John Bishop has announced a massive UK tour to celebrate 25 years of his stand-up comedy career, and he’s coming to Manchester.
He’s not only coming to our city once either, but twice.
It’s been well over two decades since the popular Liverpudlian comedian stepped on stage to perform his first ever stand-up gig on 2 October 2000, and so, in a bid to properly celebrate this monumental milestone and the impressive comedy career that’s followed, Bishop will be touring the UK and Ireland in 2025, and will, once again, step foot on that very same stage he first performed on.
And that stage, just so happens, to be the legendary Frog & Bucket comedy club right here in Manchester city centre.
The Frog & Bucket is known for having launched the careers of some of the country’s most well-known and revered comedians over the years, with John Bishop being just one of those famous names, and he’ll certainly be one of the most famous names to perform there again in recent years.
As well as taking to the Frog & Bucket stage for a more intimate live comedy experience on 13 October 2025, Bishop will also be performing a much bigger Manchester venue that same month, the new Co-op Live arena, on 4 October.
Liverpool, Leeds, and Newcastle are some of the other northern locations he’ll be visiting, as well as other major cities like London, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, and more.
What makes this tour even more special too is the fact that Bishop has vowed that tickets to every show he’ll be performing, wherever the audience member may be sat, will be priced at £25 each to honour his 25th comedy anniversary.
John Bishop: 25 – UK & Ireland Tour Dates 2025
Thursday 2 October – Plymouth Pavilions
Friday 3 October – The O2, London
Saturday 4 October – Co-op Live, Manchester
Wednesday 8 October – Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Thursday 9 October – Glasgow, OVO Hydro, Glasgow
Friday 10 October – P&J Live, Aberdeen
Saturday 11 October – First Direct Arena, Leeds
Monday 13 October – Frog & Bucket, Manchester
Thursday 16 October – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Friday 17 October – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
Saturday 18 October – Brighton Centre
Sunday 19 October – International Centre, Bournemouth
Thursday 23 October – Utilita Arena, Cardiff
Friday 24 October – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
Friday 31 October – 3Arena, Dublin
Saturday 1 November – SSE Arena, Dublin
John Bishop is playing a massive UK & Ireland comedy tour in 2025 / Credit: Supplied
“I can’t believe that next year it will be 25 years since I first performed at the Frog and Bucket in Manchester,” John Bishop said as the UK and Ireland tour was announced.
“It’s been a rollercoaster, and I can’t thank the fans enough who have supported me all the way. I wanted to mark the anniversary with a brand-new tour and do something to say thank you, so every ticket throughout the tour will be £25.
“I really hope you can come and celebrate with me.”
John Bishop: 25 kicks off on 2 October 2025 at the Plymouth Pavilion, and then travels to arenas across the UK and Ireland, before culminating in Belfast on 1 November 2025.
The £25 tickets go on sale this Friday (11 October) at 10am here.
Featured Image – Aemen Sukkar Jiksaw
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US rising star Reneé Rapp announces huge Manchester arena gig as part of European tour
Emily Sergeant
Reneé Rapp has just announced a European leg to her upcoming tour, and she’ll be stopping off in Manchester for a huge arena gig.
In just a few short years, Reneé Rapp has become a star… and her star is only rising higher.
At just 25-years-old, the critically-acclaimed musical theatre and TV actress has pivoted to become an undeniable pop sensation and film star – and an iconic figure in interviews too… which isn’t a job, but it should be – after landing her breakout role as Regina George in the Mean Girls musical on Broadway back in 2019.
Even though she chose to reprise her role as Regina George in the 2024 movie adaptation of the Mean Girls musical, since 2022, Rapp has largely turned her attention to her solo music career.
Reneé Rapp will be performing at Manchester’s AO Arena next March / Credit: Supplied
2022 saw Rapp release her debut EP, Everything to Everyone, before she then went on the channel her raw talent and authentic voice even further, and release her first full-length studio album Snow Angel in 2023.
Both 2024 and 2025 have been big musical years for Rapp too – so much so that she has now amassed more than 1.4 billion streams and counting across her entire discography.
An already-successful 2025 is about to become even more successful, as Rapp’s second album, Bite Me, is expected to be released on 1 August, and she’s also heading out on a highly anticipated US tour from late September through to late October.
Following on from her US tour, Rapp has today announced that she’ll be heading across the pond to Europe in the new year, and will be making her way over to Manchester to take to the iconic AO Arena stage in March 2026.
Amsterdam, Berlin, and Paris are just some of the other cities Rapp will be visiting before Manchester, ahead of closing out the tour at London’s Wembley Arena.
Reneé Rapp will be playing a huge gig at the AO Arena in Manchester on Wednesday 18 March 2026 as part of the ‘Bite Me Tour’, and tickets officially go on sale next week – with both pre-sales and general sale available.
The Three+ presale will begin on Wednesday 30 July at 10am, and the AO Arena presale will start on Thursday 31 July, again at 10am, before general sale launches on Friday 1 August at 10am.
Road to Victory returns for massive Euro 2025 final screening at AO Arena
Danny Jones
England are in another final, and you know what that means: Road to Victory is returning to Manchester for another massive screening at the AO Arena as England’s women’s team prepare to defend their Euros trophy.
Sarina Weigman’s side made it to their second consecutive European final on Tuesday night following more late drama for the Lionesses against Italy.
The squad, which has seen a number of personnel changes since Euro 2022, managed to make it through to the final in the eleventh hour thanks to another stoppage-time equaliser from Michelle Agyemang and even more tense follow-up from a scuffed spot-kick by Chloe Kelly.
Will they ever stop giving us heart palpitations at major tournaments? Probably not, but the big watchalong party inside the AO Arena, which will see thousands turn up to watch the Euro 2025 final, is sure to deliver plenty of excitement either way.
For anyone unfamiliar with the massive fan zone – one of THE biggest in all Europe, in fact – Road to Victory is the unparalleled supporter party by AIX (Amplified Immersive Xperiences) Live, who specialise in the top-end of audio-visual matchday viewing vibes.
Having hosted huge screenings for the previous men’s Euros and the Qatar World Cup, and even inspiring a massive watchalong of last season’s Europa League final at the venue, Road to Victory (RtV) is just about as big and bold as it gets.
Think BOXPARK in London only bigger, more interactive and, dare we say it… better?
Yes, we do dare say it; having attended RtV on multiple occasions since it landed here back in 2022, we can confirm you won’t find an atmosphere quite like it anywhere else. At least not in Greater Manchester, anyway.
Case and point:
With doors to the women’s Euros screening opening at 4pm, there’ll be plenty of time for pre-match build-up before the game gets underway, and there’ll be plenty of entertainment, light displays, food, drinks and more – it’s just up to Manchester fans to be in full voice.
The Women’s European Championships certainly have a more all-ages, family-friendly feel to them, but Road to Victory and the AO Arena are still ensuring they deliver a palpable match-day energy.
Tickets are already live following England’s place in the last two of the Women’s Euros now confirmed, it’s merely a matter of securing yours and finding out who, out of Germany and Spain, will meet them in the final this weekend.
Once again, the 2025 Women’s Euros final kicks off at 5pm on Sunday, 27 July, and you can grab your tickets for the Road to Victory screening at the AO Arena in Manchester right HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
8th October 2024 
