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%”.
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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.
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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.”
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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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Major pop star CMAT pops up for surprise performance in Gay Village bar
Daisy Jackson
CMAT, one of the world’s hottest artists right now, popped up and did a surprise set inside a legendary Gay Village bar last night.
The Irish singer (who is a bit of an adopted Manc at this point) is about to play two massive sold-out shows in Manchester.
She’s set to play at the O2 Victoria Warehouse tonight and tomorrow, performing hits from her chart-topping third studio album Euro-Country.
But before that, it was a night out on Canal Street for CMAT, who stunned punters inside Via by hopping up on stage.
CMAT jumped on stage along with drag queen Ginger Hunter, resident queen Amy Laqueefa, and Dahliah Rivers and belted out a rendition of her smash hit single, Take A Sexy Picture Of Me.
The group – and the delighted audience – all joined her in nailing the choreography to the song too.
Sharing a couple of videos, Via wrote: “What a Night! Ireland’s Pop Princess @cmatbaby paid us a visit and gave us a very special rendition of Take a Sexy Picture! We love Cmat.”
She’d also been spotted earlier in the evening at Lily Allen’s West End Girl show at Aviva Studios.
Dahliah Rivers commented: “A fever dream!!! What a gorgeous evening”
Amy LaQueefa wrote: “Obsessed that CMAT wanted to come and get up with us tonight”
Fast-rising alt-pop favourite CMAT relocated to Manchester as a 17-year-old back in 2013 to pursue her career in music, and it’s fair to say the move turned out to be a positive one.
She’s supported the likes of Sam Fender, and played massive festival slots like Glastonbury last summer.
And now CMAT will head straight from the stage at Via to a much bigger platform, with two sold-out gigs at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on 11 and 12 March.
The full 2026 MOBOs Fringe programme for the first-ever awards in Manchester has been revealed
Danny Jones
Now the BRITs have been and gone, it’s time to switch our focus to the next big awards show: the 2026 MOBOs, which is also coming to Manchester for the very first time, and they’re bringing the popular Fringe event along with it.
Get ready for more big showbiz hustle and bustle to hit the city centre before you know it; we, for one, are so ready.
Similar to the aforementioned BRIT Awards, the MOBOs also hold a regular ‘Fringe’ music, arts and cultural festival with each annual edition.
You can see the full range of this year’s largely free-to-attend MOBOs Fringe lineup and the extensive schedule in its entirety down below.
Manchester, it’s your time.
The full #MOBOFringe 2026 programme is here – nine days of music, culture, panels, parties and showcases across the city ahead of the #MOBOAwards on 26 March.
As you can see, there’s a lot on the cards this year, with different activities and activations happening all over central Manchester.
Featuring everything from exclusive live sets, sport and other entertainment, to various selectors and even a creative summit, it’s jam-packed with countless aspects beyond just that music that help make the industry as a whole tick.
Venues involved include The Whitworth Gallery, faithful Green Island Festival partners, the Niamos Centre, multi-purpose bars and events spaces like Side Street and Renae, as well as important music venues like The Deaf Institute and Aviva Studios – a.k.a. the home of Factory International.
Each hosting a variety of different dates over the course of its nearly week-long duration ahead of the MOBO Awards themselves, there’s something for everyone and anyone interested not just in Black music and entertainment but Black-British culture and more.
For instance, we already heard about the exclusive basketball match between Manchester and a fellow European competitor, and tickets are live as we speak. You can see the full Fringe programme in more detail online.
Running from Thursday 19 to Tuesday 24 March, the event week is shaping up to be a cracker.
As for the inaugural Manc MOBOs ceremony at Co-op Live, it gets underway just a couple of days later on the following Thursday (26 Mar).
serving as the perfect way to close the Fringe and this year’s edition as a whole.
Tickets for the MOBO Awards Manchester debut are live as we speak, with general admission prices starting from less than £30. You can grab yours HERE.
As for those expected to be in attendance, the likes of Olivia Dean and local rapper Aitch have already been confirmed for the live music lineup, and to see the full list of nominees, look no further…
Danny Jones -
9th January 2024 
