2022 was a pretty wild ride wasn’t it – three PMs, two insane celebrity court cases, one Platinum Jubilee (and then, sadly, a state funeral), financial turmoil, ANOTHER LadBaby Christmas number one, and Sir Ian McKellen hatching out of a giant golden egg.
That’s just the national news stories too… Back here on home turf things were also getting pretty weird, and it’s those odd local gems that really kept us going throughout the year.
So we’ve looked back, dug deep, and pulled together the maddest Manc news stories from 2022 to give us a laugh as we head into 2023. Enjoy.
Storm Franklin causes chaos
Storm Franklin was an absolute monster, and it hit the north west just days after both Storm Eunice and Storm Dudley had wreaked havoc across the region.
More than 400 homes in South Manchester had to be evacuated due to the flooding risk and the public transport network well and truly gave up on doing its job.
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But the most Manc reaction to the weather chaos came from Failsworth, and a certain Pete Brotherton, who chose to look on the sunny side of his completely flooded back garden.
In a video shared on his social pages, Pete popped on his swimming trunks, a pair of inflatable armbands and goggles, and hopped into the icy water (essentially a big puddle) to swim laps.
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Mystery pooper in sofa showroom
The man taking a poo in the middle of the Sofa Club. Credit: TikTok, @sofaclubuk
One local man was so excited about the great deals on offer in a sofa showroom in Manchester, he literally couldn’t contain his excitement – or his bowels.
In a shocking video posted on LinkedIn (of all places) and TikTok in May, a man was caught on CCTV walking into the Arndale, dropping his trousers, and doing a poo on the floor.
We all know that the worker bee is the symbol of Manchester, and we all have a bit of a soft spot for the little creatures here.
But they pushed their luck again this summer, when they once again chose to swarm all over the place – and this time, it was a pedestrian crossing they made their home for several days.
We’re all used to the sight of Boombox Barry, a legendary local figure, whizzing through the streets of Manchester on his push-bike, speaker dangling from the handlebars.
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But it was a bit of a surprise to all of us when his mode of transport got a sudden upgrade, with Barry zooming around on a much faster and fancier set of wheels.
It’s a Tuesday afternoon. The streets are quiet as everyone sits at their desks cracking on with work. Except, there are the tinny strains of The Four Tops, a glimpse of a man walking around flashing his belly beneath his t-shirt, the sight of a pensioner in a 1920s-style flapper dress boogying.
Because Tuesday afternoons in The Chestergate pub are not like Tuesday afternoons anywhere else on this planet.
This completely chaotic video captured the most quintessentially British drunkenness, went viral, and won the hearts of the nation.
We still can’t get over @Sam Ryder suprising us in Manchester today and busking in St Peter’s Square! What an incredible man with an incredible voice #foryou#samryder#manchester#fyp#busking#eurovision
Manchester has tonnes of supremely talented buskers – something our 60 Seconds With series highlights – but a visitor recently gave our local talent a run for its money.
The star popped in to town to sing his heart out in front of an enraptured crowd. What a lovely dude.
The least accurate billboard of all time
Aww, sweet, well-meaning Magnum… but they really missed the mark with their absolutely enormous billboard in Piccadilly Gardens.
The ice cream brand chose to go with the slogan ‘The only thing that can make lying on Piccadilly Gardens even better‘ – directly above the absolute mud bath that the area was at the time.
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Mancs definitely saw the funny side, and the irony, and completely trolled Magnum with comments like: “Who better to share a magnum with than Dave the rabid pigeon.”
Jack Grealish having a *lovely* day out
Jack Grealish celebrating at the Manchester City victory parade. Credit: Manchester City
World Cup hero, Man City heartthrob, owner of the most famous calves in the Premier League – Jack Grealish is a lot of things, but he’s also our favourite person to ever take part in a very public victory parade.
At his club’s bus parade through town, Jack was caught well and truly letting his hair down.
The wobbly footballer was videoed saying: “I wanna see everyone at Albert’s Schloss tonight, and I’ll buy everyone a Jagerbomb,” as well as hitting Phil Foden with an inflatable banana, posing for photos cuddling the mascot Moonbeam, and wearing a woman’s handbag. Pure joy.
