James Acaster, Aisling Bea, and Rosie Jones are among the heavy-hitting names set to bring the laughs at a brand-new comedy festival inManchester next month.
And you’ve still got time to grab tickets.
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Taking over Castlefield Bowl in the heart of Manchester city centre from 21-25 September 2022, LAUGHTERAMA is an all-new five-night festival that combines a packed lineup of some of comedy’s most famous and multi-talented names, alongside a first-class selection at the bars and some of the city’s best street-food traders.
LAUGHTERAMA is a new venture from the sibling team behind a series of successful comedy festivals that run annually across London and the South, and comedy fans in Manchester can expect a mix of the biggest names in stand-up to take to the same stage alongside some of the brightest new talents.
Now, with less than a month to go, tickets are selling fast and it’s gearing up to be “a seriously good time in the heart of the city”.
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Some of the other names on the talented lineup include the legendary Dylan Moran, Taskmaster’s Phil Wang, observational master and star of The Last Leg Josh Widdicombe, the inimitable Daniel Kitson, and so many more.
The lineup for the inaugural LAUGHTERAMA / Credit: LAUGHTERAMA
Edinburgh Comedy Award-winner Rose Matafeo will also be performing, as well as one-liner king Milton Jones, lo-fi hero David O’Doherty, the Mash Report’s Nish Kumar, Mock The Week’s whipsmart wordsmith Rhys James, and the hilarious Kiri Pritchard-McLean on the lineup too.
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Homegrown Manchester talents Stephen Bailey, and Josh Jones will also make appearances.
Alongside a lineup of local names, a handful of fast-rising newcomers on the comedy circuit will also perform, including Fatiha El-Ghorri, Huge Davies, and Celya Ab – who’s been branded the “comic shooting to fame”.
Many of the acts delighting the critics at this month’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival are also set to appear on the Castlefield Bowl stage, such as Amy Gledhill with her four-star reviewed “cartoonish flair”.
Rounding-out the jam-packed Laughterama 2022 lineup is the unflinchingly funny Jamali Maddix, podcast and rollerskate aficionado Lou Sanders, and finally, the incredible Tim Key – who is currently riding high from his critically-lauded Fringe show.
LAUGHTERAMA is an all-new five-night comedy festival coming to Castlefield Bowl next month / Credit: Supplied
For the last fifteen years, sibling duo Will Briggs and Cass Randolph have been bringing a blend of comedy programming in boutique-festival settings to sell-out crowds, and the pair are now looking forward to arriving right here in Manchester next month.
“We’ve been dreaming of bringing this festival to Manchester for a long time now,” Will said.
“The city should absolutely have a stand-out event showcasing the wealth of comedy talent around at the moment [as] there’s a golden age for comedy right now, with so many platforms to enjoy amazing content.
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“Many of our acts have their own TV or podcast series, but nothing beats live, and we can’t wait to put these acts in front of a Manchester crowd – we already know the shows are going to be electric.”
The “comic shooting to fame” Celya Ab, and the joyous Rosie Jones are on the lineup / Credit: Supplied
LAUGHTERAMA 2022 has partnered with used car dealer heycar for this year’s event, with the company’s Chief Commercial Officer Karen Hilton already singing the praises of the “truly world-class” lineup.
“It’s shaping up to be an incredible feel-good summer,” Karen said.
“We have so much laughter to catch up on after the last few years and I can’t think of a better way to do it as the lineup is truly world-class and we’re particularly looking forward to seeing the incredible James Acaster, and my personal favourite, Aisling Bea in action.
“heycar is honoured to be sponsoring this incredible event and we can’t wait to see everyone in Manchester this September.”
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The unflinchingly funny Jamali Maddix will be taking to the Castlefield Bowl stage / Credit: SuppliedThe hilarious Kiri Pritchard-McLean will also be making an appearance / Credit: Supplied
LAUGHTERAMA 2022 is landing at Castlefield Bowl from Wednesday 21 – Sunday 25 September, with tickets now on sale at £25 per person.
You can grab yours on the Laughterama website before they sell out here.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Tiffany & Co opens glittering new store within Selfridges at the Trafford Centre
Daisy Jackson
One of the world’s most famous jewellery brands has opened a dazzling new store at Selfridges, as the Trafford Centre welcomes Tiffany & Co.
This heritage brand now has a presence on the lower level of the luxury department store, selling its most recognisable items.
