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Arlene Phillips and Danny Miller to represent Greater Manchester in I’m A Celebrity 2021

The official lineup for the 2021 series of the hit ITV competition show has now been released.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 16th November 2021

Arlene Phillips and Danny Miller will represent Greater Manchester as contestants in this year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

The official lineup for the 2021 series has been released.

Last year, the hit ITV show relocated from its usual location of the Australian jungle to the Welsh countryside as a result of the travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and will do so again for the 2021 edition.

The celebrities will start to arrive at Gwrych Castle campsite soon ahead of the confirmed launch date on 21 November.

Leading the charge of 10 celebrities on the confirmed lineup is pop star Frankie Bridge, who is best known for her time in The Saturdays, regular Good Morning Britain co-host Richard Madeley – who already revealed the news live on-air a couple of weeks ago – and former BBC Breakfast news presenter Louise Minchin.

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Following in the footsteps of Ian Wright, French former footballer David Ginola has also been grabbing headlines this morning after he was confirmed to be taking part.

Gold medal-winning athletes Kadeena Cox and Matty Lee have also been confirmed to appear on the daredevil competition show, alongside music producer Naughty Boy, and Radio 1 Xtra DJ Snoochie Shy.

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But when it comes to the representatives for the Greater Manchester region, Stockport-born Danny Miller – who is best known for playing the role of Aaron Dingle in the long-running ITV soap Emmerdale – has been confirmed to be heading to the Welsh countryside for the show.

He will be joined by Prestwich-born Arlene Phillips.

Former dancer, choreographer, theatre director, and talent scout Arlene Phillips DBE will be best-known to TV audiences as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing between 2004-2008.

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The official lineup for the 2021 series has been released / Credit: ITV

When lineup rumours first began emerging last week, Coronation Street actor Simon Gregson – who plays the beloved and long-standing character of Steve McDonald – was one of the names being banded around, however sadly, he does not appear to be on the official lineup that was released by ITV yesterday.

As the show is known to do each year though, a handful of other celebrities will likely enter the camp to compete for the title at a later date during the series, so perhaps Gregson could still make an appearance down the line.

Read more: Corrie legend Simon Gregson among rumoured names in ‘leaked’ I’m A Celebrity 2021 lineup

Other rumoured names on the later lineup include Eastenders’ Adam Woodyatt, and Rudimental’s DJ Locksmith.

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! starts on 21 November 2021 on ITV.

Featured Image – ITV

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The best Christmas party food and picky bits from M&S this year

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The best Christmas party food and picky bits from M&S this year

Clear the tables, pop the oven on to pre-heat, and set the paper plates – it’s Christmas, and that can only mean it’s party food season again.

No one does silly little festive nibbles quite like M&S, with their Christmas party food range getting more and more extravagant every single winter.

2025 is absolutely no exception – expect the likes of cubed rice, snowman-shaped bao, tiny Yorkie puds and plenty more delicious madness besides.

We’ve been down in the aisles of everyone’s favourite posh supermarket to see exactly what concoctions they’ve conjured up this year, and did not leave disappointed.

This is not just party food, this is M&S Christmas party food.

A very Marbella Christmas

Have you ever seen a square paella before? No? You haven’t lived mate.

These angular rice bites are one of three Spanish-influenced picky bits in M&S this Christmas, alongside tiny tortillas and patatas bravas stacks (tiny potato rostis topped with tomato sauce and chorizo then served with a garlic sauce on the side).

Don’t be put off by the hot pink prawn curled up on the rice bed like a dog that’s been bought a bed two sizes too small…

A little fishy on a little dishy

Smoked salmon appetisers from the M&S Christmas party food range
More seafood snacks from the M&S Christmas party food range

Everyone knows that the M&S salmon and potato salad is one of their most elite items, so those hot smoked salmon rosti bites are going STRAIGHT in my basket.

If you like your fish dishes really bite-sized, there’s also the smoked salmon appetisers that look like they’ve been lifted right out of a 1960s cookbook.

And of course, tiger prawns wrapped in various shapes and sizes of pastry, too.

Jingle baos

If you’d told me three years ago that bao would become a staple on every posh Christmas buffet, I’d have sent you to the hospital.

But they’re back for a third year in a new novelty festive shape, and this time, M&S has gone to new heights.

Presenting – double decker bao in the shape of a snowman, complete with cosy green scarf and a veggie pad Thai filling.

Some of them look like they’ve been through the wars, don’t they?

Pam Shipman would buy these

If you’re not a Gavin & Stacey fan, just imagine the following section being read aloud by a flapping (ideally Essex) mother with a fresh blowdry and a waft of YSL Libra about her.

“Those, Bryn, are M&S mushroom vol-oh-vohnts.”

“A little goat cheese tart for you, Smithy?” (“Who you calling a tart Pamelarrr you minx!”)

Basically, these are the posh little nibbles your mums will gravitate towards to show off their hosting gravitas.

Merry Texmexmas

M&S always seems to lean over to the States for inspiration for its party food and this year is no different.

