Aitch has spoken out about the massive backlash he faced when an advert promoting his debut album was painted over a tribute mural to the late Ian Curtis.
The Moston-born rapper, 22, said he was ‘the most hated person in Manchester’ after social media users caught wind of the replacement artwork.
The original mural of the late Joy Division singer was commissioned to raise awareness for mental health and raise money for charities Manchester Mind and Help Musicians, and painted by renowned muralist Akse.
The Aitch advert. Credit: The Manc GroupThe original Ian Curtis mural. Credit: UnsplashAitch has spoken out about the backlash he received over the cover-up of the Ian Curtis mural
A lot of the vitriol was directed at Aitch despite his insistence that he doesn’t pick where his promotional materials are placed.
The young star has now said about how ‘fuming’ he was in an interview with BBC Breakfast.
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He said: “I was fuming, for two reasons. I was fuming for Ian and his people and what that mural stands for.
“And then I was fuming for myself because I was having such a good week, I was like ‘Yeah the album’s coming out in a couple days, I can’t wait, everything’s going so well’, and the the next minute I was the most hated person in Manchester for about 40 minutes.
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'I was the most hated person in Manchester for about 40 minutes' Rapper Aitch has told #BBCBreakfast he will have a mural of music icon Ian Curtis "fixed pronto" after it was painted over with an advert for his new album.https://t.co/WlHMJRX7lMpic.twitter.com/mxXmZsO13P
“It was out of my control, there was nothing I could do apart from put a stop to it and get it fixed, and that’s obviously exactly what I done, so I think everyone’s my friend again now.”
He also told BBC Breakfast that the first he knew of it was when the backlash began on Twitter.
Aitch said: “I don’t pick and choose where I put my billboards or album promo. I just wake up and drive past it or see it on the internet, just like everyone else.
“So basically I seen it and straight away made a phone call, we spoke to Amazon, we spoke to the artist who originally done Ian’s mural, and we just put a stop to mine straight away and we’re gonna get it either restored or redone by the original artist.”
Amazon Music said on 19 August, three days after the mural incident occurred: “As part of our efforts to promote Aitch’s new album, we asked our ad agency to create a mural in his hometown of Manchester.
“Unbeknownst to us or to Aitch, the wall the agency chose for the new artwork already had a mural on it — one honouring the late great Ian Curtis.
The original Ian Curtis mural. Credit: Unsplash
“As soon as we learned of this, we ordered the production to stop, and are working with Aitch to restore or replace the original Ian Curtis mural as soon as possible. Our apologies to all who are justifiably upset.”
At the time, Headstock said: “Absolutely gutted to see our Ian Curtis mural painted over. Such a shame when @AmazonMusicUK had pretty much any other wall in Manchester to choose from. Especially when it was created by @Akse_P19 to raise mental health awareness in support of @GiveUsAShout #mentalhealth.”
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If you’re struggling with mental health, know that you are never alone – you can reach out for support in Greater Manchester through these brilliant charities.
Manchester Mind – An organisation that has supported people in Manchester for over 30 years. Most services are now available over the phone, by email or video call. The number is 0161 769 5732 and the opening hours are Monday – Friday, 10am -2pm.
The GM Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – The local NHS helpline is open 24/7 which you can call any time, day or night, if you feel your mental health is beginning to suffer: 0800 953 0285.
Andy’s Man Club – A group dedicated to starting conversations about mental health, assuring people that it’s ok to talk. You can contact them by email on: [email protected].
CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably supports people via phone and webchat. You can call 0800 58 58 58 or speak to a support worker online. Open 5pm – midnight.
Samaritans – The Manchester & Salford Samaritans offer emotional support by telephone and email. The phone lines and email support are available 24/7. Call 116 123 or visit the website.
Featured image: BBC Breakfast
TV & Showbiz
New Hairy Bikers documentary to take viewers on ’emotional journey’ in tribute to Dave Myers
Emily Sergeant
A new documentary paying an emotional tribute to late Hairy Biker Dave Myers is set to air on the BBC in the run up to Christmas.
