Earlier this year, an additional £25.2m was added to Factory International’s budget to allow it to complete its ambitious building work, taking its original estimate from £110m to £210.8m.
Manchester City Council said it could ‘recover a significant proportion of these capital costs through a long-term naming rights agreement’.
And today, insurance company Aviva, the council, and Factory International have announced a long-term partnership that will include naming the arts hub Aviva Studios.
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The huge waterfront space, spanning 13,350 sq metre space and using supersized moveable walls to create different performance spaces, is predicted to add £1.1bn to the economy of Manchester over a decade.
It will support up to 1500 direct and indirect jobs and provide training and engagement opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds.
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(Left to Right) Chief Executive of Aviva Amanda Blanc with the Leader of Manchester City Council Bev Craig in front of the newly named Aviva Studios which was announced today as part of a new partnership. Picture date: Tuesday June 20, 2023. PA Photo. The new arts venue, which will be the permanent home to Factory International, is located in the St John’s neighbourhood of the city and will host world leading artists and performances when it opens fully in October this year. Photo credit should read: Dilantha Dissanayake/PA Wire
Factory International, now known as Aviva Studios, will officially open in October with Danny Boyle’s large-scale immersive The Matrix-inspired production, Free Your Mind.
The programme and operation of Aviva Studios will still fall to Factory International, who promise a year-round programme of original creative work, music and special events by some of the world’s leading artists.
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Aviva says it will work closely with Factory International and Manchester City Council on sustainability and community projects, like skills training programme Factory Academy.
Amanda Blanc, Group Chief Executive Officer, Aviva said: “Aviva is thrilled to be backing this new, world-class arts building in Manchester. It builds on Aviva’s leading role in the UK, serving more than 15 million customers, employing 16,000 people, and investing billions each year into the UK’s regional economy.
“The new Aviva Studios will help make arts and culture more accessible and inclusive and follows the significant investment Aviva Investors has already made in Manchester, such as the development of Enterprise City.”
Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council said: “Aviva Studios, as the home of Factory International, will be a nationally and internationally important cultural attraction in the heart of Manchester.This multi-year, multi-million-pound partnership reflects the magnitude of the venue not just for the city but for the north of England and the UK as a whole.
“This will be a momentous year for the venue as audiences experience its wow factor and enjoy inspiring art in its incredible spaces for the first time. It has undoubtedly been a challenge to create this remarkable building with its unique design against a difficult construction context, including rocketing inflation, without diluting the ambitious vision behind it.
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CGIs of inside Factory International. Credit: OMA 10
“The new partnership helps make this possible, as well as supporting Factory International’s ongoing success and work with the community to open up access to the arts and training opportunities. The Council will receive the largest share of funding, supporting our up-front investment in the venue and the wider St John’s neighbourhood, as well as adding social value.
“Aviva has the credentials to be an ideal partner. We are looking forward to collaborating with them on this amazing venue and welcome the expansion of their existing commitment to Manchester.”
John McGrath, Chief Executive & Artistic Director of Factory International, said: “This historic new partnership will provide vital support for the construction and future life of our landmark new home, building on the generous public funding support already pledged to the project.
“Aviva’s values and commitment align with our own and we will also be working together on a range of initiatives, from sustainability to our £10 ticket scheme to ensure that our programme of work is accessible to all. They will also be principal partner on Factory Academy, a programme that is changing the landscape in terms of access to jobs in the creative industries for people from every background.
Factory International. Credit: Pawel Paniczko
“With the city council, we are all committed to strengthening Manchester’s reputation as a nationally and internationally important centre for culture and creativity, as well as bringing jobs, skills, training and creative opportunities for local people and artists.”
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Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said: “We are delighted at the news of this major support from Aviva to the landmark new home of Factory International, the most significant cultural venue to be built in the UK in recent years. The creative and cultural sector in this country is founded on the relationship between public and private sector investment.
“The newly named Aviva Studios has benefited from very significant public sector investment throughout its development, from HM Government, Manchester City Council and Arts Council England, and we very much welcome the commitment of Aviva to support the venue going forward.”
Featured image: OMA 24
Art & Culture
Britain has a new ‘favourite’ curry – and we’re absolutely ashamed of the nation…
Danny Jones
Chicken tikka masala is reportedly no longer Britain’s ‘favourite’ curry, and after finding out what has replaced it, we have decided you all need to be stopped.