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They’ve got a real Tex-Mex flavour going on in 2025, with Christmas party food including mini vegetable tacos filled with peppers and sweetcorn.

There are also those impossible-to-eat-why-are-you-sliding-everywhere miniature beef burgers, back to piss me off for another year.

Ee by gum it must be Christmas

‘Ey up! Has M&S recruited an actual Northerner to help put together the party food for Christmas this year?!

We all know the deal with British pub food – a little bit stodgy, very comforting, and incredibly filling. Okay, now picture that, but not remotely filling.

M&S has brought back a couple of its miniature bites inspired by classic British fare – pies that fit in the palm of your hand (beef and ale, or chicken and leek), and Yorkshire puddings so small they must’ve been baked in a cupcake tin. Cute.

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The most important picky bit of the day

Whether or not to bother with breakfast on Christmas morning seems to be a bit of a hot topic – what’s the point in a bowl of cornflakes when you’re readying to slam the biggest meal of the year in a matter of hours?

Well, M&S is making sure the most important meal of the day infiltrates all the way through to party time with these two.

A stack of miniature pancakes and slivers of bacon, plus pint-sized ham and cheese croissants. Has anyone ever handed you a croissant on a dancefloor before? This might be the year.

Better than your mum’s turkey curry

Oh now we’re cooking with tandoor! Not one, but two picky bits inspired by Britain’s national dish – curry. And the most British curry of all, a chicken tikka masala.

For Christmas this year M&S has created the world’s smallest naan breads, which are topped with tikka chicken and pickled pink onions.

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And in the other hand, there are spiced potato and spinach dosa rolls, which we have literally never seen on any buffet spread before ever, but sure.

Get it before it’s scone

If your hand impulsively twitches towards a Christmas sandwich every time you’re shopping for a meal deal, get a load of this – tiny mini turkey feast toasties. Yay!

These tiny square sarnies have got pulled turkey, stuffing, ham hock, Emmental cheese, cranberry sauce AND gravy in them, somehow. When did M&S unlock a cheat code to overcome sandwich physics?

There are also miniature mature Barber’s cheddar scones, with honey and mustard pulled ham inside. They sound like a sheer winner.

That’s not a hambush, it’s a charcutertree!

The M&S Charcutertree is back in its Christmas party food range

Oh, look who’s back to make a mockery of your flat cheese board again. It’s the Christmas Charcuter-tree. Sigh.

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Real fancy people present their cured meat and cheese selection in the shape of a Christmas tree (obviously) and M&S have got a build-you-own kit available for £23 (that’s actually two quid cheaper than last year).

I can only begin to imagine the meltdown I’d have as another piece of salami refused to act like tinsel and unravelled onto the table.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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UK’s ‘happiest’ job is recruiting and will pay you £30k to travel and review holiday cottages

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant English cottage

Looking for a career change? Is 2026 the year you finally want to get yourself a side hustle? We might have just what you’re looking for.

That’s because holidaycottages.co.uk is on the hunt for one lucky individual for what could, quite frankly, be the dream job and is launching a nationwide search to find the UK’s first ‘Joy Seeker’ –  a year-long content creator role offering £30,000 to explore the nation’s happiest destinations and share the joy along the way. 

What exactly is a ‘Joy Seeker’ then? Well, the lucky applicant will become the face of the holiday cottage rental company’s new Happy Place campaign, and will embark on a 12-month journey to the UK’s 10 happiest destinations as voted for in a recent survey.

This will include stays at properties in some of the country’s most-popular holiday destinations like Cornwall, Pembrokeshire, and North Yorkshire.  

The role requires the successful individual to share their adventures through photography, long and short-form social media content, and blog writing, all with the aim of ‘showcasing the joy’ of these places through ‘authentic’ storytelling.  

From wandering the cobbled streets of Devon’s coastal villages, to hiking hidden trails in Welsh national parks, the role is about uncovering local stories and the country’s most unique charms.

All throughout 2026, the Joy Seeker’s content will be shared across holidaycottages.co.uk’s social media channels.

The UK’s ‘happiest’ job is recruiting and will pay you £30k to travel and review holiday cottages / Credit: Marie M (via Unsplash)

As part of the contract, the chosen candidate will receive a £30,000 content creator contract, get to stay for free in a minimum of 12 stunning holiday cottages, and have all travel expenses covered in the process.

Thinking of applying? You’ll need to be a confident and creative storyteller with a passion for travel, the outdoors, and celebrating local culture within the UK, and you’ll also need to be experienced in creating engaging content across various formats. 

“This is more than just a job,” said Sarah Pring, who is the Digital PR Manager at holidaycottages.co.uk.

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“It’s a chance to swap your 9-5 for a year of creativity, adventure, and real connection to people and places across the UK.”

You can apply by heading to holidaycottages.co.uk/blog/joy-seeker-competition before the closing date of 20 January 2026. 

Featured Image – Ray Harrington (via Unsplash)

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