Mugshot madness
Jonathan Cahill. Credit: West Yorkshire PoliceRobert Rimmer
What on earth have our local police forces been putting in the water lately?
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Twice this year we’ve seen mugshots of wanted men go viral because people were flooding the comments with remarks about their appearance.
Our favourite comment of the lot was this one: “What’s his crime breaking hearts or houses?”
The arrival of Karen’s Diner and THAT very cross pensioner
News of Karen’s Diner reaching our shores drummed up a mixed reaction last year – half of us thinking that getting deliberately taunted by staff was an insane prospect, the other half thinking it was quite a hilarious concept.
Tell you who didn’t see the funny side though, and that’s the unsuspecting, 73-year-old grandmother who was dragged along by her family with absolutely no explanation of the Karen’s Diner concept.
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It gave us all some hilarious content, though, as Barbara turned the tables back on the deliberately rude wait staff and gave them a stern telling-off.
Millions of people were stunned when this – apparently legit – business started advertising its very unusual product on Facebook.
A couple of amateur Manchester taxidermists created stationery holders using dead squirrels they found in Heaton Park… the headless mammals apparently make ‘perfect holder’s for pens, cutlery etc.’
Shocking and horrifying some, whilst genuinely intriguing others, the post’s accompanying images show decapitated, hollowed-out squirrels with crossed arms and, in some cases, pink painted nails and rhinestone collars.
Featured image: Facebook
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Flashbacks: The timelapse of the Trafford Centre construction that’s gone viral
Danny Jones
The Trafford Centre might look like some decadent Roman emperor’s palace or as if it was plucked from the heart of Ancient Grecian city, but as anyone old enough to remember it’s opening and/or construction will tell you, it seems strange to think its not even been around for three decades yet.
As Greater Manchester’s and one of the North West’s most famous shopping centres full stop, the iconic attraction first began being built back in 1996, when John Major was Prime Minister, Manchester United were still Premier League champions, Britpop was at its peak and George Michael was number one.
It’s fair to say that a lot has changed since then and although Oasis might be back come 2025, The Trafford Centre and surrounding area are pretty unrecgonisable compared to nearly 30 years ago.
All told, it took approximately 27 months to erect the neo-classical epicentre of all things shopping, leisure, food and fanciness – and here’s what the process looked like:
With the initial 14 million sq ft shopping centre being completed in September 1998 following approximately 810 days of work, The Trafford Centre debuted to the Manc public and beyond.
It took more than 3,000 builders to bring the 60 hectare site to life at the peak of construction and since then the plot has only grown bigger, bolder and more ambitious over time.
Present day, it has everything from cinema screens and a mini Legoland to a Sea Life location, multiple bowling alleys and countless other forms of entertainment beyond just rows of shops and restaurants – hence why it remains busy pretty much year-round.
Back then, British celebrities, popular local names of note, politicians, dignitaries and prominent figures from the retail industry got to visit as part of exclusive preview events in the days before its launch date.
You can see the spectacle and fascination surrounding the official opening event here:
Seems surreal watching this today but the construction of the Trafford Centre was a huge moment not just for 0161 but all of the North.
But of course, the entire complex itself has seen multiple extensions over the years, including massive developments such as Barton Square and The Great Hall.
At the outset, it cost more than £600 million to build The Trafford Centre; the major renovations mentioned above which took place in 2008 cost another £100m and the Trafford Palazzo revamp around a decade later came in at around £75m.
There has and always will be lots of money put behind this intruguing monument to modern consumerism, and big brands will continue to flock to open units within the huge expanse whenever they can: some of the most recent being Archie’s, Flying Tiger, Sephora, Tiffany, Gymshark and more.
We’ll admit the aesthetic still makes us double-take from time to time (though not as much as confused Londoners visiting for the first time), but it’s not like this part of the world hasn’t boasted plenty of other curiosities in the past…
Featured Images — Charles Bowring (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
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‘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.
🔵 Subscribe to our Manchester City page on BBC Sounds for the latest interviews. #MCFC#bbcfootball
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.
Daisy Jackson -
4th January 2023 
