With around 80,000 new and returning students set to arrive in the city over the new few weeks, Manchester’s number one entertainment venue has some “fresh offers for freshers”.
The freshers experience is set to be a very one different this year amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
With nightclubs still closed and strict social distancing measures in place in bars – as well as the new rule of six and a 10pm curfew set to be announced by the government this evening – usual bar crawls and club nights are out of the question, but the Printworks is still intent on helping the student experience thrive in a COVID-safe way.
The iconic entertainment complex in the heart of the city centre has a host of offers to suit every student kick-start freshers in style.
With over nineteen venues to splash your student loan on – including food, drink and leisure – students are encouraged to leave enough time to study Printworks’ huge range of deals and discounts.
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So, what’s on offer then? Here’s everything you need to know.
The Printworks
Treetop Adventure Golf
Tee off with a free bottled beer, cider, 125ml wine or soft drink when you play 36 holes at Treetop Adventure Golf Manchester Printworks.
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Only valid between 5pm Sunday – 5pm Friday with student photo ID.
Frankie & Benny’s
You can relish in a 25% discount at Frankie & Benny’s Printworks with a valid NUS or Student Beans card.
Escape Reality
Students can get 50% escape games between Monday – Thursday.
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All team members must have a valid student ID and the offer cannot be used with additional offers.
Yates
Enjoy a range of refreshing drinks with offers including 2-for-1 cocktails, £1.50 Sourz shots or two jagerbombs for £6.50.
Why not opt for the burger and a pint deal for £7.99 instead?
Wagamama
The noodle union is back open for business.
Bring your own bubble of six with Wagamama’s Student Sundays and get a free beer when you order a main. Plus, there’s the chance to win the entire meal for free too.
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Valid on Sundays from 20th September – 19th October with student ID.
Tenpin
Nuffield Health
Students can join Nuffield Health Printworks now and get the rest of the month free, with the only thing to pay for is the £20 joining fee.
Students can also get 20% off their membership with valid ID.
Hard Rock Cafe
Celebrate the extended Eat Out To Help Out offer at Hard Rock Cafe Manchester with 50% off (up to £10) on the main menu and non-alcoholic beverages. To redeem, simply quote ‘Eat Out to Help Out extension’ before placing your food order.
The offer is valid all day Monday-Wednesday until 30th September.
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O’Neill’s
Fancy getting in the Irish spirit?
Head to O’Neill’s and enjoy 50% off mains, or get a classic beef or chicken burger and a drink for £4. Upgrade for a £1 to enjoy a refreshing pint of Brewdog Punk IPA.
Tenpin
Get bowled over with some fantastic offers at newly opened Tenpin, including bowling and a drink from £9, bowling and food from £13 and bowling, food and drink from £15.
Plus, there are group packages available with bowling, food and mocktails for four people from £56.
Vue
Students are invited back the big screen experience with £4.99 cinema tickets when booking online at Vue in the Printworks.
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BBC cancel three hit shows, including legendary stand-up series, Live at the Apollo
Danny Jones
The BBC have reportedly cancelled three of their hit TV shows, including the long-standing Live at the Apollo.
With the company facing even more cuts and the television industry facing the ever-changing obstacles set about by increasingly dominant digital platforms, the hit live stand-up series, which has run for over two decades, is the latest big IP on the chopping block.
But that’s not all: joining them in cancellation after long stints on the box are Celebrity Mastermind and the most recently rebooted version of British favourite, Blankety Blank, brought back with Bradley Walsh as host back in 2020.
With roughly 65 full-length seasons between them, and literally hundreds of episodes under their belt, the unfortunate trio have fallen foul for varying reasons.
At first I read that as Celebrity Masterchef, but that show is immortal.
Really surprised to see Live at the Apollo go. It can't cost much and has been instrumental in giving many comedians their big TV breaks. https://t.co/BrT8k2hoYd
While Walsh announced that he was quitting the programme after three series (the fourth was set to begin recording later this year) largely due to scheduling conflicts, the driving force behind the decision is the aforementioned cutbacks.
In case you hadn’t heard, the BBC has seen an approximately £500 million reduction in annual spending, which has meant that one or more productions were always going to be hit hard as a result.
They are aiming to save upwards of £100m annually, which is set to come in the form of 100-150 hours less originally telly by the end of 2028.
Issuing an official statement, they say: “We are incredibly proud of all three of these much-loved shows and would like to thank everyone involved, both in front of and behind the camera, for bringing them to screen and making them such a success over many years.
“Unfortunately, we have to make some really tough choices in light of our funding challenges, and these savings have been identified from the entertainment genre.”
With Live at the Apollo, in particular, having served as an important proving ground and spotlighting stage for rising comics, the UK mainstay originally hosted by Jack Dee is sadly going the way of Mock the Week by being pulled after 22 years on the air.
As you can see, it’s already been heavily mourned by performers around the comedy circuit and fans alike. It goes without saying that those within the industry know all too well how important it’s been.
Unfortunately, more announcements and cuts are expected throughout the remainder of the year as the BBC‘s entertainment arm tries to regain profitability.
This means that these three likely won’t be the last to be axed; who knows? Given that even the biggest of IPs don’t seem to be safe, maybe even mainline Mastermind could be in trouble…
It’s also worth noting that this news comes not long after the media giants launched their big campaign to reassert their domestic significance and beyond, with more and more people straying away from the TV licence in favour of modern streaming.
You can read the full ‘savings’ update right HERE.
Co-op Live appears to tease major Mariah Carey Christmas gig sending fans into a frenzy
Emily Sergeant
All we want for Christmas… is Mariah Carey in Manchester.
And maybe, just maybe, our Christmas wish might come true very soon, as Co-op Live has taken to social media today to tease its next gig announcement with its hundreds of thousands of followers, and without jumping to conclusions, it does appear to be hinting at the queen of Christmas herself making an appearance.
Look, we know it’s only July and right in the middle of summer, but even if you think it’s too early to be talking about the festive season, you have to admit that the potential of Mariah Carey coming to Manchester is worth getting excited any time of the year.
The US pop powerhouse last performed in our city nearly a decade ago now when she brought her famous All I Want For Christmasshow to the UK for the first time ever, taking to sold-out Manchester Arena stage on 10 December 2017.
Mariah has not performed in Manchester since, but all that could be set to change as Co-op Live has hinted that an announcement is ‘coming soon’.
Taking to its official social media platforms today, Co-op Live posted a very festive-themed AI video of snow falling on the arena as the camera zoomed in and the instrumental of Mariah’s absolutely iconic hit ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ playing in the background, and the caption hinting at the song’s title too.
Of course, we could be wrong, it might not be Mariah at all, but if the 300+ comments from fans in a frenzy thinking the same as us are anything to go by, it’s looking like we might be right.
“The countdown to Christmas is on,” Co-op Live said in its video, before letting fans know that they would be getting some form of confirmation soon.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd September 2020 
