News

Joey Barton officially sentenced over offensive online posts

He was found guilty of charges dating back to early 2024 last week

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 8th December 2025

Retired footballer Joey Barton has officially been sentenced following a series of offensive posts on social media over the past year or so.

Six counts pertaining to three individuals, in particular, were highlighted when he appeared for his final hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, 8 December: online abuse directed at fellow ex-pros Eni Aluko, Lucy Ward and broadcaster Jeremy Vine.

Charged and now finally found guilty of ‘grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety’, Joey Barton has been given a six-month prison sentence – suspended for 18 months, however, meaning he won’t serve jail time unless he reoffends during this period.

Here he is queuing up outside the Crown Court earlier today:

For context, the social media posts in question refer to the ones made on X (previously known as Twitter) and directed at the aforementioned public figures.

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The former Manchester City player and Liverpool youth product, who is originally from Merseyside but is now based around Widnes in Cheshire, was found guilty on Friday despite insisting his innocence throughout.

Barton – now 43 and having become a vocal far-right commentator – compared Aluko and Ward to two of the most infamous convicted serial killers in British history, writing that they were “the Fred and Rose West of football commentary” back in January 2024.

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He also labelled radio host and TV presenter, Vine, a “bike nonce” in a post that he later went on to dismiss as nothing more than “crude banter” and an attempt at “dark and stupid humour”, stating that he has no intention of actually suggesting he was a paedophile.

Elsewhere in the court appearance, Barton claimed that he is a victim of “political prosecution”; nevertheless, the judge found that the one-time England international (who also played for Newcastle, QPR, Burnley, Rangers and Marseille) “crossed the line between free speech and a crime.”

You can see the moment Judge Andrew Menary handed down the verdict, which will see him avoid time in custody once more, in full down below.

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As per an official update via the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Senior Prosecutor Callum Bryce of CPS Mersey-Cheshire said: “Between early January and mid-March 2024, Barton subjected three public figures to offences of malicious communications.

“Barton said in his evidence before the court that in some of his messages he was trying to make a serious point in a provocative way and that in others he was simply joking.

“The finding of the jury confirmed that his conduct had gone beyond any joke and his messages were grossly offensive with the purpose of causing anxiety and distress to his victims.”

It’s also worth noting that he has been charged, found guilty and sentenced before already this year.

Former Manchester City player Joey Barton found guilty of assaulting his wife
In this case, he was also given a suspended sentence spanning 12 weeks.

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Featured Images — James English (via YouTube)/Brian Minkoff-London Pixels (via WikiCommons)

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Review | The Lion, The Witch and The Beaver* – sorry, Wardrobe

The Manc The Manc The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe review The Lowry Salford Quays

What an enchanting evening at The Lowry as we were transported to Narnia to review the live stage adaptation of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in Media City as the production began its festive run in Greater Manchester.

As we entered the playing space, the atmosphere was set with a pianist on stage, slowly drowning out the noise of the outside world and settling the audience in for a night of magic.

Launching ‘Act One’ with a touching rendition of the British wartime classic, ‘We’ll Meet Again’ by Vera Lynne, we meet the large ensemble, multi-instrumentalist cast.

This talented ensemble pivots around multiple roles throughout the performance, creating a shape-shifting atmosphere with some impressive seamless transitions, allowing us to “open our minds” and be absorbed into the mythical world of Narnia alongside The Pevensies.

narnia manchester stage show review
lion witch wardrobe review mcr
Credit: Brinkhoff/Moegenburg

Sweetly played by Joanna Adaran, Jesse Dunbar, Kudzai Mangombe and Bunmi Osadolor, they excel in exploring sibling dynamics such as rivalry, trust, but most of all, loyalty and love.

The most mind-blowing element of this performance, however, was the production; it truly is the unsung hero of the entire show, so we’ll so the singing on their behalf.

Set and costume (designed by Tom Paris), lighting (done by Jack Knowles), puppetry design and direction (by Max Humphries and Toby Olie), sound design (credit to Tom Marshall) and hair, make-up and wig designer (Susanna Perez).

All this carefully curated talent helped create a world where we had no choice but to believe in magic.

For us as an audience, it made things so much easier to immerse and delight in the world of C.S. Lewis’ imagination, as it is so wonderfully presented in front of us.

This was elevated once again by levitation and disappearing acts – the scene was set on the
boards and in the air.

You can see more pictures from the show HERE.

Huge credit goes to Gwen Hales (aerial director) and Chris Fisher (magic and illusions); it felt as if anything was possible, and we needed no convincing that we were in the presence of pure enchantment.

