Watching Simon Pegg stride through Great Northern ODEON on a Sunday afternoon is more than a little strange.
This is a place where people come to see the movie stars – but today it looks like a celebrity has stepped right off the big screen.
Fans flock to grab photos with Pegg as he weaves from the box office towards the theatre; filling the walkspace with the clamour of shouts and snapping cameras.
Bumping into the star of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz on Deansgate would be arresting at the best of times, but it’s even more extraordinary when you consider the context.
Pegg is in Manchester for a premiere he couldn’t originally attend, for a film that almost didn’t get shot, starring in a role that’s unrecognisable to anything he’s done before.
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“It felt like something I needed to put right…”
One of the big features on the bill this weekend at Manchester International Film Festival is Lost Transmissions – an independent movie starring Pegg and Juno Temple about music, creativity and psychosis.
Pegg made the movie in between stints on Hollywood blockbusters Star Trek and Mission:Impossible, and whilst his busy schedule had cast doubt on any potential appearance at the premiere, a last-minute scheduling change means that Pegg makes it to town just in time.
Lost Transmissions is a smaller kind of production than the star is used to nowadays, but he’s as visibly passionate about the project as much as any other he’s been involved with.
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Grappling with complex mental health issues, Lost Transmissions presented Pegg with am unfamiliar and particularly challenging role – but it also allowed him to break new ground by working with a female filmmaker.
“I hadn’t done a movie that has been directed by a woman in twenty years of making films,” Pegg tells us, sounding a little surprised by his own answer.
“That felt like something I needed to put right.”
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Pegg has long been a loud advocate for female representation in cinema, and when the opportunity came to work with Katharine O’Brien for her directorial debut, he was hungry to take it.
“It was the script [that attracted me to the project] first and foremost… and the fact that Katharine had sent me a script that was straight drama.
“I tend to get pigeon-holed as a comedy actor, which is my own fault.”
“At one point, it looked like it was going to get dropped…”
After realising they were both on the same page, Pegg and O’Brien began to throw some momentum behind Lost Transmissions, with excitement growing around its potential. However, schedule clashes meant the film was, for several months, left dangling by a thread.
“I was attached to the project for a very long time,” Pegg tells us.
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“At one point it looked like it was going to get dropped or I was going to have to drop out because of Mission: Impossible.
“But Katharine waited for me, thank goodness, and we got to make the film.”
“Making it was a really fun experience. It was a 20-day shoot, which is not what I’m used to compared to the bigger films, but she was so sure of what she wanted in terms of performance and the look of the movie.
“It’s really nice when you work with a director who knows what they’re doing.”
Lost Transmissions dives into territory few films have dared to explore and even fewer have managed to understand: The world of schizophrenia.
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Speaking about his role Pegg explains: “I play a guy called Theo Ross whose a music producer working in Los Angeles, a British guy, who has developed schizophrenia due to some bad acid he took in the nineties.
“In the movie, he decides to come off his medication because he’s worried it’s stifling him creatively, but of course that leads to him drifting back into the realm of schizophrenic delusion.
“It comes down to Juno Temple’s character trying to save Theo as he drifts off further and further into mania.”
“It’s easy to approximate madness in film; mental health issues seem to be one of the last kind of things that it’s ok to be flippant about…”
Pegg went to great lengths to embody the character during production – with the role of Theo so different to his usual roles.
“I researched it thoroughly; it didn’t feel like a role I could just guess,” Pegg says.
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“Schizophrenia is a very real, very specific condition. It gets mistaken a lot of the time for split personality, but schizophrenia isn’t like that at all. [It’s] more about people’s perception getting confused, the brain starts to make certain patterns and create delusional narratives which the person responds to.
“So, I really had to learn about that and meet schizophrenics, read about it, watch documentaries, and go into the film knowing what I was talking about.
“It’s easy to approximate madness in film, mental health issues seem to be one of the last kind of things that it’s ok to be flippant about. Acting crazy, you know, anyone can do that – but it’s not at all the way to approach it.
“You have to approach these things faithfully and give a genuine, authentic portrayal.”
Before Pegg heads off to host a Lost Transmissions Q&A alongside his director, he fills us in on his next chapter.
“I’ve got two Mission:Impossible films to make over the next two years,” he confirms.
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“And there’s something I’m developing at Stolen Picture – mine and Nick Frost’s production company.
Pegg’s features scrunch together as he searches his memory banks.
“It’s a show I’ve been developing for… eight years, I think. I’ve finally found a way to do it!”
Suddenly, a wide smile spreads across his face.
“But I can’t say anything about it yet… which is really frustrating.”
Now’s not the time for that, anyway. Today is all about the indie film that pulls Pegg from his self-confessed comedy “pigeon-hole”. And he’s proud of it.
Catch Lost Transmissions in cinemas during its wide release from 14 March. For more information on some of the fantastic films playing this week at MANIFF, head to their website.
Feature
The Bodorgan Inn – The amazing staycation with its very own pub inside
Daisy Jackson
The day starts with a leisurely breakfast around the breakfast bar. Then there’s a bit of a kick-about in the garden. A quick BBQ for lunch before heading to the pub, for an afternoon of Guinness, darts, pool, and a pub quiz. In the evening, it’s a three course dinner, followed by a film with popcorn and pick n mix in the cinema.
Oh, did I mention you’ve done all of this without actually leaving the house?
That perfect day could very easily be your reality (along with more than a dozen of your mates) at this unbelievable house in Wales.
