An American author who has travelled extensively around the world has said that Blackpool is the ‘weirdest place’ he’s visited.
In a hilarious Twitter thread, Jeff VanderMeer broke down why he found his visit to the seaside town so bizarre.
The author’s Tweet has now been shared by hundreds of people – who are mostly in agreement.
Jeff wrote: “Weirdest place I’ve ever been, btw, since it’s coming up in the news… is Blackpool, England.
Blackpool. Credit: Unsplash
“That includes over 40 countries I’ve been to. Absolutely and unnervingly at the top of the list.”
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He later explained: “Look, take too many tweets to explain why.
“Maybe the combo of sleazy and family-friendly, the weird night vibe of jubilation and violence.
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Weirdest place I've ever been, btw, since it's coming up in the news… is Blackpool, England. That includes over 40 countries I've been to. Absolutely and unnervingly at the top of the list.
“The donkeys on the beach. The effed up types of architecture shoved together in the same buildings. The slapping thing at the end of alley.”
Even those of us who love the north west town have agreed that it is a bit of an odd place to visit, when you put it like that.
Many locals have been sharing their own favourite quirks, like one person who mentioned the swimming pool whose letters have fallen off, leaving it the ‘heated i door swi ig poo’.
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this is such slander blackpool is a bit weird but also if ur a kid the whole place is basically a wondrous theme park. and there’s the famous heated i door swi ig poo https://t.co/Fjh1YWIh2opic.twitter.com/s40KTB5Mon
Another wrote: “I went there with 300 people for a conference in Feb 2018 – someone put a welcome banner up on a motorway bridge (???), we were the only people in town and I truly thought we were going to be hunted and eaten by locals.”
Someone else theorised: “That place is basically a gateway to a hellish dimension that isn’t quite all the way open yet. That’s what the lights are about. One year, they’ll get the configuration right and when that happens we’re doomed.”
One person, who has read Jeff’s book Annihilation (later turned into a film starring Natalie Portman), pointed out: “The author of f***ing Annihilation, one of the weirdest & most disturbing novels I’ve ever read, says that Blackpool is the weirdest place he’s ever been…”
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Another Twitter user said: “When an American dunks on somewhere in the UK, there is usually a lot of “U WOT M8?” in the quote tweets. Not this time.”
Featured image: Unsplash
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I’m A Celebrity line-up announced for brand new all-star series in South Africa
Daisy Jackson
The all-star line-up for I’m A Celebrity… South Africa has been announced, with some massive Manchester celebs taking part.
The brand new show is due to air in April and will see some of the series’ most memorable campmates heading to a new setting in South Africa.
Names involved include Bolton-born boxing legend Amir Khan, Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan, and Happy Mondays legend Shaun Ryder.
And that’s just part of the first wave of celebrity contestants – more famous faces will take part in I’m A Celebrity… South Africa, entering the camp as the series goes on.
The new series will ‘push them to their limits and test them like never before’, ITV has said, promising bigger and tougher challenges and an even harsher environment.
Also taking part from the launch episode will be Diversity star Jordan Banjo, TV presenter Carol Vorderman, Olympian Fatima Whitbread, former royal butler Paul Burrell, ex-England cricketer Phil Tufnell, and supermodel Janice Dickinson.
ITV said: “Whilst nodding back to the Australian jungle, I’m A Celebrity…South Africa is a uniquely different series so viewers can look forward to lots of unexpected twists and turns.”
The trailer also shows the celebs taking part in pre-recorded challenges, taking on everything from nasty food to terrifying heights.
I’m A Celebrity… South Africa will air on ITV1 and ITVX from April 2023.
Featured image: ITV
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Commentator Arlo White shows off what the Old Trafford gantry walk looks like
Danny Jones
Ever wondered what it’s like to be up in the gantry in a football stadium, say, Old Trafford? Well, we certainly have.
You see the odd shot of the commentators sat there on the telly from time to time but it never really gives much away either and, at some venues, it’s quite a ways up there. There’s a little bit of allure behind these mysterious parts of footy grounds that most fans will never get to see.
After hours of mindless scrolling on the social media app, we stumbled across the well-known sports commentator‘s channel where he’s been showing off what it’s like to go in the gantry and one of them is his long walk to crow’s nest up at the Theatre of Dreams.
As it turns out, Arlo’s been doing these videos for a couple of years now, revealing how the gantry looks not only at Old Trafford but other big Premier League grounds too, such as down the road at the Etihad, Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, Tottenham Hotspurs’ sparkly new ground and many more.
Another reason we found ourselves stuck on his TikTok for so long was also because of the other behind-the-scenes details he reveals too, even shedding light on how he prepares for games: note-taking, data sheets, how keeps himself warm up there during those cold nights on comms and so on.
Daisy Jackson -
10th February 2022 
