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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Huge tunnel through the Peak District linking Manchester and Sheffield moves one step closer
Daisy Jackson
Ambitions plans to build a tunnel beneath the Peak District to connect Manchester and Sheffield has moved a step closer.
The proposed tunnel, which could completely transform travel between the two cities, has received a major £500,000 funding boost.
Picture the Eurostar, but plonk it going across the Pennines instead of London to Paris.
If it all goes ahead, journeys between South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester would be much quicker and easier, cutting times by up to 30 minutes, The Sheff reports.
The whopping £500,000 funding has been secured by infrastructure group Future Works, which is behind the proposed Trans-Pennine Connect scheme.
The money will be used to carry out technical and environmental feasibility studies to establish whether the project could actually go ahead.
The plans would see a 14-mile dual-carriageway tunnel built underneath the Peak District, potentially running between Langsett in South Yorkshire and Hollingworth or Tintwistle in Greater Manchester.
Michael Dnes, Future Works co-founder, said: “We’re very excited to be working with UK Dynamism Fund to unlock the next stage of our project.
“This funding will let us complete the technical and environmental feasibility studies needed to get the right outcomes for people and the Peak District as we deliver better transport connections across the Pennines.”
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard has previously voiced his support for the proposals, describing them as a “really exciting opportunity”.
Speaking at a South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority meeting back in September, he said: “We all know the frustrations of travelling between two of the North’s biggest and best cities.”
He also stressed that any plans would need to take environmental considerations very seriously, particularly the impact on wildlife in the Peak District.
The project is still in very early stages, and the funding doesn’t indicate that planning has been approved. We’ll keep you updated with any updates as and when we know.
So, what do you make of this proposal? Would you be keen for a drive through the tunnel?
Town just outside Greater Manchester named one of UK’s ‘happiest’ places to live
Emily Sergeant
The UK’s happiest places to live for 2026 have been named, and a town just outside Greater Manchester is in the top 10.
Just as it has done for the last 14 years now, Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index, which explores exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlights the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year.
This year, thousands of residents across more than 200 locations told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community – from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlines the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, where do we have in the top 10 then?
Well, Skipton in North Yorkshire – last year’s winner – only ranked seventh in this year’s study, making way for Richmond upon Thames in London to take the coveted stop spot, but looking a little further down the list, you’ll find the Lancashire town of Chorley in sixth place.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
The UK’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Richmond upon Thames
Harrogate
Cirencester
Monmouth
Hove
Chorley
Skipton
Llandrindod Wells
Horsham
Hexham
With a deep legacy rooted in the Industrial Revolution, Chorley is now a popular place to live full of amenities, good local schooling options, and convenient transport links – with an average property price of £234,387, and average rent costing £1,011 per month.
When it comes to the wider rankings, and the North West ranking as a whole, two Greater Manchester towns made it into the region’s top five, Stockport at number two and Altrincham following right behind at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Danny Jones -
9th January 2024 
