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Bake Off winner John Whaite to compete in Strictly Come Dancing’s first all-male partnership

He has described his partnership as "a great step forward in representation and inclusion".

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 5th August 2021

Strictly Come Dancing has announced it is to have its first all-male partnership this year.

The beloved BBC reality competition show has been on our screens in its current format since 2004, but this the first time in the show’s 17-year history that an all-male partnership will compete.

Former Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite has been unveiled as cast member this morning.

The 2012 Bake Off winner – who was born in Chorley, and studied Law at The University of Manchester – will follow in the footsteps of boxer Nicola Adams, who was the first to have a same-sex partner when she competed with professional dancer Katya Jones last year.

He has described his partnership as “a great step forward in representation and inclusion”.

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“I’m so grateful, excited, and nervous to be joining the Strictly 2021 family,” John Whaite said following the unveiling of his casting.

“I’ve been wearing sequins and jazzy attire since I was three years old and can’t wait to hurl myself, full throttle, around the most glamorous dance floor on earth [but] what’s more exciting for me, is that I’m going to be one half of the first all-male partnership, which is a great step forward in representation and inclusion.

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“Whoever it is I’m paired with, I hope they are up for a challenge as I want our routines to include lots of spectacular lifts.”

He also told Matt Lucas on BBC Radio 2 this morning that it was “an honour” to take part.

“When they asked me if I’d be interested, I just bit their hand off because I thought, to do that and represent the LGBTQ+ community is one thing, but also just to see two men or two women dancing together, it’s not necessarily about sexuality, it’s just about intimacy and respect,” he said.

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This the first time in the show’s 17-year history that an all-male partnership will compete / Credit: BBC Strictly

John added: “I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet and I don’t think it will until I find out who I’m actually dancing with.”

Since winning the baking competition show, John has gone on to present various TV shows and currently has a weekly cooking segment on Steph’s Packed Lunch. He has also written for a variety of newspaper and magazine publications on the topics of food and mental health, and has published five cookery books.

John joins Tom Fletcher, Robert Webb and AJ Odudu in the Strictly 2021 line-up.

Featured Image – Twitter (@BBCStrictly)

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Five genuinely cheap eats and great value-for-money lunch deals in Manchester city centre

Danny Jones Danny Jones best lunch time deals in Manchester city centre

A daily dilemma for us seems to be deciding what to have for dinner (you heard), especially as we’re all trying to save more pennies nowadays, but luckily, Manchester does have some great lunch deals if you look hard enough.

You just need to know where, and in some cases, exactly when to find them…

That’s where we come in; we’re not talking about anything close to a tenner either, as that’s more of a monthly treat and few can feasibly afford to spend that kind of money on scran every day.

So, without further ado, here are some of the best and ACTUALLY cheap lunchtime deals and offers in Manchester city centre.

Five of the best lunch offers in central Manchester

1. Vanilla Fudge – Bridge Street

Up first is an old favourite of ours that doesn’t seem to have changed over the years, no matter how much the cost of living crisis continues to linger. We’ll be honest, we first tried this place after a night out in Mojos next door way back when, but we’ve been coming ever since we saw the specials board.

It may look like one of many standard Manc butty shops/kebab houses when the sun sets, but for our money, Vanilla Fudge still has one of the best lunch deals in Manchester to this day: TWO big, well-packed wraps ‘of the day’, complete with protein, plenty of salad and your choice of sauce for just £5.50.

You’ll always find a few in the know on their break.
We always hope to see Cajun chicken as the special.
You can add cheese for an extra quid, or chips and a drink for £8.50. Bosh. (Credit: The Manc Eats)

2. Zaytoni – Multiple

Any cheap eat in Manchester that starts from under a fiver in this day and age is a winner in our books, and with Zaytoni, you can get plenty for just that and no more than a ‘bluey’; better still, their menu – be it the low-end or stuff that creeps over that amount – always slaps.

With two regularly busy sites (hardly a shock) on Oxford Road and the edge of the Northern Quarter/Piccadilly, you can get some very solid pizzas and garlic breads from between £4.50 and £7, but our advice is to go for a super-filling fatayer, with loads of fresh salad, and split one with a mate.

3. Rustica – Northern Quarter

From one simply but satisfying spot to another, you can’t do a round-up of the best deals you can grab on your dinner in Manchester city centre without mentioning the local breakfast and lunchtime institution that is Rustica over in NQ.

Run by Manc mum to many, Jeanette, she and her team have literally been given a lifetime achievement award not only for keeping their food affordable for more than 25 years now, no matter what state the economy is in – and with lines around the block almost every single day without fail, it’s no wonder.

