Local actor Will Mellor has spoken out about British businesswoman Paula Vennells following calls to have her stripped of her CBE following the recent dramatisation of the infamous Post Office scandal.
Mellor stars as one of the victims in the recent Mr Bates vs Post Office drama by ITV, which follows the landmark legal case which ran from 1999 to 2015, and was more than happy to share his feelings on the true story.
Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, the Two Pints star said, “I don’t know how she slept at night”, adding that he couldn’t understand how the former Post Office CEO and those involved could continue to deceive so many “knowing they were ruining other people’s lives who had done nothing wrong”.
The 47-year-old Greater Manchester performer plays Lee Castleton, a subpostmaster and victim of the scandal from Bridlington in Yorkshire who was taken to court by the Post Office.
"I don't know how they slept at night."@Mellor76, who played Lee Castleton in 'Alan Bates v The Post Office' told @anna_jameson_ he supports the petition for former CEO Paula Vennells to be stripped of her CBE title.
Will Mellor made his feelings clear on Paula Vennells, the Post Office scandal and its attempted cover-up.
Being asked by interviewer Anna Jameson whether he supports the petition to have Vennells stripped of her CBE — which has already been signed by over 1.2 million Brits — Mellor quickly replied, “100%”.
The Stockport local went on to say, “All I know is what I know and I don’t want to speculate because there’s government involved in all this but, from what we know, she’s going to church, she’s a priest preaching about being a good person — I don’t know how she slept at night”.
For those yet to have watched the four-part series or unfamiliar with the scandal, in general, hundreds of postal workers were wrongly prosecuted or convicted between 1999 and 2015 for alleged false accounting, theft and fraud due to a glitchy software system, Horizon.
Mellor also told the Radio Times of his emotional meeting with the real-life Castleton, who he said “was a bit hesitant coming forward” as it was obviously “a bit hard for him to go back and revisit it.”
The show stars Mellor, Toby Jones as lead campaigner Alan Bates, Monica Dolan, Julie Hesmondhalgh and more. (Credit: ITV)
He went on to detail their first meeting, revealing: “We hugged it out and we both got really emotional. I know, because I played him, what he’s been through, and he knows I know what he went through, and I emotionally went through a bit of it myself doing it for him. So we both had a moment and it was amazing, it really was.
“I just said, ‘I hope I’ve done you proud mate’, and he said he was over the moon when he heard I was playing him. He’s messaged me since saying he’s watched it and he was overwhelmed with how much he enjoyed it, and he thanked me for what I did.”
Mellor is by no means the only one who has slammed the state-owned private company, with more and more people having now signed the petition to stip Vennells of her title, having been royally appointed as a Commander of the British Empire back in 2019.
Following the huge backlash from the general public, the 65-year-old has now confirmed she will hand back her CBE with immediate effect.
Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells says she will hand back her CBE with immediate effect amid the fallout of the Post Office Horizon scandal
Featured Image — BBC Radio Manchester/Post Office/The Two Pints Podcast (via IG)
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Manchester’s newest bowling venue Wynwood Lanes is giving away 100 FREE sessions on opening week
Emily Sergeant
An exciting new bowling venue is opening in Manchester this week, and they’re giving away 100 free bowling sessions to celebrate.
Manchester get ready, as Wynwood Lanes is taking over the legendary Dog Bowl site and giving it a full Miami makeover.
Think five upgraded bowling lanes, pool tables, basketball hoops, sun drenched tunes, poolside cocktails, smoke machines, and a brunch menu from Kong’s NQ that’ll have you salivating before you’ve even sat down.
Wynwood Lanes will be running on a ‘unique’ day-mode and night-mode model.
This means that by day, guests can expect fresh brunch dishes and low-fi tunes, with children welcome until 7pm, and then when it’s in night mode, the Miami heat is turned up with party beats, celebratory smoke machines, late night snacks, and bar games.
Manchester’s newest bowling venue Wynwood Lanes is giving away 100 free sessions on its opening week / Credit: PICRYL | Supplied
As mentioned, fuel for the fun comes from Manchester legends Kong’s NQ, but this time with a Miami twist, so expect Cuban sandwiches, lime chicken avo arepas, tacos galore, and Miami-style brunch plates.
A boozy bottomless brunch will also take every Saturday and Sunday from next Saturday 30 August, with 90 minutes of Miami plates and free-flowing cocktails from £39.50 per person – with the option to upgrade to bowling for just a tenner
With the grand opening date just days away now, Wynwood Lanes wants to start things off with a bang… or you know, a strike.
