Manchester is no stranger to a giant Santa – we’ve been sticking them up high on the tops of buildings (and other things) since the eighties.
Over the years, though, it’s fair to say that Father Christmas has changed his look somewhat.
Santa’s look has transitioned mightily with the times, from a lithe 80-foot tall Santa scrambling up the Town Hall clock tower in the mid-eighties to the infamous, now-retired bug-eyed ‘Zippy’ – so named for his resemblance to the classic Rainbow children’s TV character.
Our latest giant Santa, meanwhile, boasts a twirling moustache and sits atop a huge, twinkling present.
First unveiled to the city in 2019 at Piccadilly Gardens following a lot of very public heartbreak around the retirement of Zippy, this year the 2.3 tonne festive mascot can be found outside the central library in St Peter’s Square.
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Keep reading to discover how the giant Santas have changed through the years.
Image: Manchester City Council
Image: Manchester City Council
The original giant Santa
Manchester’s original giant Santa was a fixture in the city for over thirty years, pictured here in 1986 astride the Town Hall clock tower with a sack of presents for children slung across his back.
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Caught in the act of clambering over the roof and down into the tower, this early giant Santa set a long-standing tradition in Manchester.
Standing at eighty feet high and fully exposed to the elements, he would often deflate – and was even punctured twice by gargoyles, requiring numerous surgeries to repair his various holes and tears.
Opposite Santa, on the other side of the town hall’s roof, sat his reindeer and sleigh – patiently waiting for him to drop off those presents and return, ready to take flight onto the next house.
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Zippy 2.0 taken in 2005. / Image: Luke Montague on Flickr,
Father Christmas’s reindeer. / Image: Manchester City Council
Santa’s reindeer and sleigh sit atop the roof of the town hall waiting for his return / Image: Manchester City Council
In the early 90s, a new giant Manchester Santa appeared atop the town hall. / Image: Duncan Hull via Flickr
The 90s Santa
In the early 90s, our original giant Santa was considered to be looking a bit sad. He and his reindeers had deflated many times and so the decision was made to replace both him and his trusty steeds with this jolly, rosy-cheeked chap.
A combination of cheerful and marginally terrifying (let’s be honest, he does have a little bit of a manic look to him – like he’s indulged in too much brandy on his midnight rounds) he held out until the mid-noughties, waving down at festive revellers from the roof until ultimately being retired in 2007.
For some reason we’re yet to unravel, not only does he appear to have two moustaches – one black, one white – he’s accompanied by a teddy bear (understandable) and an… aeroplane? Not very environmentally friendly that, Santa.
The one and only Zippy
Enter the man, the myth, the legend. Of course, we’re talking about the best giant Santa of them all: Zippy – nicknamed as such for his likeness to the classic Rainbow children’s TV character.
His weird massive blue eyes, his lack of nose, or mouth, and his cheery white beard made him the most distinct giant Manchester Santa to date. We think actual tears were shed when it was announced he was being retired – and we know there was rejoicing when he reappeared at Kellogg’s following his retirement.
The iconic 6-tonne festive mascot was specially made for Manchester by French company Blachere, who also create light installations for the Trafford Centre shopping mall and Harrods in London.
Illuminated by 100,000 different light bulbs and comprised of a total of 89 different pieces, the council ultimately decided he was too expensive to keep on – as it took three days, a lot of money, a crane and a whole host of people to get him up onto his Albert Square perch each year.
As Councillor Pat Karney, the spokesperson for the Christmas markets, said at the time: “Even giant steel Santas need to retire.”
Still, he managed to steal the thunder of his replacement by reappearing at Kellogg’s before the newcomer could even make his debut.
The giant ‘twirly moustache’ Manchester Santa
When we first heard about old twirly moustache, Pat Karney said he’d be ‘more like Zippy’s dad’ – and we can kind of see it.
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He had some big boots to fill and we think he’s pretty much delivered – although honestly, after the Christmas we had last year, worrying about which giant Santa the council erects in town feels like a problem of days gone by.
The huge LED-lit figure sits at 12-foot high and is covered in low-energy lightbulbs, making him cheaper to run than Zippy. Cutting a smart figure in his red, belted suit, he can be found sitting astride a glittering present in St Peter’s Square throughout the season.
Next time you’re in town pay him a visit, he’s a piece of Mancunian history don’t you know.
Feature image: Manchester City Council / The Manc Group
Christmas
Christmas WILL return to Albert Square this year, Manchester City Council confirms
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s Christmas activities will finally make a return to Albert Square for the first time since 2019, the council has confirmed.
The beautiful square in the heart of the city has been largely closed off for the last few years while the Town Hall is carefully restored, in a project known as Our Town Hall.
Before that it was the beating heart of the city every winter, filled with wooden huts for the Manchester Christmas Markets and overlooked by the giant light-up Santa.
