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The Royal Variety Show will be held in Blackpool this month for the first time in over a decade

Mancunian comedian, actor and singer Jason Manford will host the star-studded show.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 18th November 2020

The Royal Variety Performance is taking place this month and for the first time in over a decade, it will be held in Blackpool.

The annual show was last held in the iconic Lancashire seaside town 11 years years ago and has now been confirmed to be returning to the Opera House stage in the Winter Gardens Complex during the event on Sunday 29th November.

Mancunian comedian, actor and singer Jason Manford will host the star-studded show.

The line-up for the 2020 performance includes Captain Sir Tom Moore, who of course captured the nation’s hearts with his fundraising efforts during the pandemic, and will be joining forces from his home for an exclusive performance with entertainer Michael Ball who will be on stage at the Opera House with the NHS choir to perform their chart-topping anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.

Other stars set to be in attendance include a special solo appearance by local superstar Gary Barlow, exclusive performances from the award-winning Sheridan Smith as Cilla in the heart-warming and spectacular ‘Cilla The Musical’ and a mesmerising exclusive from ‘Frozen the Musical’, starring leading lady Samantha Barks.

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There’s more music from Brit Award winner and rising star Celeste, singer and Spice Girl Melanie C, and high energy choreography from the ever-popular Steps.

Comedian and actor Stephen Mulhern, West End sensation Marisha Wallace, Kenyan acrobats The Black Blues Brothers, musical comedian and Britain’s Got Talent 2020 winner Jon Courtenay, and stand up comedians Jo Caulfield and Daliso Chaponda will provide the rest of the entertainment.

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Speaking on his new hosting gig, Jason Manford said: “After appearing at the Royal Variety Performance three times since 2009, it is an honour and a privilege to be hosting the show this year.

“It’s been a hugely difficult year for everybody, so I hope that for a couple of hours on a cold Winter’s night in Blackpool, we can take people’s minds off things and do what us Brits do best – have a laugh. 

The event is staged in aid of the Royal Variety Charity – the patron of which is Queen Elizabeth II – and the money raised from the show goes toward helping people from the world of entertainment in need of care and assistance.

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Although not due to be present in person this year amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, HRH The Prince of Wales will also deliver a special message to the charity and the artists performing.

The Royal Variety Performance will be screened on ITV in December.

You can find more information about the 2020 show via the Blackpool Winter Gardens website here.

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Inside the Grade I-listed Cheshire mansion currently on the market for an eye-watering £11.4m

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A Grade-I listed manor house has gone on the market over in Cheshire, and to say it’s absolutely stunning is a serious understatement.

Oh… but you will need a spare £11.4 million to fork out on it though.

Of course, it goes without saying that the vast majority of people reading this article right now won’t see a sum of £11.4 million ever in their lifetimes, and properties of this size and stature are not the kind we’ll ever get to call home, so the next best thing we can do is just snoop around on good old Rightmove and have a nosey at all the jaw-dropping pictures instead.

Like us, if you’ve got no shame in admitting that one of your favourite internet pastimes is looking up houses you can’t afford in places you’ll probably never visit, then allow us to introduce you to this absolute beast of a mansion in Cheshire.

We’re talking a Grade I-listed, 10-bedroom, has its own library, lake, tennis courts, self-contained lodges, a venue for hosting weddings and corporate events, and is sat in extensive farmland kind of ‘beast’.

This is Dorford Hall, in the Nantwich area of south Cheshire / Credit: Savills

This is Dorford Hall.

Nestled in a secluded, yet still very easily-accessible corner of Nantwich in south Cheshire, the expansive Dorfold Hall Estate boasts a seriously-stunning Grade I-listed Jacobean manor house surrounded by breathtaking Victorian gardens that’s been immaculately-restored and renovated by the current owners over several years to now offer accommodation for modern living within a historic setting.

While the estate may now serve the dual purpose of being a cherished family home, and a picturesque venue for weddings and corporate events, that’s now how it started life in the 17th century.

Built in 1616 and designed in the characteristic Jacobean style, the Grade I-listed Hall is steeped in local historical and architectural significance – with rumours claiming its construction was even expedited to host King James I during a royal visit.

It’s a Grade I-listed manor estate rumoured to have been built for King James I to stay in during the 17th century / Credit: Savills

Now, estate agents Savills call it a “fine example of Jacobean architecture”, all thanks to its symmetrical design, red and blue brick diapering, stone detailing, slate roofing, large mullioned windows, ornate chimneys, and gables.

Accommodation is arranged over three floors, with the spacious reception rooms, bespoke kitchen and dining room, library, billiards room, and the separate lodges, cottages, and apartments for housekeepers, being just a few of the stand-out features it has to offer.

And the wow-factor doesn’t stop with indoors either, as the outside is arguably even more impressive.

It’s currently on the market for £11.4 million / Credit: Savills

Once you’ve entered the estates grounds through the electric gates and make your way down the impressive tree-lined drive, you’ll find acres of mature and historic gardens, new lawn and garden irrigation systems, several outbuildings, and even an enviably-beautiful walled garden with its very-own wildflower meadow, lake.

As mentioned there’s even tennis court within the grounds too, as well as a restored Clock Tower, and the small matter of a RIBA award-winning avant-garde event space and Coach House that’s licensed to hold civil ceremonies.

We know we’ve used the word ‘impressive’ quite a few times throughout this, but what’s one more… it’s all pretty impressive, right?

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Dorford Hall is currently on the market with Savills for a whopping £11.4 million, and if you fancy taking a closer look, then you can contact the property company to arrange a viewing.

Or take the cheaper route instead and just have a nosey at the Rightmove link here.

Featured Image – Savills

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New narrators to take over from Sir David Attenborough for special episode of Planet Earth III

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

The BBC has announced that some new narrators will be taking over from Sir David Attenborough for a special episode of Planet Earth III.

Sir David Attenborough is one of the most beloved British public figures of all time.

The BBC stalwart has been narrating nature documentaries for over 70 years now, and is known all across the world as the voice of nature – but, as our natural world faces even greater challenges than ever before, the broadcaster has claimed that “one voice alone is not enough to speak up on behalf of planet Earth”.

This is why, especially to mark Earth Day yesterday (22 April), the massively critically-acclaimed documentary series, Planet Earth III, decided to collaborate with BBC Children in Need for a one-off episode of the show.

New narrators are taking over from Sir David Attenborough for a special episode of Planet Earth III / Credit: BBC

But what exactly is it that makes this episode so “special”? Well, that’s because it’s uniquely narrated by dozens of schoolchildren.

The children – who are each aged between nine and 13, and are all said to be “budding naturalists” – can be heard reading from Sir David Attenborough’s original scripts in a bid to both “champion the power of youth voices” and, ultimately, “speak up for the planet”.

The BBC explained that the 50 student narrators were chosen from schools selected by BBC Children in Need as some of the most engaged fundraisers for the charity across the UK in recent years.

Alongside the airing of the special episode, the BBC also gave tens of thousands of children nationwide the chance to tune into a virtual assembly hosted by wildlife biologist, explorer, and presenter Lizzie Daly, as well as take part in a Q&A with the producers of the popular documentary series.

Clips from Planet Earth III were also made available so curious kids could have a go at narrating for themselves.

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The special episode of Planet Earth III narrated by the schoolchildren is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer here, but it will also be airing on BBC One on Monday 6 May too.

Featured Image – Mark Harrison (via BBC)

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