Stockport town centre went back in time earlier this week for the filming of a new BBC series depicting early Victorian London.
Crowds gathered round and snapped pictures as filming took place next to Stockport’s iconic Market Hall on Monday, where a set depicting a traditional 1830s Victorian market could be seen alongside crew and actors.
Crews were filming for a new “fast-paced comedy drama” titled The Dodger.
Set before the events of Charles Dickens’ iconic novel Oliver Twist, the ten-part series is to star Salford-born Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston in the role of Fagin, while Burnage-born Shameless actor David Threlfall will play Sir Charles Rowan, the Chief of Police.
Stop in Stockport shared images of the filming on social media, adding: “Stockport gets chosen for more filming.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Teasing the plot of the new series in a statement, the BBC said: “There are some familiar characters and a whole gallery of colourful new ones [and] each episode is a standalone adventure brought together at the end of the series with some dramatic reveals and surprises.”
Series writer Rhys Thomas added: “I thought it would be fun to create a family show with Dodger at its heart and see how he came to be a master criminal in Victorian London.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Working with the very best material as a springboard, it’s a total delight to expand Dickens’ rich world of characters and create a few of my own [and] to top it all, we have an incredible cast who are starring in the show – I can’t wait for families all over the world to see it.”
The series is also to feature Billy Jenkins, Saira Choudhry, Ellie-May Sheridan, Connor Curren, Mila Lieu, and Sam C Wilson, according to the BBC.
It’s not yet clear if any of the main cast were featured in the filming in Stockport.
ADVERTISEMENT
Stockport won’t be the only familiar location doubling up as London for the new series, as filming is said to have begun back in May at several other places across Greater Manchester and the North West.
Each episode of the ten-part series is scheduled to air on CBBC and iPlayer next year.
Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
Featured Image – Geograph
Trending
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
4th August 2021 
