A top dog groomer from Wythenshawe is currently competing to be crowned the best in country on BBC One’s newest reality show.
Tom Heaton-Clarke, 27, describes himself as “a typical Manchester lad”, but his love for dogs and years of training saw him be named Rising Star at The British Dog Grooming Championships in 2018, and has landed him a spot as one of the youngest contestants on the new series Pooch Perfect UK, which first aired on BBC One last Thursday.
He was scouted by the show’s producers at a dog grooming competition last year, and has said that being on the show – which sees 16 professionals compete in a string of themed challenges to create epic transformations of beloved pets – was “daunting”, but that presenter Sheridan Smith put him at ease right away.
Speaking on his experience with the show, Tom said: “To walk in and have all the lights on you, and to have never groomed in that atmosphere before, it was daunting. It’s like going to a grooming competition, but the amount of stress times 10 – you have no idea what you’re in for.”
He continued: “[But] Sheridan was the best part. I grew up watching Two Pints of Larger and I just remember her as Janet from the show, so when I saw her in person, I got a bit star struck,
“[But] she’s dead down to earth and she really put me at ease, so nice, I wish I could go to the pub with her.”
Watch fur fly as 4 new groomers duke it out in our Poochy Parlour and take on the formidable (and extremely cute ?) Alaskan Malamutes! Airing tonight at 8pm on BBC One #PoochPerfectpic.twitter.com/Qlri6dsfUq
Tom – who has his own pet Poodle called Badger – had two chances up against the clock to impress judges Colin and Verity on The Dogwalk by bathing and brushing a fluffy Alaskan Malamute, and delivering a puppy Schnauzer’s first groom.
His efforts will be shown in tonight’s episode at 8pm on BBC One.
Tom originally wanted to work in a kennel re-homing dogs, but instead fell in love with dog grooming when he was training for his animal care qualification, and after volunteering for a number of shelters in Denton and Tameside, he worked his way up in the grooming business following an apprenticeship in Altrincham.
During lockdown, the expert groomer converted his garage at home into his salon, Tom’s Dogs, where he says he has clients in the neighbourhood that watched him grow up at school.
He is keen to encourage dog owners to find aptly-qualified and registered dog groomers, and urges his customers to book regularly to avoid matting, which can often happen when a dog is neglected, adding: “I always educate owners in that the dog’s welfare is the priority and that they need to keep on top of the appointments.”
Pooch Perfect UK / BBC One
“I’m so proud of myself to get on the show,” Tom continued.
“There’s a lot of tough competition and I know a lot of groomers in the country, so to be considered good enough, that alone was a proud moment for me,”
“And so to win the show against all those tough-competition groomers, that would be a dream come true.”
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You can watch Pooch Perfect UK tonight on BBC One at 8pm, and you can catch up on BBC iPlayer.
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A new music showcase is taking place at a beautiful and historic Stockport venue
Danny Jones
A new live showcase is coming to Stockport town centre as part of a wider music, art and cultural celebration next month.
And by new, we mean the artists; if you went to the last edition, you’ll know it delivers some serious talent.
Teaming up with the likes of Manchester-based music magazine and promoters, The Rodeo, as well as ticketing platform Skiddle, Stockport is set to welcome the return of Mercury Climbing Festival.
This week-long celebration of music, art and culture around parts of the Greater Manchester borough’s historic old town, and there are some exciting names on board already.
As for Mercury Climbing 2025 itself, the multi-day festival spread across several locations boasts the best in native and Northern music, visual arts, and comedy.
Popping up across a total of eight different spaces, including the likes of the brand-new Stockroom, pubs, and headline music venue St Mary’s Church – quietly one of the coolest places we’ve ever seen a gig – you have plenty of reason to be excited about this one.
Speaking of St Mary’s, while artists such as local legends Badly Drawn Boy, Manc indie outfit The Covasettes and Riding The Low – fronted by actor Paddy Considine – are set to play the stunning ceremonial space, The Rodeo is also hosting its own dedicated stage at the church.
Highlighting emerging new talent on Saturday, 20 September, Manchester-based solo indie project Better Joy is set to headline, with Denver County Council (who featured on our Manc artists of the month round-up), Henry Webb-Jenkins, Katie & the Bad Sign, plus more to be announced in support.
The last time we saw a ‘Live at St Mary’s’ event, we can’t stress this enough: it was nothing short of an unforgettable experience.
You don’t get to enjoy a ‘religious’ gig experiences like this often…
Taking place from Friday, 19-26 September, the festival as a whole will transform Stockport’s historic Old Town into a vibrant cultural hub.
And it isn’t just music: there are local food and drink traders getting involved, artwork from the one and only Stanley Chow, as well as plenty of other entertainment.
Above all else, the event is not only steeped in SK and Greater Manchester’s rich heritage, but it’s a great way of supporting new art coming out of the region.
The Rodeo’s St Mary’s stage gets underway from 4pm and is scheduled to finish at 10:30pm, but the wider Mercury Climbing programme is an all-day festival that won’t end until late. You can grab your tickets right HERE.
Manchester’s very own Jamie Hutchinson announces new stand-up tour dates
Danny Jones
Manchester comedian Jamie Hutchinson has just announced arguably his biggest domestic tour yet, and despite plenty of gigs around the North, he’s playing just one hometown headline slot.
So you’d best be quick about grabbing tickets.
The local stand-up has seen a huge rise in popularity over the last few years, not only thanks to his regular gigging on the live circuit, but numerous standout podcast performances and, in short, by being one of the most amusing comic storytellers around – at least as far as we’re concerned.
Now set to embark on an extensive run of UK shows early next year, Jamie Hutchinson is getting back on the road with his latest material very soon.
Taking his new hour, Can My Mate Come, He’s Sound (see, even his titles are low-key genuinely funny) on tour, the crown prince of Gorton, a.k.a. ‘Mash’ himself, is playing venues up and down the country, including plenty here in the North West.
After all, he can’t drive, so best keep the long train journeys to a minimum, eh?
To quote Broadway Baby, who shared their positive words only recently, their newest project promises a “brand-new hour of unfiltered mayhem, questionable logic and emotional chaos held together by takeaway boxes and blind optimism.”
If that isn’t a glowing review, then we don’t know what is..
The Hot Water’s Green Room host and regular Have A Word podcast favourite delighted his crowds and newcomers alike with his record-breaking Waterslide tour, which ran from 2023 all the way into last year, and now he’s looking to repeat that same success. As it happens, multiple dates have sold out already.
With more than 700 tickets sold within the first hour of presale alone, it’s no surprise that the likes of Chorley, Chester (already gone) and soon both of his Liverpool shows are soon to be sold out.
As for his Academy One show on Sunday, 24 May 2026 – which is just about the biggest Manc venue he’s played to date – we expect it won’t be long before that one books up too.
We can always hope he tacks on extra dates on the UK tour, but if you’re a Jamie Hutchinson fan, you’re still best just making sure you secure your seat while you can. Grab yours HERE.
Let’s just pray he makes it home in time for his appointment with ‘Dr Catford’…
He’s yet to record a live taping of a special, but this is the kind of charming nonsense you can expect.
Emily Sergeant -
14th January 2021 
