Bobby Ball was often known to joke about having a statue in his favourite seaside resort, and now he’s about to get his wish granted.
The Oldham-born comedian and actor – whose real name was Robert Harper and who sadly died at the age of 76 in October of this year – had moved to the popular Lancashire seaside town of Lytham more than 25 years ago after falling in love with the place while working in nearby Blackpool with his comedy partner Tommy Cannon in the 1980s.
Comedy double act Cannon and Ball rose from playing working men’s clubs, to hosting their own Saturday night ITV show in the 1980s.
After dropping out of the spotlight in the 1990s, Ball found new fame as the father of fellow comic Lee Mack’s character in the BBC sitcom Not Going Out, and also had roles in Last of the Summer Wine and Heartbeat, as well as being known for twanging his braces on stage, while saying: “Rock on, Tommy.”
But despite his illustrious career, there was still one dream he was yet to achieve – a statue in Lytham.
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Now, to ensure his legacy lives on, Fylde Council has now voted to erect that statue outside the town’s The Lowther Pavilion theatre, and his widow Yvonne Harper said she was “over the moon [and] Bob would have been elated”.
How brilliant is this?
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Remembering Bobby ✨
A Notice of Motion has been put forward for consideration at Full Council on 7th December to install a statue of Bobby in Lowther Gardens to honour his memory.
The statue will be the second dedication to Ball on the Lancashire coast, as his catchphrases – “You little liar!” and “Rock on, Tommy” – and name form part of Blackpool’s Comedy Carpet.
Speaking on the statue tribute, Mrs Harper said he “used to gag” about how he would be remembered, “saying ‘I want a statue in Lytham'”, adding: “He used to say to people ‘where’s my statue, where’s my statue?’ [and] I used to reply ‘you’re not dead yet Bob.'”
She added that the statue would feature Ball’s trademark red braces and something she had specifically asked for.
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“I want it to show the twinkle in his eye,” she said.
The Lowther Pavilion
Karen Buckley – Leader of Fylde Council – said Lytham’s adopted son had left a “legacy of joy and kindness”, adding: “This statue will ensure he can go on giving joy to the area and visitors long after he took his final bow,”.
An authority spokesman said it was not known when the statue would be erected, but it would be paid for by public appeal and council funds.
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Aldi has launched the world’s first lickable pigs in blankets wrapping paper… for some reason
Emily Sergeant
Aldi has launched its latest Christmas creation, and this one’s arguably wackier than anything else it’s brought out before.
There’s absolutely no denying that pigs in blankets are a staple of festive feasting, with millions of the little delicacies consumed throughout the UK each Christmas, but have you ever wished you could turn the taste of those pigs in blankets into a lickable wrapping paper to wrap all this year’s gifts in? Yeah probably not… Aldi‘s made it though.
It’s anticipated that more than 561 million pigs in blankets are going to be eaten over the festive period, new research has found, which is an average of 10 per person.
But if you just can’t bare to leave the taste of pigs in blankets behind, Aldi’s new wrapping paper is set to give shoppers a fun and tasty twist when it comes to gift-giving.
The limited-edition wrapping paper is inspired by Aldi’s very-own range of pigs in blankets, and is described as capturing the smoky, savoury flavour and smell of the festive treat, with stickers that peel back to reveal a truly unique ‘lickable’ experience.
Aldi has launched the world’s first lickable pigs in blankets wrapping paper / Credit: Simon Jacobs/PA Wire (via Aldi UK)
Not only does the novelty wrapping paper taste and smells like pigs in blankets, it also looks the part on presents too with its pastel pink design, festive holly, and snowflake patterns.
“Pigs in Blankets are a highlight of the festive season… so we wanted to create something special to celebrate the Christmas classic,” commented Julie Ashfield, who is the Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, as the new creation launches.
“This unique, lickable wrapping paper is the perfect way to spread extra joy on Christmas Day.”
Want to get your hands on it then? Unfortunately, it won’t be as simple as popping to your nearest Aldi store and picking up a roll, as with a creation as unique as this, there’s only going to be limited stock and a special shopper competition to win it.
To be in with a chance of winning, you simply need to email [email protected] with your full name before the deadline at 11:59pm on 1 December.
If you’re a lucky winner, you’ll be notified via email by 12 December, just in time to get wrapping gifts for the big day.
Featured Image – Simon Jacobs (via Aldi UK)
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Oasis and adidas drop yet more new merch in the Live ’25 collection
Danny Jones
The Oasis and adidas love affair isn’t over just yet; it isn’t going anywhere, as the legendary Manc band group and global sports apparel franchise are releasing another batch of merch as part of the smash-hit Live ’25 collection.
After shirts, shoes, jackets and bucket hats galore sold out all over the world, adidas is now toasting not only the end of the reunion world tour but “the year that was Oasis” with a second drop in the already iconic crossover.
If you passed through Manchester at all during their Heaton Park homecoming run, you will have no doubt seen countless examples of the ‘adidas Originals x Oasis’ football shirt collaboration alone, not to mention several other bits of fashion in the official Live ’25 fashion line.
Now, just in time for Christmas, there’s a whole new set being introduced into the range of casual wear.
Simply titled ‘Oasis Live ‘25 Drop 2’, the latest additions to the adidas Originals collection are releasing next month and, obviously, will be sold in stores and online.
While the pop-up stores that opened up here in the city centre all over have now shut up shop, Greater Manchester’s adidas locations on Market Street – which turned into an Oasis fan paradise this past summer – and Pear Mill in Stockport will still be stocking the various bits of Britpop clobber.
Although the most recent items will be exclusively available domestically for now, they will be rolled out overseas in 2026.
Considering how quickly most of it sold out last time, you can guarantee most of the options to fly off the shelves just as fast here in the UK.
Honestly, we’ve only just managed to get our hands on the standard black ‘jacquard jersey’.
As you can see, a good chunk of the second drop is that same footy shirt in different colours and other tees in different lengths/variations.
Scheduled to launch on Friday, 12 December, the ‘Oasis x adidas Originals Live ‘25 Drop 2’ will go on sale at 9am sharpish, so you’d best get ready for a scrap in that digital queue.
Naturally, fans, fashionistas and collectors can expect virtually identical costs for the majority of pieces (and buying in-person will obviously help keep the cost down), though it does look like some price points have been adjusted.
As for the Live ’25 tour itself, now that the dust has settled on the ‘Oasis Mania‘ take two, Liam himself has taken to social media to express his gratitude in the most Gallagher way possible…
Emily Sergeant -
9th December 2020 
