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15,000 cinema tickets are being given away for FREE across the UK next month

Fancy going to see The Iron Claw for free? Be rude not to.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 18th January 2024

Thousands of cinema tickets are being given away for FREE all across the UK next month, and you can get your hands on them now.

As part of Escapes – a new project supported by the British Film Institute (BFI) and National Lottery funding that’s giving everyone the opportunity to “enjoy the big screen experience” and “discover independent cinema” – a whopping 15,000 cinema tickets are now up for grabs in Greater Manchester and across the UK for completely free of charge.

The ultimate aim of the Escapes project is to “bring new audiences” to the cinema, whether you’re someone who always prioritises a trip to the cinema, someone who treasures a visit but only on a special occasion, or someone who’s just keen to discover more.

There is a slight catch though… the 15,000 tickets are only to see one particular film.

15,000 cinema tickets to see The Iron Claw are being given away for FREE next month / Credit: A24

But as far as free tickets to cinema go, let’s just say you could do a whole lot worse than taking a trip to see the brand-new wrestling biopic film, The Iron Claw, before it gets its wider release to the public on Friday 9 February.

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If you’ve not heard too much about the highly-anticipated release of The Iron Claw up until now, it’s a sports drama film that tells the amazing true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who make history in the intensely-competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s, and it stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson in the lead roles.

The heartbreaking sports drama will be the first film in the Escapes project to be exclusively-previewed in 126 independent cinemas nationwide on the evening of Monday 5 February.

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All showings of The Iron Claw are to be screened with descriptive subtitles.

If a tear-jerker wrestling biopic doesn’t really sound like something up your street though, not to worry, as The Iron Claw is only the first film on the lineup, as Escapes is set to announce a new film to available to preview every month throughout the year.

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Fancy it then?

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You can find out more about Escapes, find out which Greater Manchester cinemas are participating, and grab your free ticket to see The Iron Claw on Monday 5 February here.

Featured Image – Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)

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Five of the best things to watch on TV this Christmas 2024

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

We all know Christmas is a hectic time.

For some of us, if the run-up to Christmas wasn’t already busy enough as it is, there’s often not a moment to breathe on the big day itself between presents being opened, travelling to see people, entertaining guests, slaving over a hot stove for hours, and eating plenty of food.

Sometimes though, you may find yourself twiddling your thumbs with some time to spare, and that’s why the distraction of festive television is so brilliant.

For others, sitting around to watch the TV is an important part of Christmas itself.

No matter what your situation is, there’s some cracking things to watch on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day this year – with classic seasonal films, to festive specials of our favourite shows, and a few family-friendly additions all on the agenda.

So, just like we have done for the past couple of years, we’ve once again rounded-up the best of the bunch to create our TV guide.

Here’s just five of our picks.

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Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2024

BBC One

Christmas Day – 3:55pm

Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2024 / Credit: BBC

We’ve all come to expect a Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special at this point, haven’t we? After the iconic ballroom dance competition programme has been bringing us smaller, festive editions of the show we all know and love since 2004, it’s back once again this Christmas Day.

Six celebrity contestants will be taking to the floor to impress judges the judges and battle it out for the Christmas glitter ball trophy.

You can catch Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One at 3:55pm on Christmas Day.

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Doctor Who Christmas Special

BBC One

Christmas Day – 5:10pm

Doctor Who Christmas Special / Credit: BBC Studios

What would Christmas be without a Doctor Who special?

The long-running sci-fi series is back where it belongs with another festive episode on Christmas Day this year, and we can’t wait.

The episode introduces Joy, played by Nicola Coughlan, who checks into a London hotel in 2024, only to discover that her quiet stay is anything but ordinary. When Joy opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel, she discovers danger, dinosaurs, and the Doctor… but a deadly plan is unfolding across Earth, just in time for Christmas.

You can catch the Doctor Who Christmas Special on BBC One at 5:10pm on Christmas Day.

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Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

BBC One

Christmas Day – 6:10pm

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl / Credit: BBC

Wallace & Gromit make their long-awaited return with a new feature-length adventure.

Wallace and his pre-programmed smart gnome, Norbot, are the main suspects after a recent crime wave of stolen garden goods across the region… but while Wallace proclaims his innocence, it’s up to Gromit once again to battle sinister forces, or Wallace will never invent again.

