A singalong cinema showcase is coming to Manchester this summer – beaming classic musical Grease up on the big screen with a bottomless drinks menu.
Project Popups is bringing its karaoke-style movie event to the city centre later this year – cranking up the volume with limitless booze and popcorn.
Grease temporarily became the highest-grossing musical film ever made following its release in 1978 – with the soundtrack spawning six top ten singles including Franki Valli’s ‘Grease’; John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s duet ‘You’re The One That I Want’; and the infectious ‘Summer Nights’.
But this special screening of the movie is something very different – with ticket-holders encouraged to turn up in their best T-Bird and Pink Lady outfits to sing along with Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson as they reunite at Rydell High School following a summer of love.
The classic musical is set for a special boozy screening in Manchester this summer / Image: A.Currell
Two ticket types are up for grabs including ‘bottomless popcorn’ and ‘bottomless popcorn with alcohol for 90 minutes’.
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Drinks available to order as part of the bottomless deal include:
Aperol Spritz
Ketel V&T
Blank Canvas
Amstel
Prosecco
Bloody Mary
Heineken 0.0%
Selected Soft Drinks
The singalong showcase will take place at Revolution on Oxford Road on August 15.
‘I’m proud of the joy we spread’ – Much-loved Manchester cake shop announces closure
Daisy Jackson
A gorgeous little cake shop in Manchester city centre has announced its sad closure, five years after launching as a lockdown project to raise money for the NHS.
Loaf, the hot pink cafe on Oxford Road and just across the river in New Bailey in Salford, will shut its doors for good later this month.
Its founder Aiden Ryan has poured his heart out with a heartbreaking statement, describing Loaf’s closure as ‘incredibly tough’.
In his message to followers, which you can read in full below, Aiden detailed everything from rising costs, cashflow issues, and a personal mental breakdown.
“I’m not sharing this for sympathy,” he wrote. “I just think honesty matters.”
In the five years Loaf has operated in Manchester, there have been plenty of highlights, from those days fundraising for the NHS, to opening its doors on Christmas day to those who struggle with loneliness.
And there’ve been commercial successes too, with these pretty miniature loaf cakes making their way onto the shelves in Selfridges.
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But now Aiden has said that Loaf will shut for good on 30 April, urging people to pop in for ‘one more mini loaf or just a goodbye hug’.
Loaf’s farewell statement in full
I’ve made the incredibly tough decision to close Loaf MCR.
Loaf began in 2020 as a small lockdown idea to raise money for the NHS—and somehow grew into a bold, pink cake business that lived in a shipping container, then cafés on Oxford St and New Bailey St, and even Selfridges! It was more than I ever dreamed of.
But behind the scenes, it’s been a really hard year. We lost essential funding, faced delayed payments and invoices, battled rising costs, and unexpected hits – including a supplier taking thousands from our account without permission. It led to cashflow issues we couldn’t recover from.
There were delays in paying important bills—things I never imagined would happen (even tips and pension contributions for staff). It was a living nightmare and it weighed heavily on me. At the same time, I was facing big personal challenges, which led to a mental breakdown the middle of last year. I couldn’t function. And when your business needs you 24/7, everything starts falling fast.
A Twister-inspired special at LoafThe Willy Wonka loaf cakes at Loaf
I’m not sharing this for sympathy, I just think honesty matters. Running a business isn’t always big wins and instagram moments—it’s often stress, silence, and sacrifice.
Still, I’m proud. Of the joy we spread. Of the community we built. And of myself—for knowing when to stop and look after mine and my team’s health.
To my loafly team: you were the heart of this. Thank you for everything. To our suppliers, landlords, partners, and customers—thank you for believing in Loaf.
Our final day is April 30th. If you want one more mini loaf or just a goodbye hug, we’d loaf to see you.
As for what’s next… who knows? For now, we rest. Thank you for being part of our story. I’ll carry it with me, always.
Line of Duty season seven could be on the way with filming date ‘confirmed’
Danny Jones
In yet another big TV twist for the BBC drama, the rumours of a Line of Duty season seven are seemingly ramping up once more, with a new filming date now reportedly ‘confirmed’.
For those who watched the smash hit crime thriller the first time around and remember that—let’s call it a divisive ending—there were many fans who wondered if, or at least how, the series could come back.
Well, as it turns out, the writers might have just figured out how to do it (maybe they were planning it all along?), with multiple outlets now claiming that not only has “most” of the next season been written, but a start date for principal photography on the latest chapter of Line of Duty has already been earmarked.
Again, take this all with a pinch of salt for now, but we won’t deny it’s an exciting proposition.
If it does come back, the next question is: how many members of the cast will be returning?
First broke by The Sun, a source is said to have told the newspaper: “This is the news Line of Duty fans have been waiting for since the sixth season left them deflated when it aired back in 2021.”
The insider says that the BBC wanted to commission more episodes to further the story and Line of Duty’s unbelievable success, but that the sheer profile of the show meant that stars Vicky McClure, Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar were offered new projects.
Either way, the source went on to add that “several meetings” have been held with creator Jed Mercurio and the production team since then and “they’ve finally managed to clear space in their calendars next year to commit to making the show.”
We know one thing: it was prime water cooler chat for a good chunk of our time in the office, and we can only hope there’s some truth to these most recent rumblings.
More than a dozen years on from when the series first started, the talk is that the cast and crew will be returning to Northern Ireland – where the latter seasons of the show were largely filmed – and could be starting as soon as January 2026.
“What can I say? I read the same news you all read!” she says, adding, “Nothing has changed. No news, I’m afraid. I don’t know where that came from. […] The thing is, if I had something to tell you I would, but I don’t! I don’t want to tease people unnecessarily.
“It’s great that they [fans] want it, but they’re stories at the end of the day. We don’t want to rule it out.”
It’s not the only modern British TV success story that viewers could be in store for more of…
The Manc -
23rd April 2021 