Following a study carried out by Foodhub for National Curry Week (3–9 October), researchers found that one dish overtook tikka masala as the most ordered curry in the UK. It’s chicken korma, apparently.
We’re not mad, we’re just disappointed and deeply, deeply confused.
For years, chicken tikka masala has been not only Britain’s favourite curry but the UK’s national dish – it’s a classic created by Indian migrants to appeal to the nation’s palate and has done so successfully for decades. We defy anyone to turn their noses up at a chicken tikka.
Now, everyone is entitled to their opinion and we’re not necessarily saying korma is a fundamentally bad curry, but it’s hardly ahead of favourites like a jalfrezi, a rogan josh or Smithy’s beloved bhunas — or so we thought.
In fact, sod it, we side with Smithy’s take on korma:
Strong order, to be fair.
Emma Stockman, a spokesperson for the food delivery service, said, “It is clear that curry is a staple dish when it comes to the UK’s takeaway favourites”, and that their findings “did not disappoint”.
Which results are you reading, Emma?
As explained, the long-reigning number one, chicken tikka, has dropped to second behind korma and chicken madras rounds off the top three when it comes to Britain’s favourite curry.
Despite us Mancs boasting the world-famous ‘Curry Mile’, the stats also supposedly showed that Carlisle was the city that ordered the most curry anywhere in the UK, averaging out at 3.5 times a week.
Meanwhile, 0161 was given the nickname ‘Naanchester’ as we apparently order an average of two naan breads per curry compared to other regions, with plain naan being the favourite.
Just plain? Come on. If you’re ordering as vanilla as that, you’d better at least be going bottomless with the actual main event — cue Manc curry kings, Zouk:
If these numbers are to be trusted, this also begs the question as to what this means for the country’s national dish: having been chicken tikka for so long, is it now chicken korma?
Because, sorry, we’re just absolutely NOT having that…
Give it to the Sunday roast or fish and chips while you take a step back and look at what you’ve done.
Adored BBC show Peaky Blinders set for return to British for a ‘new generation’
Thomas Melia
The team behind beloved TV series Peaky Blinders have just announced it will be returning to our screens while welcoming some very new faces.
If there’s one thing us Brits love more than a cuppa, it’s a period TV drama, and when you throw generational heartthrob Cillian Murphy into the mix, you’re onto a winner.
This time, Peaky Blinders is gearing up to welcome a new era of Shelbys into the much-loved 20th-century programme that fans will definitely be looking forward to.
The latest announcement from the writer and creator of the show lets fans know they can expect to watch not one but two new series.
Each of the latest instalments will contain six brand new 60-minute episodes and is executive produced by Mr Thomas Shelby himself, Cillian Murphy, alongside a roster of notable industry talents.
An official press release from the BBC confirms these new segments of the show will be set in Britain, 1953, not long after WWII, and see the city of Birmingham undergoing a huge shift, turning to concrete and steel.
Throughout the course of the new seasons, this huge reconstruction becomes a battle, one of “unprecedented opportunity and danger: with the Shelby family right at its blood-soaked heart”.
The mastermind behind the cult classic British TV show, Steven Knight, reveals: “I’m Thrilled to be announcing this new chapter in the Peaky Blinders story.”
Peaky Blinders has gained a cult following, and this new chapter welcomes a whole new era of Shelbys (Credit: GoodFon)
Knight – who is also behind the upcoming Oasis reunion documentary – adds: “Once again it will be rooted in Birmingham and will tell the story of a city rising from the ashes of the Birmingham blitz. The new generation of Shelbys has now taken the wheel, and it will be one hell of a ride”.
The two new and highly anticipated series will be produced by Kudos, who are known for shows such as House of Guinness, Grantchester, as well as Garrison Drama, who have worked on Peaky Blinders series one to six AND the impending film.
It looks like we’ll be getting the feature-length movie before we get this series, and it remains to be seen how the two will knit together with the original show and exactly which characters will be involved on either front.
That being said, we’d be VERY surprised if you didn’t get to see a fair bit of the Peaky patriarch.
With the show having 12 years under its belt already, not to mention still amassing more fans, this very statement has definitely stood the test of time.
Tommy Shelby has become a staple on our screens over the last decade, thanks to the success of Peaky Blinders (Credit: BBC)
Daisy Jackson -
20th June 2023 
