Now that it’s been confirmed Greater Manchester will enter Tier 3 restrictions once lockdown ends on 2nd December, we’d be willing to bet one of your plans is watching a festive flick or two.
Most of us rush to pop on Christmas film as soon as we start to feel festive anyway and try to cram as many of the classics into December as is possible, right? And during a year like 2020, when we’ve become more accustomed to the ‘stay home’ culture than ever before thanks to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it stands to reason that Christmas films will be our best friends next month.
So, how you would like to get paid to do something you were already planning on doing anyway then?
We know it sounds a bit too good to be true, but online review website reviews.org is currently recruiting a ‘Chief Holiday Cheermeister’ to join its team, and all successful applicants will have to do is watch 25 Christmas movies in a month and fill out a questionnaire on each providing feedback.
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You’ll then be asked to rank each film you have watched in order, picking the ones you think are the best, and you’ll then be paid a total of £1,800 for your time.
That’s an impressive £72 a movie.
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If that wasn’t enough, the chosen movie lover will also get a subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, and Apple TV+ for free, so they can binge every movie on the list, and even after they’ve finished up the job, the subscriptions will still be valid for a full year.
Studio Canal
Films the lucky applicant will be expected to watch over the next month include Elf, Home Alone, Polar Express and It’s A Wonderful Life.
The job description for the ‘Chief Holiday Cheermeister’ reads: “Does the sound of jingle bells warm your heart? Have you always wanted a ticket to the Polar Express? Did you start celebrating Christmas on November 1 (or, let’s be real, probably before that)?
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“If you’re the type of person who watches holiday movies year-round, we want to hire you,
“As our Chief Holiday Cheermeister (put this prestigious title on your resume), you’re going to get £1,800 of cold hard cash (well… probably a direct deposit). And that’s not all, we’ll [also] give you gift cards to cover a one-year subscription to the streaming services.
“And you get unlimited hot cocoa breaks and a fast-tracked application to the “nice” list.”
If reading this sounds like you might have found your calling this Christmas, you can apply for the Chief Holiday Cheermeister role via the reviews.org website here.
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Review | Midsomer Murders comes to Manchester for a satisfying Opera House adaptation
Hollie Wells
‘The Fuzz are here!’ – also known as the well-known duo, Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby and Detective Sergeant Troy. As ever, they’re here to solve the murder of orchid-loving, elderly lady Emily Simpson in the seemingly sleepy county of Midsomer…
Manchester’s historic Opera House played host to the first ever stage production of Midsomer Murders: ‘The Killings at Badger’s Drift‘ last night.
With a busy, full audience of fans of the original novel by Catherine Graham and the acclaimed ITV staple. There was a hum of anticipation to see the timeless tales unfold.
Excitingly, the role of Barnaby in the stage play is under the trusted care of Daniel Casey, who is best known as DS (Detective Sergeant) Troy in the prior television adaptation of Midsomer Murders between 1997 and 2008.
Casey’s comfort and wealth of experience with these narratives comforted the audience from the outset. In a purposely complicated plot, Casey grounded the performance and was the throughline in the show.
‘The Killings at Badger’s Drift’ is a good, light-hearted, mid-week show, with an enjoyable concoction of eccentric characters and the perfect ‘whodunnit’ plot, which keeps you intrigued and entertained throughout its roughly two and a half hour duration.
Even those more than familiar with Misdomer tales and the most typical murder mystery format will still get plenty of enjoyment out of it.
The engaging use of multi-role actors received a great response from the audience, particularly the moments between Barbara Lessiter and Dickie Whitley; all of their interactions were performed with fabulous comedic timing by Chandrika Chevli.
The elements of comedy throughout made for a lovely evening at the Opera House. This was not solely through the actors, either: the use of mechanics within the set of this stage-play allowed for multiple moments of physical comedy, and this was a strong motif throughout.
A rotation of impressive transitional sets also aided in transporting the audience to the infamous village and crime scenes, allowing one to be absorbed in the story and successfully converting Midsomer Murders from page to screen to stage.
Running for only three days from Wednesday, 27, until Saturday, 30 May 2026, with matinee shows available throughout.
One must act fast to join the detective duo and catch the killer before it’s too late!
Festival-goers urged to stop taking wheelie bins full of booze
Daisy Jackson
Festival-goers have been warned not to take wheelie bins full of alcohol to festivals with them this summer.
The warning has come ahead of this year’s Download Festival, which takes place next month and kicks off the summer’s biggest run of festival dates.
But a major train operator has said there have been incidents in the past of passengers trying to travel to festivals with wheelie bins and luggage trolleys.
Passengers have had to be reminded that wheelie bins are not permitted on board, and they should instead only carry as much luggage as they can comfortably carry.
The warning comes from East Midlands Railway, one of the key services that will whisk people to Download Festival between 10 and 14 June.
Customers returning from the festival are also encouraged to use boot-cleaning brushes provided at stations to help remove mud before boarding trains.
Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at East Midlands Railway, said: “We’re encouraging customers to travel light.
“Last year, some festive goers tried to board services with wheelie bins or festival trolleys full of beer. While it might seem like a great idea for getting your supplies to the festival, it just isn’t safe or possible to bring them onboard train services.”
Festival-goers urged to stop taking wheelie bins full of booze
EMR has also warned customers to plan journeys in advance, with engineering work taking place at various locations on the Midland Main Line, near where Download Festival takes place.
She continued: “We’re advising customers travelling to Download Festival to plan their journeys in advance and be aware that essential engineering work will affect services across the weekend.
“As a result, some services will be reduced or amended, and passengers should check before they travel and allow extra time.”
Emily Sergeant -
27th November 2020 