Now, Manchester City Council has confirmed that ‘most of’ Albert Square will be made available this year to support this year’s Christmas programme.
There’s been no mention of the city’s biggest festive event, the Manchester Christmas Markets, but rather plenty of hints of ‘Christmas events’.
The latest report on the Our Town Hall project says that works on the the transformed and enlarged square will be ‘resequenced and accelerated’ so the Albert Square can be ready for a ‘welcome winter return’.
More details of the festive attraction will be shared later in the year.
The skilled contractors working on the Town Hall are now 80% of the way through the ‘construction’ phase, with completion currently pencilled in for August 2026.
Albert Square in Manchester will host Christmas events again in 2025. Credit: The Manc Group
When it reopens, it will include a new free visitor attraction which will open up the Town Hall’s history to the public.
Deputy Council Leader Councillor Garry Bridges said: “We know Mancunians and visitors alike are looking forward to having their town hall and their civic square back and better than ever and it’s great that we can now look ahead to that.
“We are developing a civic square to rival the best in Europe and it will be exciting to see it pilot Christmas events this year ahead of a full permanent opening next year.
“We look forward over the course of this year to announcing more details about Christmas in Albert Square and how people in Manchester can help us celebrate the reopening of their magnificent town hall.
“We’ve overcome so many challenges to get to this point and while the unique nature of the project is such that some inevitably still remain, we believe the end result will be something special.”
The Our Town Hall report will be considered by the Council’s Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committee when it meets on Thursday 6 March.
The project is continuing to operate within its revised £429 million budget, adjusted in October last year, but some residual risks remain. A further update report will be brought forward this summer once negotiations with the management contractor have concluded and the completion date is confirmed.
Gavin and Stacey Christmas special on course to break UK TV viewing figures record
Danny Jones
Gavin and Stacey is set to break yet another TV record as this year’s Christmas special and definitive series finale has become one of the UK’s most-watched scripted shows ever.
The iconic British comedy returned after a long hiatus to finally conclude the series with its first new episode in five years.
Delighting die-hard fans and comedy fans in general all over the country, millions tuned in to watch the last-ever Gavin and Stacey chapter – over 19 million, in fact.
With 12.3m watching the finale on Christmas Day alone and even more in the week following, the tally has now reached approximately 19.3m and counting.
📢 Gavin & Stacey: The Finale has become the UK’s highest rating scripted show with 19.3 million viewers and counting
Not only did this smash their own previous record of more than 18m set by the last Christmas special back in 2019 but it is well on course to cruise past the 20m mark when the official seven-day viewing figures are released, which is standard practice for assessing final ratings and viewing figures in the UK.
Almost a quarter of the viewers who helped achieve the feat were aged 16-34 as well, making it the largest young audience ever, according to the BBC.
The emotional reunion of the beloved cast looks set to see them surpass Coronation Street‘s record of 19.4m set in 2003 and could even see them beat the legendary British sitcom, Only Fools & Horses, which saw 21.3m viewers gather around the box for their 2001 Christmas day episode.
So, although the BBC states that it is the “most-watched scripted show across all broadcasters and streamers since current records began in 2002”, it still technically has a little way to go in order to match/surpass the biggest-ever tally.
That being said, when factoring in the stats from all live views and digital streams, the final numbers should see them over the line.
We had to be together to watch it go out tonight!Gavin and Stacey is a show about friendship and family. Tonight’s show has been a labour of love from start to finish and we hope you enjoy it.Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.Happy Christmas from us both #GavinandStaceypic.twitter.com/kUKMiXUEyL
Regardless of whatever seven or indeed 28-day figure they end up on, co-creators, writers and stars James Corden and Ruth Jones have been blown away by the success of the one-off comeback.
Writing by way of recognition and as a thank you to the fans, they said: “We are completely overwhelmed by the audience response to our show and to these astonishing viewing figures.
“Gavin & Stacey really does belong to the audience and we are beyond thrilled that so many people enjoyed watching it this Christmas. A huge thank you to Charlotte Moore and the BBC for backing us these past 17 years.”
The ratings and overall reaction to the show have also been overwhelmingly positive, with millions tearing up over the long-awaited storyline – even if some of those watching pointed out one little problem…
Moore, BBC’s Chief Content Officer, went on to add: “The numbers are truly outstanding, unprecedented even! It’s the show the entire nation has been talking about over the last week so it’s no surprise that it’s not only smashed its own record but has become the UK’s biggest scripted show.
“Ruth and James’ creation is a true homegrown success story, and their finale is a comedy masterpiece. It’s made us laugh and cry together in a way that only Gavin & Stacey can.”
The final viewership for the 2024 special will be published on Monday, 6 January and take into account viewings across all platforms up to Thursday, 2 Jan – they already look destined for another entry in the history books.