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
Review | Midsomer Murders comes to Manchester for a satisfying Opera House adaptation
Hollie Wells
‘The Fuzz are here!’ – also known as the well-known duo, Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby and Detective Sergeant Troy. As ever, they’re here to solve the murder of orchid-loving, elderly lady Emily Simpson in the seemingly sleepy county of Midsomer…
Manchester’s historic Opera House played host to the first ever stage production of Midsomer Murders: ‘The Killings at Badger’s Drift‘ last night.
With a busy, full audience of fans of the original novel by Catherine Graham and the acclaimed ITV staple. There was a hum of anticipation to see the timeless tales unfold.
Excitingly, the role of Barnaby in the stage play is under the trusted care of Daniel Casey, who is best known as DS (Detective Sergeant) Troy in the prior television adaptation of Midsomer Murders between 1997 and 2008.
Casey’s comfort and wealth of experience with these narratives comforted the audience from the outset. In a purposely complicated plot, Casey grounded the performance and was the throughline in the show.
‘The Killings at Badger’s Drift’ is a good, light-hearted, mid-week show, with an enjoyable concoction of eccentric characters and the perfect ‘whodunnit’ plot, which keeps you intrigued and entertained throughout its roughly two and a half hour duration.
Even those more than familiar with Misdomer tales and the most typical murder mystery format will still get plenty of enjoyment out of it.
The engaging use of multi-role actors received a great response from the audience, particularly the moments between Barbara Lessiter and Dickie Whitley; all of their interactions were performed with fabulous comedic timing by Chandrika Chevli.
The elements of comedy throughout made for a lovely evening at the Opera House. This was not solely through the actors, either: the use of mechanics within the set of this stage-play allowed for multiple moments of physical comedy, and this was a strong motif throughout.
A rotation of impressive transitional sets also aided in transporting the audience to the infamous village and crime scenes, allowing one to be absorbed in the story and successfully converting Midsomer Murders from page to screen to stage.
Running for only three days from Wednesday, 27, until Saturday, 30 May 2026, with matinee shows available throughout.
One must act fast to join the detective duo and catch the killer before it’s too late!
Paul Heaton announces HUGE headline Manchester gig with ACTUALLY cheap tickets
Danny Jones
Fellow Northerner and firmly adopted Mancunian, Paul Heaton, has just announced one of his biggest-ever shows here in Manchester, and he’s putting the focus back on affordable ticket prices.
And when we say affordable, these ones are ACTUALLY cheap for such an established name, let alone at such a big venue.
Revealing a whole new UK tour to toast the release of his latest album, Jenius, Heaton will be playing to the biggest crowd for a headline gig of his career later in the year, with a bit of help from some very familiar support acts.
Confirming his second visit to the Co-op Live arena this coming autumn, along with nearly a dozen domestic dates up and down the country.
‘Jenius’ the brand new album produced by @IanZBroudie will be released 21st August. New single ‘Favourite Kind Of Idiot’ is out now on all streaming platforms! Pre-order the album at https://t.co/ZdQIADzKAb for UK tour ticket pre-sale access. Tickets only £39.50 (+ticket fees). pic.twitter.com/H1YyeW6ePB
Writing on social media, the ‘Jenius Tour’ isn’t just about the record itself; it will be “celebrating more than 40 years of unforgettable songwriting.”
As you would expect, these concerts will obviously feature plenty of Housemartins and Beautiful South tunes, as well as a wealth of his solo material.
The LP itself, which will be his sixth studio project outside of the bands (including his first release under the old ‘Biscuit Boy’ moniker), features 15 tracks touching on everything from love, pubs and booze, community and counsel, football, the state of the nation right, as well as ‘the overall wisdom of kindness’.
You can tell the Bromborough-born artist grew up in the North West, and we count ourselves honoured for him to have South Manchester.
He may be more Mersey than Manc by birth, but you can tell he’s fully immersed himself in the local culture, by both still finding new and relatable things to write about 23 albums later, but recording it down the road at Blueprint Studios, too.
More importantly, he’s also made sure to set the tickets at a more than reasonable price point, detailing that they start at only £39.50.
He’ll also have serial collaborator Rianne Downey – whose vocals also feature throughout Jenius – on board, not to mention The Lightning Seeds serving as another warm-up and then some.
Fans can find the full list of newly announced shows down below – we’ve taken the liberty of highlighting the Northern ones for you.
Paul Heaton UK tour dates – 2026
October Thurs 29 – Newcastle, Utilita Arena Fri 30 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro Sat 31 – Leeds, First Direct Bank Arena
NOVEMBER Mon 2 – Cardiff, Utilita Arena Tues 3 – Plymouth, Arena Fri 6 – Sheffield, Utilita Arena Sat 7 – London, The O2 Tues 10 – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena Wed 11 – Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena Fri 13 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena Sat 14 – Manchester, Co-op Live
As always, besides enjoying early access by pre-ordering the album/via his mailing list, Co-op Live‘s dedicated venue presale will be available to official Co-op members from 9:30am on Wednesday, 3 June.
Meanwhile, general admission tickets go live at the same time on the following Friday (5 Jun), and once again, from just £39.50. You can get ready to grab yours right HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
20th June 2023 
