The first look at a new BBC thriller series that’s set in Lancashire and starring Jenna Coleman has been unveiled.
That’s right, the North West is set to be the star of the TV screen once again later this year.
And that’s because the BBC has released the first image and teased some details of a brand-new – and very highly-anticipated – crime drama series called The Jetty that’s set in a Lancashire seaside town, and starring local actress Jenna Coleman.
Described as being as much of a coming-of-age story as it is a detective thriller, The Jetty is set to ask the big questions “in the places that Me Too left behind”.
There’ll be questions about sexual morality, identity, and memory.
ADVERTISEMENT
A synopsis for the four-part series on the BBC website reads: “A fire tears through a holiday home in a scenic Lancashire lake town, and Detective Ember Manning must work out how it connects to a podcast journalist investigating a missing persons cold case, and an illicit ‘love’ triangle between a man in his twenties and two underage girls.
📸 Here's your first look image of @Jenna_Coleman_ in the highly anticipated new crime drama The Jetty!
"I can’t wait for everyone to meet this new heroine and to find out what’s lurking beneath the surface of The Jetty."
“But as Ember gets close to the truth, it threatens to destroy her life and forces her to reevaluate everything she thought she knew about her past, present, and the town she’s always called home.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Blackpool-born actress Coleman stars as rookie detective Ember Manning, alongside Archie Renaux, Laura Marcus, Bo Bragason, Amelia Bullmore, Ruby Stokes, Tom Glynn-Carney, Weruche Opia, Matthew McNulty, Ralph Ineson, and more, all in supporting roles.
Speaking ahead of the new show airing later this year, the 37-year-old actress, who is probably best-known for her roles in Doctor Who, Victoria, Waterloo Road, commented: “Working with the BBC and Firebird Pictures on bringing the complex and enigmatic character of Ember Manning to life has been an incredible experience.
“I can’t wait for everyone to meet this new heroine, and to find out what’s lurking beneath the surface of The Jetty.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Filming has wrapped, and the series is expected to air later in 2024 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Featured Image – BBC
TV & Showbiz
Gladiators Live Tour to make ‘triumphant’ return to Manchester on UK arena tour
Emily Sergeant
The Gladiators Live Tour will make a triumphant return in 2026.
Following its explosive debut in 2025 and overwhelming fan demand, the Gladiators Live Tour is set to head out on a UK tour later this year, bringing the iconic phenomenon back to arenas nationwide for an electrifying new run of shows, and making a stop off in Manchester, of course.
Audiences will, once again, have the chance to experience the action-packed spectacle featuring the stars of the hit BBC reboot series on an epic scale.
The 2025 live tour thrilled audiences nationwide, selling over 200,000 tickets and proving the arena spectacular is ‘bigger, bolder, and more electrifying’ than ever, and that energy is only set to continue this year when the show returns to Manchester’s popular AO Arena.
GLADIATORS, READY!
Following its epic debut in 2025 the triumphant live show brings the energy to Manchester on 14 & 15 Nov!
This adrenaline-fuelled event sees the legendary Gladiators storm back into the arena to face fearless contenders in a heart-pounding live adaptation of the smash-hit television phenomenon.
Expect iconic fan-favourite events, breathtaking stunts, epic head-to-head battles and the unforgettable Eliminator finale.
Featuring stars from the hit BBC series, audiences are being told to expect a truly immersive, high-octane experience, as arenas are transformed into modern gladiatorial battlegrounds complete with purpose-built sets, spectacular lighting, and cinematic staging.
The Gladiators Live Tour 2026 kicks off in Aberdeen on 10 October, before heading to other major cities like Glasgow, London, and Birmingham, as well as northern locations like Leeds and Newcastle, and of course, Manchester’s AO Arena for two nights on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November.
Tickets officially go on sale this Friday 27 March, with two shows per day available, and you can grab them when they go live here.
Featured Image – Supplied
TV & Showbiz
Lord of the Rings live in concert is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
The fellowship is not lost: JRR Tolkien fans are being invited to come along to see the beloved first film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy live in concert here in Manchester.
Undoubtedly, some of the most beautifully shot and, crucially, rousingly scored Hollywood blockbusters in history, the LotR movie soundtracks still remain among the most iconic to this day.
So just imagine how incredible they must be to witness it in the flesh…
Well, that opportunity is just on the horizon, as a live performance of The Fellowship of the Ring by a fully-fledged live band is coming to the city centre’s biggest indoor arena later this year.
Available either as an evening or matinee show, ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring – In Concert’ arrives this winter at Co-op Live.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the iconic Academy Award-winning film, which kick-started a mega franchise both on the big and the small screen nowadays, what better way to toast the date than by rewatching it like never before?
Teaming up with the one and only Hallé – Manchester’s premier orchestra since 1858 – the production will be bringing Howard Shore’s legendary original scores to life in person as they soundtrack the epic motion picture playing behind them.
We’ve got chills just thinking about some of those scenes: the council of Elrond in Rivendell; the ‘Argonath’ passing, that first stunning New Zealand vista as Middle-Earth, and SO many more.
Here’s a sample of what it’s like to hear those instantly recognisable sounds live:
Come on, how incredible is this?
For those looking to attend the Manchester showings of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring – In Concert, as always, official Co-op members will be granted early access through the venue’s presale window.
This will open at 10am on Wednesday, 25 March; meanwhile, general admission tickets will then be available from the same time the following Friday (27 Mar).
Emily Sergeant -
19th January 2024 