In a bid to do this, they’ll be giving away free bowling sessions to the first 100 people through the doors on bank holiday Monday (25 August) from midday through to 11pm – with up to six players allowed per group.
Wynwood Lanes is open from 4pm tomorrow (Friday 22 August).
Bowling prices will start at £9 (or totally free if you’re one of the first 100 to book for opening weekend), so follow this link to grab access to bowling booking slots when they’re released, and secure your lane before they’re gone.
Featured Image – Pexels
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Manchester Mardi Gras lineup and stage times in full – the ultimate guide to Pride 2025’s new event
Danny Jones
This year’s Manchester Pride festival is nearly here, and with the organisers introducing an all-new addition to the celebrations in the form of Mardi Gras, 2025 is going to be unforgettable.
Promising to be bigger, better and bolder than ever, this new entire sub-section/spin-off/side-event (whatever you want to call it) is designed to up the party atmosphere even further over the long August bank holiday weekend.
For anyone as yet unaware, Manchester Pride 2025 will not just boast the usual parade, Gay Village Party and numerous other specific events in and around Canal Street, but an entirely new series; this year, Mardi Gras is taking over Depot Mayfield and Freight Island too, promising a whole host of shows.
So, without further ado, let’s get stuck into what’s on where and when, shall we?
Now, for starters, you can see the full lineup down below, including the likes of blockbuster headliner Nelly Furtado, who was announced as the final act for the closing night of Mardi Gras 2025 last week.
The are plenty of other big names playing Pride this year – take a look for yourselves.
It’s also worth noting that wristbands for Mardi Gras still grant you entry to all of this year’s Gay Village Party events, too.
Mardi Gras stage times for MCR Pride 2025
Next up are the stage times, and while we can certainly lay everything out for you, as with any festival, having to painstakingly check all of the clashes is up to you.
Anna Phylactic – 2:45-2:50pm N-Trance – 2:50-3:20pm Louis III – 3:30-4pm K-Klass – 4:10-7:10pm Louisa Johnson – 5-5:40pm Banksie – 5:20-5:35pm Tayce – 5:45-18:00 Big Freedia – 6:30-7pm Tulisa – 7:20-7:50pm Olly Alexander – 9:40-10:40 Nelly Furtado – 11:30pm-12:30am
The former Little Mix star is headlines the night of Mardi Gras.Gok Wan sets always go off.Credit: Press Shots (supplied)
Freight Island
Sat, 23 August
Sun, 24 August
Bongo’s Bingo – 4-5pm Red Bull ‘Dance Your Style’ – 5:15-35pm Yshee Black – 5:35-5:50pm Shanika Sunrise – 5:55-6:10pm Bailey J Mills – 6:15-6:30pm Red Bull ‘Dance Your Style’ (second set) – 7-7:20pm Charity Shop Sue – 7:20-8:05pm Queenz: ‘Drag Me To The Disco’ – 8:15-9pm Dean McCullough’s Pop Machine – 9:15-10:15pm The Danny Beard Show – 11:33pm-12:28am
Bongo’s Bingo – 3:45-4:45pm Lucky Roy Singh – 5:20-5:25pm Tequila Thirst – 5:25-5:30pm Fortune – 5:35-5:40pm Minara el Waters – 5:40-5:45pm Lady Imelda – 5:45-5:55pm DJ – Club Zindagi – 6-6:30pm Singh/Raj/Fortune/Kaan/Awas – 6:30-6:35pm Sitara Malik – 6:35-6:40pm Awais – 6:40-6:45pm Saki Yew – 6:45-6:50pm Raj – 6:50-6:55pm Duniya Dhoom – 6:55-7pm Khaan – 7-7:05pm Buffer – 7:05-7:15pm Zahirah Zapanta – 7:15-7:20pm Amirck Channa – 7:20-7:25pm DJ – Club Zindagi (second set) – 7:25-7:55pm House of MCR ‘Pride Edition’ – 9pm-12:04am
The Garden Stage is often the quieter, more laid-back part of Freight Island, but there’ll still be plenty of entertainment to be found there this bank holiday…
That’s just about everything you need to know ahead of the inaugural edition of Mardi Gras as part of the annual Manchester Pride celebrations.
We hope you all have a wonderful time this weekend – look out for one another, be happy, unapologetically yourselves, and show this city in its best light like you every year.
And last but not least, you can find out everything else you need to know from our complete MCR Pride 2025 guide right here.
Danny Jones -
9th January 2024 