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Who could possibly be behind such evil actions? Rightfully behind bars after all this time, Feathers McGraw is back with vengeance.

Directed by Nick Park, Reece Shearsmith provides the voice of Norbot, and Peter Kay is Chief Inspector Macintosh, alongside other famous names such as Diane Morgan, Adjoa Andoh, and Lenny Henry.

You can watch Wallace & Gromit: Most Vengeance Fowl on BBC One at 6:10pm on Christmas Day.

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Gavin & Stacey: The Finale

BBC One

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Christmas Day – 9pm

Gavin & Stacey: The Finale / Credit: BBC

9pm. Christmas Day 2024. The end of an era is here.

It’s been five whole years since we left Nessa down on one knee declaring her love for Smithy and asking him to marry her… and a lot has happened in those five years.

This Christmas, fans of the long-running sitcome will be able to join on the journey to Barry and Billericay as we catch up with the Shipmans and the Wests for the very last time, and maybe find out what exactly did happen on that fishing trip.

You can watch Gavin and Stacey: The Finale on Christmas Day on BBC One at 9pm.

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Outnumbered

BBC One

Boxing Day – 9:40pm

Outnumbered / Credit: BBC

Our final long-awaited Christmas Special comeback is here… are you ready to be Outnumbered once again?

In a moment of adversity, Sue and Pete gather all their children – who are now adults, and have their own hurdles to navigate in the real world – and one grandchild to try to celebrate a traditional family Christmas.

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Their new house is smaller, the children are bigger, and within the chaos, an uninvited house guest overstays their welcome.

You can watch Outnumbered on Boxing Day on BBC One at 9:40pm.

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Fancy something extra?

If you’ve got even more time on your hands to kill, and you’re looking to get stuck into even more festive TV action, not just being newly released this year, then we’ve rounded up what we think are 10 of the best Christmas Specials of all time.

10 of the very best British Christmas specials and episodes to watch on TV this holiday season

What’s your thoughts on this – do you agree? Or are we missing your favourite pick?

Featured Image – BBC

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Rúben Amorim’s Man United press conference interrupted by Old Trafford roof leaking – again

Danny Jones Danny Jones Old Trafford roof starts leaking during Ruben Amorim press conference

Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim has been given plenty doses of reality since arriving at Old Trafford but surely there can’t be any more telling than the stadium’s roof leaking into his press conference?

Poetic irony timed to perfection.

Not only did the new head coach have to sit in front of journalists as he tried to wrap his head around another Premier League implosion following the 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth – a team now sat in fifth, it’s worth noting – but he also got to witness the condition the stadium first hand.

And when we say first hand, we mean literally right in front of his face.

No wonder they’re crying out for that new stadium.

It’s by no means the first time we’ve seen videos of Old Trafford leaking, not even close, but they’re usually outside – though there was a clip of the away changing room with rainwater pouring out of the ceiling that appeared online.

In this instance, not only was the leak internal but Amorim’s post-match press conference was actually briefly interrupted as drops of water fell on the desk in front of him.

You can hear reporters asking what it is (they knew full well) before United’s press officer can be heard off-camera asking them to quickly move on. Sports writer Sanny Rudravajhala quipped, “A new meaning to the leaks at #mufc”, in reference to dressing room talk and lineups still being fed to the media.

Make what you will of Amorim‘s expressions in this moment but let’s just say he can’t have been expecting to have to worry about things like this when he accepted the job.

A penny for the Portugueseman’s thoughts when he looked up and saw that leak coming from the ceiling:

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The fans are fully aware of how much work needs to be done around the club and to Old Trafford, specifically, and co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe had made no bones about expressing the desire to build ‘Wembley of the North’ during his first year at the club.

Although many are deeply reticent to let the iconic Theatre of Dreams go after more than a century of history and sporting memories, scenes like this certainly go a long way to arguing the case for a whole new home ground rather than simply renovating as it appears to be in such a sorry state of disrepair.

But even with a brand-new state-of-the-art footballing arena, it doesn’t do anything to address improving performances on the pitch as even with eye-watering sums invested in the squad over recent years, they still look way off it and serious work needs to be done for them to catch up with the pack.

You can watch the highlights from Man United vs Bournemouth below:

The leaking roof wasn’t the only thing raining down on Amorim as the derby day high was followed by a frustrating festive low.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — BeanymanSports (screenshot via YouTube)

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