@the.manc This spot is – and we don’t say this lightly – a Manchester institution, serving fuss-free sarnies to the people of the Northern Quarter for decades. Do you reckon anywhere does a better-value lunch than Rustica? #themanc #themanceats #manchester #nq #northernquarter #rustica #butties ♬ original sound – The Manc

4. Meridian – Spring Gardens

Next up is the still incredibly best and well-kept secret, Meridian Cafe and Bar, tucked down the side streets not far from Market and King Street, and just around the corner from Pall Mall. Well, we say ‘secret’ – it’s not really anymore, sorry… But this is some of the best halal Asian fusion in town.

That being said, it never fails to surprise us how many people haven’t heard of this place when we bring it up, and the weekly midday crowd is still relatively manageable given just how good their offer is: a massive lunch box starting from just £5.80. You can add more if you want, but trust us, you won’t need it.

‘Manchester’s best lunch deal’ that’s only available for two hours a day
The catch is, it’s only up for grabs during a specific window – find out when right here.

This and That – NQ

Last but not least, it would be nothing short of a crime to overlook one of the most legendary lunch deals in Manchester: the original rice and three offer from the storied This and That Cafe on the otherwise unsuspecting Soap Street, just around from NQ’s bustling Thomas St strip.

This place should need no introduction, really, and it may not be the only place that does this kind of offer, but with nearly four whole decades of serving up some of the tastiest curries in the city centre for cheap, this is the epitome of what we want from the Manc foodie scene on our dinner hour. Iconic.

Honourable mention

Bunny Jacksons

Last but not least, to round things up to a nice even half dozen in case none of these takes your fancy, how could we possibly forget Bunny’s? Arguably the best dive bar not just in Manchester but the entire world, this place is built on serving up great value-for-money scran, especially in hard times.

Wings from just 20p have kept us going until the end of many a long month waiting for payday, and while this place truly comes into its own come the evening when the playlist gets even louder, and the likes of bandaoke get going, it’s still a great place to nip at noon. Six is plenty, and 12 is more than enough.

We’ll cheers to that.

Read more:

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

Featured Images — The Manc Group

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You can win two VIP tickets to a Co-op Live show as part of a heartwarming Manc charity raffle

Danny Jones Danny Jones Win VIP Co-op Live tickets Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity raffle 2026

Fancy bagging yourself the posh treatment at the biggest indoor gig and live entertainment venue in the city? Well, you can do just that by entering the latest Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity raffle, which is offering a pair of VIP tickets to a Co-op Live show.

All you have to do is simply do your bit for a crucial local cause.

It’s one that we’ve worked closely with in the past on many occasions: the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, which helps house rough sleepers across the region.

Teaming up with The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness – which was created specifically to generate funds for this ongoing crisis – as well as an upcoming community social, all you have to do to be in with a chance is put your name down for a cheap raffle ticket.

Writing in the caption of the post, the Mayor’s Charity has revealed that “Cross Club Social and The Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness are teaming up to raffle off 2x VIP Co-op Live tickets to a show of your choosing.”

That’s right, not just any random show – you get to pick which one you fancy going along to in style.

As it goes on to explain: “Entries are £5, with proceeds going towards ‘A Bed Every Night’ via The Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness.”

With the 2026 edition of the annual fundraising relay event, on behalf of Greater Manchester’s homeless community, taking place this November (find out more on the GMMC website and keep up to date with us here at The Manc for the latest) they’re hoping to get the donations going nice and early.

For anyone unaware, the Cross Club Social, or ‘XCS’, has been going for a few years now; it brings together runners from all over the 10 boroughs for a big post-race party, all whilst raising money for charitable organisations.

The next edition will be taking place this Friday, 19 June, over at the award-winning Fairfield Social Club, where an all-day party will run, pardon the pun, well into the night.

Better still, entrants into the raffle don’t have to wait long to find out if they’re a winner, as the lucky recipient is set to be announced the following Saturday (20 Jun) after the big shindig over on the XCS Instagram page.

The Mayor’s Charity team signed off by adding, “Good luck and together, we will end homelessness” – a mission that many Manc groups, especially, have been working so hard to make possible in recent times.

For instance, last year alone, the aforementioned 24 Hour Run, whose team will be in attendance and taking donations for at XCS 2026, generated a whopping £70k, and the total tally has now reached truly life-changing sums.

As for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity raffle, you can grab a ticket HERE for just a fiver to secure your chance to go along to a VIP night at Co-op Live. Fingers crossed!

The Manchester 24 Hour Run raises over £70,000 for the region’s homeless community
Find out more about these incredible campaigners.

Read more:

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

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Cross Club Social MCR

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