The glittering new Tiffany & Co space is just beside the San Carlo champagne bar.
And although it’s tucked right in the heart of Selfridges, Tiffany & Co has gone to the effort of recreating the iconic windows from the New York flagship store, building a blue mosaic wall with window displays inside.
Shoppers will be able to perch on plush cream-coloured stools to try on items from its four Icons collections – HardWear, Lock, T, and Knot – before carrying your purchase off in that instantly-recognisable Tiffany blue bag.
Founded more than 180 years ago, Tiffany & Co is synonymous with New York City but loved globally.
The heritage brand’s T collection was inspired by the grid system of the streets and avenues of Manhattan, it helped to design the dollar bill, and also designed the invites for the opening of the Statue of Liberty.
Tiffany & Co at Selfridges Trafford Centre in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
The Tiffany setting was the first engagement ring to have the diamond displayed on the band (which is now the standard) rather than embedded within the band – even the emoji on all our phones is a ring design invented by Tiffany & Co.
It was the first jewellery designer to bring 925 sterling silver to the USA and it remains proud of its silver pieces.
This is also the only jewellery name with full traceability of its diamonds, and rejects a whopping 0.04% to ensure only the highest-quality gems are used in its jewellery, cutting them for beauty rather than size.
Tiffany & Co at Selfridges Trafford Centre in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
The brand has a lot of famous names associated with it – Dua Lipa has been proudly wearing Tiffany & Co jewellery on her tour and public appearances, Lady Gaga launched the Hardwear collection, and Miley Cyrus wore the ‘Elsa Peretti’ Bone cuff to receive her first Grammy Award.
Beyonce’s cowboy hat and even her in-house ear monitors for her Renaissance Tour were even created with Tiffany.
Tiffany & Co is also the creator of possibly the world’s most famous piece of jewellery, The Tiffany Yellow Diamond necklace, worn by only four women – Lady Gaga, Audrey Hepburn, Mary Whitehouse, and Beyonce.
The new Tiffany & Co Manchester is now open in store at Selfridges at the Trafford Centre.
VK has launched a divisive new festive alcopop flavour
Danny Jones
Beloved British drinks company VK has just launched a brand-new festive flavour for Christmas 2024 and let’s just say it’s proved to be a divisive one.
Known as one of the most popular alcopop producers in the UK, their Blue, Tropical Fruits, Black Cherry and numerous other flavours remain a popular beverage of choice across the country, be it at the pub, a house party or a cheekyChristmas tipple.
That being said, this holiday season VK are mixing things up even more than usual with an eye-catching returning flavour combo that has already got people talking – not least because they’ve hired the biggest digital billboard in Manchester to let people know about it.
As you can see, in typically bold fashion, VK’s marketing team not only took over one of the biggest digital billboards in Europe to promote this year’s festive flavour for 2024 but they’ve also made a cheeky nod to a beloved Christmas icon, posing the question ‘Who the VK is Terry?’
Oh, and as for the big fella in orange, no, he’s not called Terry – why’d you ask?
Follow VK’s TikTok and other social accounts to keep up to date with all of his shenanigans:
In all seriousness, taking inspiration from the much-loved chocolate orange flavoured and shaped confectionery that many people gift, receive and devour in spades every Christmas, VK has bottled the classic combo for their seasonal special and created a divisive Christmas alcopop.
The lightly carbonated bev remains the number one RTD (ready-to-drink) brand among students and is popular among various other demographics too, especially since there’s a flavour to suit pretty much everyone’s tastes.
However, the question is besides being a conversation starter, does liquid chocolate orange go down nicely and is it worthy of finding its way into stocking fillers this year?
The limited edition seasonal specialCredit: The Manc Group
Holly Bolus, Senior Brand Manager for VK, commented: “This activation is part of our new, bold marketing strategy, leveraging VK’s reputation for creating memorable experiences for our audience.
“Our brand ethos is all about fun and personality, so what better way to lean into this than with a tongue-in-cheek OOH campaign?”
VK Chocolate Orange is now available in their VK mixed pack for a limited time only. Get yours from Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Home Bargains and B&M – plus you could even get your hands on a free Christmas jumper too.
Targeting students and young adults who are looking for festive pre-drinks and party essentials, historically, VK’s seasonal flavours have a high rate of sale, making this year’s return even more significant for the brand.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd August 2022 
