The people of Manchester have spoken and they’ve crowned legendary Bolton-born stand up comic and actor Peter Kay as their favourite ever UK comedian.
Taking the top spot in Manchester’s heart but undoubtedly loved by millions right across the country thanks to his classic observational humour, quick-wit, quotable one-liners, and uncanny character representation in some of the most beloved TV shows and films of the last two decades, Peter Kay is treasure worth celebrating and a seriously worthy winner.
Do you agree with this? Who would be your top pick?
Peter Kay’s new title as Mancunian’s favourite comedian was unveiled as part of a survey commissioned to celebrate the iconic Comic Relief Red Nose Day, which takes place this year on Friday 19th March and is aiming to bring “joy and humour to homes”, all whilst raising money to help people who are “struggling now more than ever”.
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The survey also found that Mancs apparently get “a buzz off our hometown’s sense of humour” as 24% of us stated that jokes relating to Greater Manchester made us laugh the most.
When it comes to other types of comedy, almost a third (29%) of Mancunians enjoy one-liner humour the most, whilst a fifth (20%) revealed that they enjoyed observational humour the most – both of which are well-known features of Peter Kay’s stand-up routines.
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Channel 4 / BBC
And if there’s one thing that seems to unite the entire country, it’s sarcasm.
Perhaps it isn’t the lowest form of wit after all, as over a quarter (26%) of Brits said it was the type of humour they enjoyed the most.
That’s not all either, as the survey also unveiled the regions of the UK where Brits think the funniest people are most likely to come from.
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Unsurprisingly to us, of course, the North West has taken the top spot – was there ever any doubt?
Perhaps not the greatest outcome for Mancunians to hear as a follow-up to that brilliant regional achievement though is that Liverpool – the birthplace of John Bishop, Ken Dodd and Kenny Everett – came out as city with the best sense of humour and ‘the comedy capital of the country’, thanks to the poll of 2,000 adults.
With just over two weeks to go, Comic Relief is calling on Mancunians to support Red Nose Day, as the annual fundraiser will this year help to tackle issues including homelessness, hunger, domestic abuse, and mental health problems, all of which have been exacerbated by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, in the UK and around the world.
Speaking ahead of the big day, Sir Lenny Henry – co-founder of Comic Relief – said: “This year, Red Nose Day will be a bit different.
“We all need cheering up, and of course we want to raise as much money as possible for people who really need it in the UK and around the world, but we also want to make you smile and bring you some laughter over the coming weeks”.
You can get involved with this year’s Red Nose Day via the Comic Relief website here.
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8 million Brits are predicted to write their Christmas cards using AI this year, new research finds
Emily Sergeant
Millions of Brits are predicted to use AI to help them write their Christmas cards this year.
According to some new Royal Mail research, AI is most likely to be used for researching gifts (19%), festive party ideas (13%), and decoration inspiration (13%) throughout this festive season, but in what is a revelation many will find surprising – and even alarming – it’ll even be used for the timeless tradition of sending Christmas cards.
2,000 UK adults who celebrate Christmas were surveyed by the postal service early last month on how they plan to make use of technology this festive season.
The new research found that 11% of respondents will be using AI to help write the messages for their Christmas cards, which works out to be around eight million people.
It’s the under-55s who are driving the trend, as you can probably imagine – with 57% of this age group planning to lean on AI for guidance, compared to just 14% of those over 55.
Oh, and you’ll want to keep an extra eye on the Christmas cards that come from the men in your life too, as men are 67% more likely than women to use AI to help them.
Eight million Brits are predicted to write their Christmas cards using AI this year / Credit: KoolShooters
Although it may be largely frowned upon, it’s fairly easy to see why people are turning to tech to find the right words, as the Royal Mail’s research found that nearly one in five (19%) Brits say they don’t know what to write in cards, and this figure rises even further to 31% when it comes to 18-24-year-olds.
Despite the use of AI as a helping hand, three quarters of Brits (74%) do still think it’s important to keep the tradition of sending handwritten Christmas cards alive.
“AI is becoming part of everyday life for many people,” says technology journalist and broadcaster, Georgie Barrat. “So it’s natural we’ll see it used during the festive season. When it comes to writing cards, it can help you go beyond a simple ‘Merry Christmas’ and choose words that feel more unique.
“Often, people know what they want to say – they just need a little help expressing it.”
Richard Travers, who is the Managing Director of Letters at Royal Mail, concluded: “No matter what you include in your card, or how you choose to write your message, cards are truly a way of spreading festive cheer.”
Featured Image – Richard Bell (via Unsplash)
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Manchester’s 2025 Christmas Parade in pictures as tens of thousands turn out for festive event
Emily Sergeant
Tens of thousands of residents flocked to the city centre this past weekend for Manchester’s annual Christmas Parade.
Over the past few years since it first took place in 2022, Manchester Christmas Parade has become a festive favourite with both locals and visitors alike, and with more than 400 participants and performers gracing the city’s main shopping streets this year, it’s really not hard to see why it’s a much-loved fixture in the city’s countdown to Christmas.
Seen by many as the heartwarming event of the festive season, Manchester Christmas Parade was even ‘bigger and better’ than last year’s fantastic crowdpleaser.
Even a drop of the classic Manchester rain didn’t stop play on the day, as the fabulous festive Parade made its way through the packed city streets to the smiles and cheers of all those watching.
Despite the Manchester weather, tens of thousands of you turned out to make Sunday’s Christmas Parade truly magical. 🎅 👼 🥁
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the heart-warming event of the season.
“I remember thinking at the end of our fabulous Manchester Christmas Parade last year that we would never be able to top it,” commented Cllr Pat Karney, Manchester City Council’s Christmas spokesperson. “But this year’s parade has been off-the-scale brilliant – it was so much fun and you could see how much all the children loved it.
“The city centre was heaving, it felt like millions of Mancs had turned out for the parade, and what a performance we put on for them.”
The streets were filled with music and laughter this year, as well as the return of Manchester’s very-own Elf Express, complete with VIP passenger Santa hitching a ride on his way to the North Pole, together with his trusty team of elves.
Tens of thousands of people turned out for Manchester Christmas Parade 2025 this past weekend / Credit: Manchester City Council
Not only that, but Nutcracker-inspired toy soldiers also sweept their way through the Parade on segways, alongside a roaming Christmas tree, a pair of gentle giant-sized reindeer, a stunning arctic fox, and Jack Frost himself.
Brand-new for this year will be the fantastic Festive Fantasy Candyland Castle, which stood over three-meters tall and truly was the stuff of fairytales.
“Manchester once again helped make the magic and the memories for a whole generation of families from across the city and beyond,” Cllr Karney concluded.
Emily Sergeant -
4th March 2021 
