Manchester comedian Jason Manford has spoken out to defend actress Sheridan Smith after people have been blasting her for being “on TV a lot”.
Since the start of 2022, the acclaimed Lincolnshire-born actress – who is probably most famous for starring on cult Manchester sitcoms The Royle Family, and Two Pits of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, as well as supporting roles on Gavin & Stacey, and Benidorm – has appeared on our TV screens on four separate occasions.
She first starred in three-part BBC drama Four Lives at the very start of January, before Channel 5’s miniseries The Teacher was shown over four successive evenings later that month, and the first episode of ITV drama No Return began airing last week.
Smith is also currently the co-presenter of ITV reality competition show Starstruck, alongside Manford himself.
It’s fair to say that her numerous starring roles and television appearances this year have seen Smith take a lot of flack on social media in recent weeks, both from people poking a bit of fun at the situation, while others have been a little more critical.
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One person even joked that they’ve “seen more of Sheridan Smith than [their] family recently.”
Sheridan Smith playing Sheridan Smith in new ITV drama ‘Sheridan’ directed by Sheridan Smith and produced by Sheridan Smith Productions.
The year is 2031. Sheridan Smith is now on every programme on British television. TV has been renamed Smithbox. The licence fee has been scrapped, but we all have to pay a Sheridan Tax instead,
But Manford has found some of the criticisms of Smith to be rather unfair, and has taken to Twitter over the weekend to defend the actress and urge people to “chill out”.
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In his tweet, the Manchester-born comedian, actor, and presenter told Smith’s critics that the fact she has appeared on TV so frequently this year is “not something she’s in charge of” and that it was the decision of “some scheduler” that the shows were aired so close together.
He then told people that “she’s excellent”, and we’re “lucky to have her”.
Manford said: “Seen a few comments about Sheridan being on TV a lot this week [and] it’s not sommat she’s in charge of, she would’ve filmed those 3 excellent shows last year and some scheduler decided they went on this week.
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“So chill out – also she’s excellent and you’re lucky to have her.”
Manford’s tweet has gone on to amass hundreds of likes, retweets, and comments from others agreeing with his comments.
Smith’s The Royle Family and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps co-star Ralf Little also responded to Manford’s tweet in defence of Smith, adding: “Such a weird comment isn’t it. Even if you didn’t like an actor, the idea that they have any say in when TV shows end up getting aired is ridiculous.
“It will have taken her the best part of a year to film all of that.”
Such a weird comment isn’t it. Even if you didn’t like an actor, the idea that they have any say in when tv shows end up getting aired is ridiculous. It will have taken her the best part of a year to film all of that.
Manford’s tweet has also been inundated with people singing Smith’s praises.
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One person tweeted: “Sheridan Smith a working class lass that made it. She will always be a success story in my eyes. Works hard and is one of our greatest actresses. Never a bad word for her from this Northern boy.”
Another added: “I’m delighted we have Sheridan – so versatile, makes me laugh, makes me cry, amazing lady, beautiful voice, what can’t she do?”
“Sheridan Smith is an outstanding actress, so the more we get of her the better,” a third said.
TV presenter Jeremy Vine also added in response to Manford: “I agree with this. Sheridan Smith is unbelievably good at everything she does and her range is remarkable. Haters, go and hate on someone more deserving.”
I agree with this. Sheridan Smith is unbelievably good at everything she does and her range is remarkable. Haters, go and hate on someone more deserving. Go Sheridan xx https://t.co/tpHxReGwuA
I know Sheridan Smith has been on our screens a lot so far this year, but I'm here for it. She's easily one of the best actors we've got, so if she wants to launch a new drama every week, I see no problem with that.
‘Nothing is eternal’: Is Pep Guardiola hinting at the end of Manchester City’s supremacy?
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola looks to have suggested that more than a decade of Manchester City’s supremacy and Premier League dominance at the very least might be coming to an end.
Speaking in his post-match press interviews after City were knocked out of the Champions League by serial European Cup winners Real Madrid, Guardiola cut a somewhat more deflated figure than usual following the 3-1 defeat.
A Kylian Mbappe hattrick which was closed out within an hour of play was enough to stretch the aggregate score to 6-3 over the two legs and Madrid doubling their lead across the tie proved yet again why, not unlike City domestically over the last decade, they’re the kings of the continental competition.