The Bodorgan Inn is a former, historic public house that’s been carefully converted into a home that up to 24 guests can stay in – and they’ve kept part of the working pub inside.
That means that guests can pour themselves a pint, watch the football, have a game of darts, sit around the fireplace, and even use a urinal, all without setting foot outside the front door.
As well as its own pub, the Bodorgan Inn has 10 beautiful bedrooms – some enormous, traditional ones with bay windows looking across the countryside; others modern rooms with en-suites that wouldn’t look out of place in a boutique hotel.
The Bodorgan Inn has its own pubYou can have the bar stocked for your arrivalHost a pub quizPlay pool and dartsAnd generally enjoy your evening in your own private pubPlay at being the bartender
The house can comfortably fit 12 people in every single room at once (we tried it), whether you’re tucked around the kitchen table catching up over a cuppa or dressed up to the nines for dinner in the grand dining room.
You can also all easily fit into the pub, which is split across two rooms; the garden, which has ample outdoor seating; and the snug – the biggest snug I’ve ever seen – with a huge TV, PlayStation, fireplace and comfy couches.
In fact, the only place we couldn’t all fit at once was the hot tub on the terrace in the back garden.
It’s not just the physical space, either – it’s all the extra bits included in your stay, like having ample champagne flutes for everyone, loads of Guinness glasses, and more than enough mugs, plus two dishwashers and a glass wash to help with the clean-up.
Bedrooms in The Bodorgan Inn
It’s extremely hard to tear yourself away from this fabulous home, so we called in a private chef to cook dinner for the group, served up in our own stately dining room after we’d hosted a pub quiz.
And there was a little taste of home thanks to a giant tray of Buttercup’sbanana pudding, and batched cocktails from Stray.
But if you do want to head out, the Bodorgan Inn is in a lovely spot, surrounded by the countryside of Anglesey and a short drive into the village of Rhosneigr, where walks can take in the beautiful sand dunes.
The Bodorgan Inn with Birch StaysThe huge gardensThe nearby village of RhosneigrThe Manc team on the beach in Rhosneigr
Also, handily, the Bodorgan train station is directly opposite the house, whisking you along to Holyhead in one direction or to Bangor and along the North Wales coastline in the other.
Every inch of the Bodorgan Inn is stylish, luxurious, and comfortable, as well as being packed with fun touches and added extras.
If you book with Birch Stays, you can pop extra details onto your booking like having a keg of your beer or cider of choice in the pub, arranging a cocktail-making kit, bags of pick-n-mix for the snug, disposable cameras, and even Christmas decorations.
Movie night in the snugDinner with private chef Meals by ChrisBrought Stray bar with usAnd a Buttercup banana puddingTeam breakfastThe Bodorgan Inn is dog-friendly too (this is Tiger)
We loved the way the house is big and varied enough for groups to splinter off at times too – some watching sport in the pub, others having a glass of wine in the garden, some watching The Traitors in the lounge.
Whether it’s a Christmas do, a stag or hen party, a full family gathering or any other large group occasion, The Bodorgan Inn is well worth considering.
You can see more and book your stay with Birch Stays HERE.
Review | ‘Hopefully!’, you get lucky enough to see the spectacle that is Loyle Carner live
The Manc
The O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester has this week played host to Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner this week, a.k.a. Loyle Carner, as he serenaded adoring listeners with his captivating lyrics, spine-tingling bass and drumlines, as well as his ever-laid-back warmth and charisma.
His stage name is the only spoonerism you’ll ever find in this man’s craft, as every syllable is as intentional and well-placed as the last.
Accompanied by an incredibly talented band and golden production, the night lends itself to a thought-provoking performance that leaves you wanting more. Consider me listening to nothing but this setlist for the foreseeable.
As the rumble of eager, loyal/Loyle – take your pick – listeners awaited his arrival, you could sense what this artist and his poetic music mean to people.
We've seen @LoyleCarner twice this week. We might even go again tonight – yes, he really is that good. 🎤
Opening with ‘in my mind’, just like that, you saw the crowd suddenly holding each other’s hands whilst comfortably sitting in the palm of Carner’s.
Let’s not forget his brilliant band, either, who all got their time in the spotlight and wowed as a collective.
Carner and the crowd definitely gave them the recognition they deserved, with piano solos throwing a blanket of respectful silence and tentative listening over the whole audience.
Loyle’s well-loved and special lyrics were echoed throughout the venue from start to finish.
He insisted (and not for the first time) that there’s “something special about playing in Manchester” – and we couldn’t agree more.
Carner’s vulnerability onstage opens a glowing portal for his listeners to do so as well. He encourages feeling. And as an audience, this is extremely clear in the room. It was a sea of warm embraces, agreeing heads and ignited eyes.
Loyle Carner was just as good on night two at Victoria Warehouse as he was on the first. (Credit: Audio North)
As the setlist crept towards the end, the crowd were not ready to say goodbye as the customary chants of ‘one more song!’ bounced off the Victoria Warehouse walls.
We were then blessed with a solo Loyle, who shared a typically creative and reflective spoken-word Carner special with us.
Without any demand, the crowd fell sweetly silent and absorbed his every word. A poet, pure and simple.
The 31-year-old rapper and wordsmith plays one more night at the venue to round off his mini residency tonight (Tuesday, 25 November 2025); you can try and grab last-minute tickets HERE.
Gareth Lloyd -
12th March 2020 
