For one night only, Coronation Street will open the Cobbles to two guests.
In partnership with Airbnb, Corrie is giving super-fans the opportunity to immerse themselves in the iconic location and adopt the Rovers Return as their next door neighbour for the evening as they stay at ‘The Rovers’ Annexe’.
The self-contained pop-up house, with its red-bricked façade and double-glazed windows, will be situated in the heart of the street, next door to the famous Rovers Return Inn.
During the stay guests will be taken on a private tour of the set followed by a hotpot dinner from the annexe whilst watching classic Corrie episodes, and if they’re lucky, a pint in the Rovers and breakfast from Roy’s Rolls may be on offer.
The view from ‘The Rovers’ Annexe’ looks out towards Audrey’s and a little further along to Prestons Petals and the kebab shop. As the guests stroll down the street they will pass Fiz and Tyrone’s, take a peek in the Kabin window, or wander up Victoria Street to check out the menu at Speed Daal to see what Alya’s been up to.
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Although interiors will be closed, guests will be able to wander around Coronation, Rosamund and Victoria Street to their heart’s content. They can even have a stroll down the ginnel, site of so many Corrie secret rendezvous!
The specially constructed temporary annexe has been kitted out in classic Coronation Street style, taking inspiration from the Rovers Return B&B decor. Guests will enjoy a comfortable living area to relax in, with homage to ‘Jenny Connors’ wood panelling and patterned wallpaper. The living room has a dining table where guests can sit and enjoy their hotpot. The adjoining twin bedroom provides a comfy bedding and prime Weatherfield views.
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At the centre of the living area guests will find a TV set up with hours’ worth of the most loved Coronation Street episodes from over the years. Fans will be able to watch the affair of the 80s – Deirdre Barlow’s tryst with Mike Baldwin – the disastrous tram crash a decade ago, and last year’s classic moment where David Platt discovers a sinkhole in his back garden. For a truly authentic experience, guests will enjoy all of their favourite moments from the soap, while sitting in the heart of the Street.
Head of Continuing Drama John Whiston says: “What fan of Coronation Street hasn’t had a dream where you find yourself transported into the show itself, wandering around the houses of your best loved characters. I certainly have. This unique stay gives you the chance to do just that, stay the night and wake up right next to The Rovers Return. What better way to celebrate Britain opening up again than your very own staycation on the nation’s favourite Street.”
Manchester City youngster Nico O’Reilly earns surprise England call-up
Danny Jones
Manchester City youngster Nico O’Reilly has earned himself a surprise England call-up for this upcoming international break.
The impressive young utility player, who has been deployed as both a defender and a midfielder under Pep Guardiola, has proved to be a popular member of the squad among Man City fans.
A north Manchester-born academy product, O’Reilly has represented the Three Lions throughout various age groups across the youth level, but this England camp will be his first senior call-up.
Yet another local lad flying the flag for 0161 in the national team.
The 20-year-old arrived at St George’s Park on Monday afternoon along with a number of ther young English stars such as Myles Lewis-Skelly, Elliot Anderson, Jarrel Quansash, who have recently been integrated by national team boss, Thomas Tuchel.
O’Reilly has been added to the squad following the withdrawal of fellow defender Reece James, with the Chelsea fullback having picked up yet another injury in the Premier League.
As detailed by England Football: “The Chelsea captain sustained an injury playing for his club over the weekend and has been ruled out of England’s October internationals following medical assessments.”
With O’Reilly able to play not only in defence but on either flank, as he has already done in Guardiola’s ever-fluid system, the versatile Man City rotation player isn’t just looking more and more like a first-team star but could soon be a capped England international.
Looking forward to seeing more of this on the big stage:
As you can see, Pep has continued to deploy him in even the biggest of games, and it seems as though he’s clearly impressed Tuchel enough to make him first in the queue to replace James.
Rightly so, we’d hasten to add; it remains to be seen whether or not he will feature in the two upcoming fixtures against Wales and Latvia.
Commenting on the moment of recognition, City expressed their pride and congratulations, insisting that the decision “also helps further cement what has been a quite magnificent start to the season for the 20-year-old” in which he’s already made nine first-team appearances across all competitions.
That now makes the number of Greater Manchester-born/based players in the current England squad to four (just one of those being from Man United in Barcelona loanee Marcus Rashford) – an admittedly smaller number than we’ve come to expect over the years.
Nico O’Reilly signed a fresh new deal at Manchester City just last month.
Electronic icons Kraftwerk announce first Manchester gig since 2017
Danny Jones
Pioneering German band Kraftwerk have announced their first UK tour since 2017, with fans having to wait almost a decade for another Manchester gig.
Thankfully, they’ll be heading back down the Autobahn and across the channel for a return to our shores soon enough with a long-awaited list of British and Irish live dates.
Kraftwerk remains one of the most groundbreaking groups in the electronic scene to this day, having paved the way for generations of new artists to keep experimenting with the genre in the 50+ years since their formation.
Heading back to Manchester early next year, die-hards will no doubt snap these tickets faster than you can say ‘Das Model’.
For anyone unaware of these veritable legends of electronica and the world of alternative/Euro-synth pop, Kraftwerk formed all the way back in 1970 and went on to shape the modern music industry, bridging the gap between music and the digital age.
Best known for tracks like ‘Computer Love’, ‘The Robots’, ‘Pocket Calculator’ and the aforementioned on named after the national motorway network, they spearheaded futurism in the musical landscape from the outset.
It seems only fitting, therefore, that their upcoming highly anticipated return to the UK comes as part of their ‘Multimedia’ tour.
While they have played a number of live shows all over the globe this year, including an extensive run in the US, next spring will be our domestic visit from Kraftwerk in nine long years.
Credit: Press shot (supplied)
You can see the full list of UK and Ireland tour dates – including a handful of Northern gigs – down below:
Spanning a total of 15 UK dates, as you can see, there will also be tickets to see Kraftwerk nearby in the likes of Liverpool and with our mates over in Sheffield.
Kraftwerk legend Ralf Hütter famously played a set inside our city’s velodrome at the National Cycling Centre for Manchester International Festival (MIF) back in 2009, and has collaborated with the event on multiple ocassions.
In fact, that very performance was seen as a turning point for MIF, so the Manc Kraftwerk connection speaks for itself; O2 members can obviously get pre-sale, but general admission tickets go live from 9am this Friday, 10 October.
The Manc -
18th May 2021 