In contrast, however, Pep seemed to accept the loss much more easily than perhaps we’ve seen in the past and rather than appearing familiarly frustrated or defiant in the press conference; instead, he seemed rather reflective, responding to one reporter: “Nothing is eternal”.
🗣️ "Nothing is eternal" – Pep Guardiola.
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Insisting that they have to decide whether a significant rebuild is needed to keep competing at the very top level consistently as they have done since the 54-year-old arrived back in 2016, he argued that it is only with that they’ll be able to determine what comes next.
As for the result itself, he made no bones about Carlo Ancelotti’s side having “deserved it”, stating simply that “the best team won” and that fans and players alike have to “accept the reality: they were better.”
Having been a familiar foe for Pep long before he arrived in Manchester, both at Barcelona and Bayern Munich – not to mention City having faced Los Blancos a dozen times before Tuesday night since 2012 – there have been less surprising outcomes for supporters to come to terms with.
“With time, the club and everyone is going to accept what it is but for now we have 30/40 games for the Premier League next season to try and be here [in the Champions League] and to improve. Nothing is eternal”, said the Catalan coaching genius.
On the other hand, he also went on to add that it was merely a reflection on the night itself and not what his team have achieved in recent years.
He went on to remark that “when we were playing outstanding it hurt more” to be knocked out of the UCL when he felt they deserved to stay in it, but still insisted: “We have been unbelievable and we have to try step by step to get better from today.” Tonight just wasn’t the night.
Who knows? Perhaps it was just some more melodrama from a manager with an undeniable flare for pageantry and playing into/in the face of narratives when he doesn’t come out on top – which hasn’t happened all that often until their dip in form this season.
Plus, there’s certainly still plenty for him and the fans to be positive about; not only has the arrival of their ‘Egyptian Prince’ and the media’s Mo Salah successor, Omar Marmoush, got plenty of people excited – especially after that first-half hattrick against Newcastle – but so too have the other January signings.
In fact, for all of his downplaying in this particular presser (which you can hear in full HERE), it felt like there were only upsides after their victory over Newcastle, even going so far as to dub new signing Nico Gonzalez a ‘mini-Rodri‘.
You can watch the highlights from the game down below:
Pep is right, nothing is eternal – but sometimes you just come up against talents like Mbappe and there’s very little anyone can do about it.
Shepherd’s pie named among classic British dishes that could be ‘extinct’ within the next decade
Emily Sergeant
Shepherd’s pie has been named among the classic British dishes that could be ‘extinct’ within the next 10 years.
From a hearty roast dinner on a Sunday, to a slap-up full English breakfast to start the day, classic British dishes have become staples on dinner tables across the nation, all known and loved for their comforting flavours and cultural significance… but apparently, Google searches for ‘shepherd’s pie recipe’ are down 55% in the past year, indicating that less and less people looking to create this traditional dish at home.
So with this in mind, air fryer giants Ninja Kitchen decided to carry out a new study by surveying 2,000 people and studying search trends for popular British dishes to uncover which meals are still loved, and which might be nothing more than a distant memory.
Shockingly, the new study revealed that shepherd’s pie could be facing extinction from early as 2027, with several other favourites dying out within a decade.
Shepherd’s pie takes the fifth spot on the top 10 list, as according to the study, the dish is experiencing a 0.76% weekly decline, and due to the fact only 5% of Brits would name it a ‘favourite’, this classic risks extinction by 2027.
Shepherd’s pie has been named among the classic British dishes that could be ‘extinct’ within the next decade / Credit: Dennis J Wilkinson | Steven Depolo
Another shocker on the list has to been the beloved veggie dish cheese and onion pie, which takes the ninth spot thanks to its 0.41% weekly decline in searches.
However, the majority of the other dishes making up the top 10 list tend to be regional delicacies or dishes that are popular within certain dietary preferences, such as Glamorgan sausage – which takes the number one spot, with a 2% weekly search decline – Tatws Pum Munud, a nut roast, and a vegan roast dinner.
57% of the nation would be sad to see British staples fade away, according to the study, but 31% do appreciate the evolution of food trends.
The study also revealed that the growing popularity of takeaway and convenience food is the leading reason why people are moving away from traditional classics such as shepherd’s pie, with nearly half (46%) of respondents citing it as their main reason.
Emily Sergeant -
14th February 2022 
