A video of Ian McKellen and John Bishop hatching from a giant golden egg on The One Show has been going viral on social media.
As one of the most unpredictable and eclectic shows on British television, The One Show has undoubtedly produced some brilliant – and, more often than not, questionable – moments over the years since it first aired on our screens back in 2006.
Airing each weeknight on BBC One, The One Show is described as a magazine-style show that tackles current affairs and other issues in the UK by using a mix of interviews, topical stories, and features – with regular contributors taking to the big red sofa to present reports on everything from history and wildlife, to consumer affairs, health and medicine, and so much more.
Let’s just say, it’s a variety show in the true sense of the word.
Yet, despite the fact we’ve grown to become fairly unfazed by what happens on the show nowadays, we have to hold our hands up and say we never imagined we’d see the day Sir Ian McKellen and John Bishop hatched from a giant golden egg live on national television.
A video of this quite frankly bizarre moment has been doing the rounds on social media since it hit our screens last night, and it’s fair to say viewers are baffled by the whole thing.
To briefly sum up what happened in the short nine-second video – which has already racked up tens of thousands of views, and plenty confused comments – presenters Jermaine Jenas and Lauren Laverne are seen standing outside the BBC studios, and without any wider context, Laverne proceeds to announce the pair’s entrance.
“Crack open the egg… please welcome, Ian McKellen and John Bishop,” Laverne exclaims.
Laverne and Jenas then lend a hand to help one of Britain’s most-revered and beloved actors, and the hugely-popular Liverpudlian comedian step safely out of the giant golden egg.
And that’s it, that’s the end of the video.
A video of Ian McKellen and John Bishop hatching from a giant golden egg on The One Show has been going viral / Credit: BBC OneViewers have been left completely baffled by the whole thing / Credit: BBC
As hilarious and completely nonsensical as the clipped version of the video is, and while it may not seem like an explanation for it is good enough, there is actually a reason why McKellen and Bishop have been travelling the country inside the giant golden egg, and it’s because the pair are due to star alongside one another in a new pantomime called Mother Goose that’s heading out on a big UK tour.
The pantomime tells the story of Mother Goose and her husband Vic, who run an animal sanctuary and live a wholesome life inside an abandoned Debenhams department store – but the sudden arrival of a goose causes upheaval.
During the launch for the pantomime, it’s actually become a bit of a tradition for McKellen and Bishop to introduce themselves by hatching out the giant golden egg and then posing for photos with co-stars, so even though The One Show viewers couldn’t wrap their heads around it, this isn’t the first time the pair have made this kind of an entrance.
This hasn’t stopped people on Twitter from chipping in with their commentary though.
Popular television critic Scott Bryan – who goes by @scottygb on Twitter – has had a hand in making the short video go viral by sharing it to his 94,000 followers and aptly branding the clip “peak One Show”, which is hard to deny.
Why is there an egg? Why is Lauren Laverne introducing a drumroll for the egg? Why is Ian McKellan and John Bishop in the egg?
He also then posed a series of questions as a follow-up, which let’s be honest, we were all thinking ourselves – “Why is there an egg? Why is Laverne introducing a drumroll for the egg? Why is Ian McKellen and John Bishop in the egg?”
BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Clare McDonnell also then commented on the video saying: “I walked past that earlier… if only I’d known… how long did they keep them in there?”
“Imagine some cheese induced nightmare where you were trapped inside an egg with Sir Ian McKellen and John Bishop,” another viewer commented.
This is why I love British light entertainment. It really gives you everything you want, even if you never even imagined you wanted Sir Ian McKellan and John Bishop coming out of a giant golden egg.
A fourth person then gave a brilliant analysis on the situation.
“This is why I love British light entertainment. It really gives you everything you want, even if you never even imagined you wanted Sir Ian McKellan and John Bishop coming out of a giant golden egg,” – and we couldn’t have phrased it any better ourselves.
Featured Image – BBC
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The Canal Street star that we’re backing to be the next queen of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
Danny Jones
Amid all the buzz of Manchester Pride 2025, the latest series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK also returns this August bank holiday, and fittingly a Canal Street has joined the lineup for series seven.
The parade and Gay Village Party aside, we genuinely can’t wait for the cult favourite TV show to be back on our screens.
Already a classic among the queer community following many years on the air over in America, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is set to debut its seventh season, and part of the fun is always meeting the cast.
While there’s often a Northern name or two, including multiple Mancunians in the past, we believe this year’s contestant has a good shot at winning the whole thing. Manchester, meet Bonnie Ann Clyde.
Who is Manchester’s adopted 2025 Drag Race star, Bonnie Ann Clyde?
Now, aside from having a fabulous and very classic drag name, the other twist when it comes to this Drag Race debutant is that she’s not technically a Manc.
What gave it away? Was it the accent?…
Born in Dublin and dubbing herself “Ireland’s best export”, the 30-year-old Bonnie Ann Clyde has been here for the past 12 months, and it’s her time around Canal Street – The Goose and Cruz 101, specifically – that has seen her grow in reputation.
Speaking to the show’s British broadcasters, she told fans old and hopefully soon to be: “You could say that I’ve been around the block a few times, but I prefer to say that I’m an international queen!