Dave Myers – who was most well-known for being one half of the famous Hairy Bikers duo that starred in the BBC cookery and travel show of the same name, alongside Si King – died earlier this year (28 February 2024) after revealing back in May 2022 that he had been diagnosed with cancer, and was undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
The final Hairy Bikers episode aired on 19 March following Dave’s passing, and viewers tuned in in their tens of thousands to watch the beloved show that had been entertaining the masses for close to two decades.
🏍️ Si King celebrates the life of fellow Hairy Biker and best friend Dave Myers in a special one-off BBC documentary
Si picks out key moments from the past 25 years of the pair's TV careers in The Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone
But despite that being the final episode with Dave involved, there’s still one last chapter left to tell.
Set to air on BBC Two on Monday 23 December, viewers will be invited on an “emotional journey” through the Hairy Bikers story with Si King, as he celebrates the life of his best mate and former TV partner.
The documentary follows Si as he leads a motorcycle convoy to Dave’s hometown of Barrow-in-Furness, while archive material, new interviews, and previously-unseen footage is shown to help celebrate Dave’s life.
A new Hairy Bikers documentary will take viewers on an ’emotional journey’ in tribute to Dave Myers / Credit: BBC / South Shore Productions
You can relive the journey that took Dave around the world while cooking up a storm as one of television’s greatest-ever double acts.
“I’m incredibly proud of the programme because it’s a tribute to my best mate,” Si King said.
“It was an amazing experience, I didn’t quite know what to expect. That was the whole thing, none of us did. We thought at the most we’d get 10,000 bikes, we didn’t dream it would be 46,000 motorcycles and a 30-mile tail, it was just insane. I just felt enormously privileged.”
Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone will air on BBC Two on Monday 23 December at 9pm, and will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Featured Image – BBC
TV & Showbiz
Snoop Dogg says he wants to replace Gregg Wallace on MasterChef – and so do we
Danny Jones
With Gregg Wallace having been axed from MasterChef, one man has put himself forward to replace the long-standing presenter: Snoop Dogg.
Make that Snoop ‘Doggy’ Dogg, esquire and all-round foodie fancy pants, to you.
No, as we often feel we have to clarify sometimes, we’re not joking – the rapper and hip-hop legend apparently is very keen on the idea of becoming the next co-host of UK MasterChef.
It also goes without saying that we will never EVER get bored of writing headlines like these.
Credit: The Martha Stewart Show/BBC
Speaking to The Mirror, the 53-year-old music icon said, “You’ll best believe You better believe Snoop could be the new MasterChef judge.”
According to Snoop, his time working on Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party with well-known American cook, food writer and TV personality Martha Stewart means he already has prior experience and he also believes he has the backing of another big culinary name.
“My boy Gordon [Ramsay] judges on the US version of the show, and I know he would back me to be able to judge on the UK version”, he told the outlet, going on to add: “He knows I am not playing when it comes to food. He knows I can cook – I have even given him some tips.
“I hosted a cooking show over here and I have always been vocal about wanting to work on a UK show. I love the place – and for real, this could be the perfect opportunity.”
His bid to join the BBC show might be less likely than many others, but we’ve already seen how well getting familiar entertainment faces on works for the Celebrity version of the show, not to mention juicing up the comedy with less serious analysis as seen on Channel 4’s rebrand of The Great British Bake Off.
You can see a selection of Snoop’s on-screen cooking highlights here.
As for the latest on Wallace, he is still officially denying being involved in any inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature on the show and various other TV projects, with a total of 13 people filing official historical complaints against the long-standing host over the course of a 17-year period.
The 60-year-old is now accused not only of sexual comments in the workplace but groping and touching multiple former contestants and colleagues.
Despite sticking to his official position he has, however, come out to apologise for a response video he made following the second raft of allegations, in which his comments were deemed offensive and misogynistic by a Downing Street official.
We’re confident we already know the answer, so we’ll ask you this instead: just how much do you want to see Snoop Dogg presenting the next series of MasterChef?
Daisy Jackson -
23rd August 2022 
