A new interactive attraction is set to bring the beloved characters from The Gruffalo & Friends to a new home on Blackpool’s seafront this summer.
Merlin Entertainments, Magic Light Pictures, and Blackpool Council have announced that they are to join forces and create the world’s-first ‘The Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse’ on the seafront at the popular Lancashire resort.
The fan-favourite characters from creators Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s books will be brought to life like never before.
Having been 18-months in the making, the brand-new £2.3 million attraction will bring together six of the best loved stories to create “an indoor play adventure like no other”.
Exciting news this morning. A brand-new world class attraction will launch on Blackpool’s seafront this May.
In a world first, The Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse will bring together six of the best loved stories to create an indoor play adventure like no other.
According to the creators of the attraction, families will get to burst through the pages of some of their favourite stories and into a magical 3D world.
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From The Gruffalo’s deep dark wood, to Princess Pearl’s castle in Zog, visitors will be taken on an “adventure of imagination, discovery, and play” as they join their favourite characters, with some of the exciting interactive play zones being inspired by The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, Zog, The Snail and the Whale, Room on the Broom and The Highway Rat.
The brand-new attraction will include different play zones suitable for children under 10, with a toddler play area that’s specifically-designed for those under three.
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New £2.3 million Gruffalo & Friends interactive attraction to open in Blackpool / Credit: Magic Light Pictures
“We are incredibly excited to bring some of the UK’s best loved children’s characters to Blackpool,” said Kate Shane – Regional Director for Merlin Entertainments.
“Blackpool is the UK’s number one family seaside resort and this latest partnership with a globally recognised brand will provide compelling new reasons for visitors to come to Blackpool.
“The Gruffalo and other characters from the world of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler will be amongst brilliant company alongside our already strong cluster of family attractions on the resort.”
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Creators of the attraction say it’ll be “an indoor play adventure like no other” / Credit: Magic Light Pictures
She also said the attraction and the significant investment into the town “further supports Merlin’s strategic growth plans”, and will bring even more job opportunities and economic benefit to the local community and wider North West region.
The new Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse is set to take shape next door to SEA LIFE Blackpool, and will join Merlin Entertainment’s seven other attractions in Blackpool, as part of the company’s plan to make the town a “destination for families of all ages from both the UK and abroad”
The attraction will open its doors in May 2023.
Featured Image – Magic Light Pictures
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Featured Image – Altitude
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Bury actress Kate O’Flynn wins big at 2026 Emmys with record-breaking comedy show
Emily Sergeant
Did you know that one of the big winners at the 2026 Emmy Awards last night was actually an actress from Bury?
In case it wasn’t on your radar, American television‘s biggest night, the Emmys, took place yesterday evening over in Los Angeles, and several records were broken in the process – including Apple TV’s comedy horror Widow’s Bay taking home the most Emmys ever for a single series of a comedy show, with 14 of them.
Widow’s Bay tells the story of mayor Tom Loftis, played by Welsh actor Matthew Rhys, who is trying to boost tourism on his rugged New England island, but must navigate several strange events that suggest it might be cursed.
Created by Katie Dippold, and executive produced and directed by Hiro Murai, Widow’s Bay was released in late April to widespread critical acclaim.
At the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards last night, the show scooped a record 14 awards, including for Outstanding Comedy Series, several acting wins, and wins for directing and writing too.
One of those acting wins was Kate O’Flynn for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – an actress who hails from the Greater Manchester town of Bury.
Kate stars as Patricia Moyer, mayor Tom’s eccentric assistant in the show.
She grew up in Holcombe Brook near Ramsbottom, and was educated at Bury Grammar School, before she went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Acting in 2006.
Taking to the stage to accept her award last night, Kate said in her speech: “I want to thank our mayor [Matthew Rhys] and all the residents of Widow’s Bay, in front and behind the camera – you’re amazing. This is the role of a lifetime, thank you Katie and Hiro for trusting a Lancashire lass to play a sassy broad like Patricia. And thank you Apple [TV] for saying yes.
“Thank you Nicky and Tony for looking after me, my family back home, my mum and dad, and the loves of my life, my husband and our darling daughter – another sassy broad in the making.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd February 2023 