“Bonnie Ann Clyde was created in Dublin, [during] the mid-2010s, when drag was starting to get popular again. I performed in Dublin for six years, then I did a Summer in San Francisco, and after that I moved to Gran Canaria, where I performed for two and a half years.”
Quite the CV, we’re sure you’ll agree, but it’s only since she started gaining a following here in 0161 that she got the call to be the next series of Drag Race UK. After all, we do know a thing or two about the scene in these parts.
— KaMorian (Sparkling Alien 💫) (@ka_morian0121) August 22, 2025
Why we think she should and will win
Aside from being the resident Greater Manchester representative (be it as an ex-pat or not), it’s this kind of globetrotting experience of LGBTQIA+ entertainment culture, pulling knowledge from all manner of drag queen circuits, that we think she’s odds on to push for the crown this year.
Detailing why she thinks she deserves to be named champion in 2025, whilst doing an impression of Holly Jervis from X Factor, she said: “‘This is MY moment’.
“I’ve worked for years doing jobs I didn’t want to do, and I’ve worked so hard. I deserve this crown, I deserve that sceptre, I deserve that £25k, and you know what? I’m going to get it because I’m fabulous, I’m fantastic, I’m Bonnie Ann Clyde, and I’m going to win!”
You’ve got to love that self-confidence, and while there are some other Northern faces among the lineup this year – including the Yorkshire favourite and the first ever contestant from Leeds, Silllexa Diction – there’s no question about who we want to win.
Once again, series seven of RuPaul Drag Race UK gets underway at 9pm this Sunday, 24 August, on BBC Three, as well as iPlayer in case you’re busy partying at Manchester Pride 2025.
A new coffee shop by a familiar Manc influencer with an ‘Oasis-inspired’ name is opening in town
Danny Jones
We’re never short of cafés here in Manchester, especially in the city centre, and there are a fair few great ones in the Northern Quarter alone, but this new coffee shop from a famous local influencer is one to keep an eye on – especially as it’s a bit of an Oasis pun.
‘What’s the story?’, we hear you ask: Morning Glory, that’s what.
That’s right, NQ’s latest coffee spot is not only a fun little nod to the Britpop classic but a little bit of innuendo by an equally cheeky chappy and familiar content creator, Zack Hipps.
With the Oasis puns and double-entendre boxes ticked off, it already ticks a couple of boxes, but there are still plenty more reasons to think this will be a success.
Morning Glory is opening in the Northern Quarter at the end of the month. (Credit: Morning Glory)
To start with, the jokes don’t stop as sandwich lovers will be glad to hear that there will be ‘Glory Holes’ on the menu…
Calm down, it’s not that kind of gaff. These are bagels that are sliced, stuffed with whipped cream, brushed with garlic butter, before being rebaked to golden perfection and finished with a drizzle of honey thyme. That admittedly does sound rather naughty.
Bagels are the main foodstuff on the menu, with a lineup of stacked fillings such as grilled peach with goat’s cheese and chilli jam; roast chicken thigh with smoked garlic mayo, iceberg lettuce and red onion and a ‘next-level’ ham and cheese stack.
Oh yeah, and it’s not only a coffee shop but promises to be a great and affordable spot for grab-and-go joe, specifically, too.
Morning Glory will be helping kickstart Manc mornings in the best way: with a banging coffee and bagel brekkie deal for just £5, making it perfect for those early risers and rushes to the commuter trams – OR, indeed, the ideal hangover cure after a night out in the city.
Apart from the obvious Manchester music reference, the coffee bar is a fitting honey-yellow.The bagels are looking big and beautiful.The diagonal floor stripes are a nod to The Hacienda nightclub. (Credit: Supplied)
Now, with the space itself spanning just 50sqm and featuring just 12 seats, not to mention fast, value-for-money food and drink, everyone can admit this isn’t necessarily the spot to sit for hours chatting with your mates over a brew.
Although Zack describes the room as “casual, cosy and full of personality” and “proper good vibes”, assuring quality at all times, they also state it is about “no faff” and the menu is made for being on the move, which is absolutely fine with us.
For instance, indie suppliers Kyoto Matcha will be chipping in with drinks and local bakery Vainllis over in Ancoats will be delivering a fresh twist on the Manchester tart, both of which are easy to order takeout and enjoy on the go.
Best of all, to mark the launch, the first 100 people through the doors on from 8am on opening Saturday, 30 August. August will not only bag a free drink, but three lucky customers will be randomly chosen to win a golden ticket, entitling them to free coffee every single day for A WHOLE YEAR.
Speaking on the impending opening just weeks after Oasis left the city, Hipps says, “Morning Glory Coffee is my love letter to Manchester. We’ve grafted for months building the space, and it’s mad to think we’re finally opening the doors.
“It’s a warm, welcoming spot with proper Manc charm, and I’m buzzing to be working alongside some of my favourite local makers. Manchester’s got one of the best food scenes in the country, and we can’t wait to shine a light on all the incredible talent out there, whilst fuelling up Manc’s one brew at a time.”
See you in the queue on Oldham Street come launch day for great coffee, Oasis in the headphones and hopefully some rare but glorious Manchester morning sun.
Emily Sergeant -
20th October 2022 
