It won’t be a title to shout about from the rooftops, but Blackpool has been named one of the worst seaside towns in the UK.
In what is grim reading for the North, The Telegraph has this week published a list of what it considers to be the top 20 best and worst seaside towns in the UK, giving each place on the list a ranking out of 100 – and Blackpool has, unfortunately, found itself quite close to the bottom.
The much-loved Lancashire resort has come in at number 17.
With a pretty brutal ranking of 22/100, claiming number 17 on The Telegraph’s list effectively means Blackpool has been named the fourth worst seaside town in the UK.
Sharing a top five spot with fellow Lancashire town Morecambe, and a place in the top 10 alongside Southport in the North West, Tyneside’s South Shields, Lincolnshire’s Cleethorpes, and North Yorkshire’s Scarborough, Blackpool is not only the most populous town in Lancashire, but according to The Telegraph, is also “one of the most storied in the UK”.
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Blackpool has been named one of the top five worst seaside towns in the UK / Credit: Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Described as having “pavements littered with tales of hedonism and high jinks, as much as poverty and neglect”, Blackpool is credited by the publication for having invented the “working-class weekend break” and serving as a “laughter lab” for generations of famous comedians.
The paper, surprisingly, even called the town “sort of sophisticated” – but only if you “ignore” the Pleasure Beach’s iconic Big One rollercoaster that looms over it.
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Giving a run-down of why Blackpool has been named in the top five worst seaside town’s in the UK, The Telegraph explains that it’s “too big to fail”, adding: “With the Illuminations, the Tower, Strictly glitz, a branch of Madame Tussauds, heavily made-up gay and trans scenes and stag and hen groups, Blackpool isn’t a sedate escape.
“A walk along its long prom in summer is like featuring in a documentary called Mad, Bad, Sad, Glad Modern Britain.”
The Lancashire resort is described as having “pavements littered with tales of hedonism and high jinks” / Credit: FreeImages | Geograph
The publication claims the town is “too idiosyncratic, too well-loved (and loathed), too generous to fit one style or market”, and rounded out the review claiming that even if you spent “£10 billion gentrifying” the place, it wouldn’t make much of a difference.
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“All you’d get is Miami with rain and donkeys,” the description concludes.
On the other end of the spectrum, St Ives in Cornwall took the number one spot on the list with a rating of 98/100, while Southwold, Whitstable, Lyme Regis, and North Berwick completed the rest of the top five.
ITV confirms release date for new single parents dating show dubbed ‘middle-aged Love Island’
Emily Sergeant
ITV has confirmed that its brand-new dating series for single parents is officially a thing, and it’s hitting our screens later this year.
It had long been rumoured that ITV had a somewhat Love Island-inspired spin-off series geared more towards those looking for love in the middle of their lives in the works, with reports hotly-tipping it to hit screens soon first surfacing back in July of last year – but nothing was actually set in stone at that point.
Then it was revealed back in January that, after months of speculation, all the rumours were true, as the broadcaster was actively casting for contestants and calling on single parents across the UK to get their applications in.
Already having been dubbed “middle-aged Love Island”, but previously called the working title of The Romance Retreat, ITV explained when it first put out the casting call that the new series would see a group of “vibrant single parents” from across the UK all meet under one roof, and that it was set to be the only dating show where they can search for love in a safe space.
Now, coming up to six months after that initial casting call, ITV has confirmed that the long-awaited series is finally set to hit TV screens later this autumn.
Given the new official title of My Mum, Your Dad, and hosted by legendary TV presenter Davina McCall, ITV took to social media yesterday to reveal that the “secret is finally out”.
Teasing a little more information about the new show, ITV explained: “My Mum, Your Dad is a brand-new series following a group of single parents looking for a second chance at love. They’ve been nominated by their grown-up kids, but what they don’t know is that their kids are watching their every move, playing matchmaker and holding cushions over their faces as they watch the shenanigans.”
An exact release date for the show is expected to be announced by ITV in due course, so you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled.
Featured Image – ITV
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Matty Healy delivers perfect reply to being called a ‘slack-jawed f***wit’ by Noel Gallagher live on stage
Danny Jones
Matty Healy is once again poking the beehive and after being called a “slack-jawed f***wit’ by Noel Gallagher, The 1975 frontman delivered the perfect comedic response to his comments.
Healy was on stage in Dublin on Wednesday, 7 June, essentially warming up for himself after American singer Caroline Polachek had to pull out of the show, playing an hour of additional 1975 songs that didn’t make it onto the headline setlist.
A much more informal set than the main show — just Matty, a guitar, a keyboard his laptop and a little help from bandmate Jamie Squire — he spent lots of time chatting with the crowd and at one point, addressed the Manc music legend’s recent roasting.
The former Oasis songwriter and guitarist was sitting down with The Spin when the interviewer asked what he made of Matty Healy’s comments that he and brother Liam should “stop marding” and get back together — to which Noel said: “Oh, that slack-jawed f***wit… He needs to get over how shit his band is and split up.” Bit harsh but the 34-year-old seemed to take it in stride and had his own cold comeback.
Clearly enjoying having riled up the 56-year-old, Healy fired back by saying “The difference between me and Noel is I do a series of interviews to promote an album, whereas he does an album to promote a series of interviews”.
As one person posted in the comments, “I’m not the biggest 1975 fan but he’s absolutely mugged him off here”, and a lot of people tended to agree.
Healy did assure the cheering crowd that he and the band all “love Noel Gallagher” and claimed that they even “asked Liam to open up for [them] but he was busy” — we would have paid good money to see that happen.
Nevertheless, we’re certainly enjoying this hilarious little spat between the two and whatever you make of the two of them, they sure. Also, Matty’s right, the Gallagher bros should just get over it already and give the people what they want: an Oasis reunion. One day, we can always pray.
Emily Sergeant -
21st March 2023 
