a dream finally being realised.
We’re sure they could pull the audio at any part of the set, from any old date, and it would sound great, but nothing is like the palpable ecstasy you could quite literally hear on the opening nights in Cardiff, Manchester and, no doubt, Wembley. Having said that, the final farewell was pretty biblical too.
Put simply, isolate any night of the world tour and there’ll be something unique in the master.
Die-hards have been waiting what feels like a lifetime to finally see their favourite band in the flesh again; actually, like many of us here in Greater Manchester and indeed all over the world, some were simply too young to experience the Britpop craze and ‘Oasis Mania’ the first time around.
They obviously have a huge following not just in the UK and Ireland, but all over: the US, Japan, across South East Asia and throughout most of South America – you only have to watch clips or even hear Noel Gallagher talk about Buenos Aires to not how ‘mad fer it’ they are over there.
For a lot of fans, this IS their 1990s moment, and even those who sadly didn’t manage to get tickets have a chance to almost feel like they were there.
One thing’s for sure: if/when the Oasis Live ’25 album arrives, that Manchester buzz will take some beating in the unofficial contest to see who loves the legendary British rock band the most.
Danny Jones -
18th October 2024 