However, arguably the most magnificent moment of the show was the reveal of Aslan himself.
As this grand puppet prowled onto the stage, you could hear gasps echo throughout the theatre.

Manoeuvred by three puppeteers, this skilful spectacle was a credit to bringing the story to
life in live theatre. The seamless, lifelike movements of breath and king-like presence were
both majestic and a credit to the production.

Accompanied by Stanton Wright, we had no doubt that this was the true hero of Narnia.

If you want us to sum up our review of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at The Lowry, quite simply, this show is nothing short of a marvel.

narnia pla the lowry salford quays media city uk
Make sure to take home a cuddly lion toy, of course. (Credit: The Manc)

With constant playfulness and wit throughout – mainly brought to you from the broad Northern and oh-so lovable Mr Beaver (Ed Thorpe), and fellow believer in magic, ‘The Professor’ (Kraig Thornber).

It’s the lattermost that left us with a lasting thought, as he warmly reminds the audience that even when times feel dark, “the sun is always up there, we just have to look.”

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is running from The Lowry in Salford Quays all the way up until Sunday, 11 January 2026. Don’t miss the magic and grab your tickets HERE.

If you’re interested in finding out what else we’ve enjoyed at the theatre in Manchester recently, then look no further…

The Tina Turner Musical at Palace Theatre, Manchester – simply the best

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Press shots (Brinkhoff/Moegenburg supplied via The Lowry)

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Peaky Blinders confirm title and release date of upcoming film

Danny Jones Danny Jones Peaky Blinder film title and release date reveal

After what feels like an age since it was first announced, Peaky Blinders and Netflix have finally confirmed the title and release date of the upcoming feature-length film.

It was revealed that the global streaming giant secured exclusive rights to the movie last year, and it has now been revealed that it will also be released in selected theatres before it hits the platform.

With production on the long-talked-about project getting underway in September 2024, we’ve heard little else from creator Steven Knight, who has also been booked to deliver the Oasis reunion documentary chronicling their Live ’25 world tour.

However, we now know not only the official title of the film, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, and that it will be dropping early next year. They’ve even shared the first poster.

Clearly referring to the series’ most famous lead character, Thomas Shelby – played by now fully-fledged Hollywood A-lister Cillian Murphy since 2013 – the teaser shows him sat astride a horse, not to mention covered in a fair amount of dirt and/or blood.

Alongside the suit and the trademark newsboy cap with blades inserted in the brim (the calling card of both the fictional and the real ‘Peaky Blinders’), it’s quite a classic look of Tommy’s.

Scheduled to release in limited cinemas on 6 March before arriving on Netflix on 20/3/2026, this will not only be the first film in the wider franchise but the first to air separately from the BBC.

While its parent network is still involved as collaborators on the flick, this is the first instalment in the IP to be distributed directly by Netflix after they bought the rights to release the show in the US.

Meanwhile, back here at home, the BBC is gearing up to oversee the next generation of the show and introduce a whole new generation of Peaky Blinders…

peaky blinders movie name and release date
Another look at a seemingly older Tommy Shelby (Credit: Publicity picture via Netflix)

As for The Immortal Man, both new and returning members of the cast include:

  • Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer, 28 Days Later)
  • Rebecca Ferguson (Dune, Silo)
  • Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, The Hateful Eight)
  • Sophie Rundle (After the Flood, Gentleman Jack)
  • Ned Dennehy (Culprits, The Peripheral)
  • Packy Lee (Blue Lights)
  • Ian Peck (His Dark Materials, Robin Hood)
  • Jay Lycurgo (Steve, Half Bad: The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself)
  • Barry Keoghan (Saltburn, The Banshees of Inisherin)
  • Stephen Graham (Adolescence, A Thousand Blows)

Speaking in a full press release, Murphy said: “It seems like Tommy Shelby wasn’t finished with me. It is very gratifying to be re-collaborating with Steven Knight and Tom Harper on the film version of Peaky Blinders. This is one for the fans.”

Returning four years after the end of the mainline series, but catching up with Tommy at the outset of WWII in terms of the actual timelines, Netflix say that the Shelby patriarch “is driven back from a self-imposed exile to face his most destructive reckoning yet.”

Safe to say we cannot wait to be back in the world.

In the meantime, you can find out more about the next season(s) of Peaky Blinders coming to the BBC very soon down below.

Adored BBC show Peaky Blinders set for return to British for a ‘new generation’

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Featured Images — Taylor Rooke (via Wikimedia Commons)/Publicity picture (via BBC/IMDb)

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