After growing up on the silver screen, former Shameless star Jody Latham has announced he’ll be making a return to acting this year.
The Burnley-born actor – who shot to fame as the smart-mouthed tearaway teenager Philip ‘Lip’ Gallagher in the long-running Channel 4 comedy-drama Shameless set on the fictional Chatsworth Estate in Manchester – made headlines at the back end of last year after it was revealed that he now owns a business empire worth £18 million, but he was also sure to tease that he wasn’t finished with acting, and hoped “there’s more to come” in the future after his “fantastic career”.
And now it’s been confirmed that he will have a leading role in a new movie set in the 1950s about the Teddy Boys.
The 39-year-old actor turned entrepreneur – who has recently carved out a successful career in cosmetics and aesthetics, and even donated thousands of face masks to care homes and charities across the North West to help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) through his company Safe and Protect UK – will begin shooting the film later this year.
It will focus on black culture and how it has shaped Britain today.
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The film is being developed by Jody himself, alongside fellow Burnley native Lucien Laviscount, 28, who played Sophie Webster’s love interest Ben Richardson in the iconic Manchester soap and pupil Jonah Kirby in the Rochdale-based BBC school drama Waterloo Road, before going on to feature in the American thriller show Scream Queens.
The pair are currently in the United Arab Emirates to gain further funding for the film.
This film is set to be the next in a long line of acting roles Jody has had to his name over the years.
In 2011, he played pimp Rob Grayson in a controversial sex exploitation storyline in EastEnders, and in 2017 he was reunited with Shameless creator Paul Abbott on the police drama No Offence, where he played Aidan McGee in the Channel 4 show, also set in Manchester.
But of course, he made his name playing Lip, the eldest of Frank Gallagher’s children, in the groundbreaking show Shameless, which ran from 2004 to 2013, and went on to win BAFTAs and British Comedy awards at the height of its popularity.
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The show even gained new eyes after it began screening on Netflix during lockdown too.
When asked previously about the possibility of the iconic show making a reunion, Jody said: “Why not? Never say never. A lot of the serious themes Shameless touched upon are still incredibly relevant today.
“I saw that Luther might be hitting the big screen, maybe we’ll be next.
“If there’s a story to be told, I’m sure Paul will tell it and I’ve always got time to chat to him.”
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Stockport County are hosting huge World Cup screenings at Edgeley Park
Danny Jones
Stockport County are set to host one of the biggest World Cup screenings in Greater Manchester this year, with the nearby football club opening up their very own ground at Edgeley Park to host some huge watchalong parties.
And before you ask, no – you won’t be watching from the pitch, sorry.
Still, a dozen large TVs, loads of great street food and free-flowing drinks, not to mention plenty of stadium-level atmosphere, we’d absolutely call this the next best thing.
With the 2026 World Cup and a whole summer packed with sporting tournaments coming up, ‘The Hatters’ will be creating their own home camp to help cheer on the national squad.
As you can see, while you won’t quite be out of their on the turf for yourselves, and outrageous ‘scam’ ticket prices mean even fewer England supporters will likely be flying out to watch the boys in person, the Stockport side will be doing their best to create a proper good crowd.
Taking over the County Courtyard – the team’s dedicated social hub for before and after games, which opened back in 2022 – the local League One side will be turning this into a Three Lions fan zone for each and every game they play in the tournament.
Fingers crossed they give us plenty of rounds to witness, eh?…
Anyone who’s been to Edgeley Park‘s County Courtyard or simply even seen the scenes online will know how busy this place can get on a matchday, so just imagine what it will be like with the big screens showing the all-important games.
With resident cult figure ‘Chef John’ cooking up street food scran inspired by the cuisine and cultures that will be hosting this year’s World Cup, and a special, not to mention brand-new, US-inspired beer in collaboration with natives Runaway Brewery, it’s a great lineup – we just pray Thomas Tuchel matches it.
Credit: Publicity pictures (supplied via Stockport County Football Club)
Doors open at 6pm for all fixtures, and The Courtyard will remain open until midnight; with tickets starting from just a fiver for the group stage, you’d be foolish not to at least consider it.
If England do make it through to the knockouts, each following fixture will obviously be shown on the box, too, with tickets then rising to £10 per game (Edgeley Park is also a fully cashless venue).
You can find out more information about what will be on offer and find the ticket link right HERE.
As for Stopfordians and regular season ticket-holders, they’ll no doubt be gutted to hear that manager Dave Challinor has now departed SK3 after a hugely productive five-year stint – here’s hoping a great World Cup can help lift some spirits.
Memories that will last a lifetime 💙
We wish Dave and his family every success in the future – they will always be welcome back at Edgeley Park 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ZxcH5Keag9
— Stockport County (@StockportCounty) June 1, 2026
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Stockport County FC (supplied)
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Two towns around an hour away from Manchester named ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home
Emily Sergeant
Two towns that are around an hour away from Manchester have been named among the ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home.
It’s all according to the latest analysis by consumer watchdog Which?, and Lloyds bank.
Getting onto the property ladder remains a struggle for many first time buyers, especially following increases to mortgage rates since the start of spring – but where you buy can make a huge difference, according to Which?, and now new research from Lloyds has revealed the cheapest areas to buy your first home.
Some of the locations on the list are even averaging less than half the price of homes in London, proving the North West is where you want to be to get your foot on the property ladder.
According to research from Lloyds Bank, the most affordable place for first time buyers in the UK is East Ayrshire in Scotland.
But when it comes to the North West, Blackpool is not only the most affordable area in region – ranking at number three on the list – but it’s also the cheapest in the whole of England too, beating Kingston upon Hull by just a few hundred pounds.
Two towns around an hour away from Manchester have been named among the ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home / Credit: Benjamin Elliott | Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
The average first time buyer price in Blackpool is £150,780, according to the research.
Following Blackpool, ranking at sixth place on the list, is Hyndburn in Lancashire – which is actually a local Government district with borough status, that encompasses towns like Accrington and Great Harwood – with an average first time buyer price of £155,911.
Along with the most affordable areas for first time buyers, Lloyds has also calculated the areas with the youngest first time buyers too – and the North West also takes that title,
In the UK as a whole, the average age of a first time buyer is now 32, however buyers in some parts of the country are getting onto the property ladder much earlier than others, particularly in more affordable areas outside major cities.
The area with the youngest first time buyers is the Ribble Valley, according to Lloyds.
The largest town in this Lancashire district is Clitheroe, on the edge of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, and in less than 40 minutes by car, you can get to Preston, Blackburn, and Burnley, so it’s a pretty well-connected place for also being so affordable.
Emily Sergeant -
18th January 2021 
