A new Channel 4 show set in Manchester and almost entirely filmed here too is delighting locals as it spotlights various areas around the city centre and county of Greater Manchester.
Everyone Else Burns is the recently released comedy which centres around a religious family who belong to a devout and cult-like puritanical Christian sect who believe that the end times are near.
Starring Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners, Friday Night Dinner) as the patriarch of the apocalypse-obsessed family, the six-episode series has some serious comedy pedigree behind it, but the real star of the show is Manchester itself which serves as the familiar backdrop.
Though set in an unnamed town, the show takes place in and is almost entirely filmed in Greater Manchester, though some scenes were shot in Northwich, Cheshire. Having watched the full thing ourselves, it is very much an exercise in acting out that Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme in real life.
Meet the Lewises: your average, everyday Manchester family who belong to an ultra-religious order. Oh, and they reckon the world's going to end in the next 10 years. #EveryoneElseBurns starts Monday, 10pm. pic.twitter.com/xumrgWiSfd
Even within the first few minutes of the show starting, before the opening titles have even popped up on screen, the cast begins walking down a familiar cobbled street over in Castlefield, which is just one several Mancunian districts seen in the series.
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The area itself has been used for filming and notable photoshoots increasingly frequently of late with the likes of Peaky Blinders, Manchester City and even Apple Music’s Zane Lowe shooting part of his Matty Healy interview in the last year or so alone.
Nevertheless, it’s always fun to peep recognisable parts of our lovely city on the telly and nearly every episode of Everyone Else Burns is basically part watching and part trying to identify various places across the region. I even spotted my old bus route back in Stockport.
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Better still it isn’t just parts of 0161 that you’ll notice, there’s even a familiar face from The Manc itself…
That’s right, if you’re a regular watcher of our Takeaway Champions series or caught our recent interview with Danny Beard, then you’ll recognise our lovely Sophie Galustian who first appears in episode three.
Playing a key role in the story as the character of Julia — another member of the religious group who quickly befriends teenager Rachel (played by Amy James-Kelly, a Manchester School of Acting alumn) — there is more than meets the eye to this girl.
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We don’t want to spoil anything for you but we can assure you she’s great in it, and we’re not just saying that because she’s one of our own.
You might be used to seeing Soph scanning takeaways and interviewing people for On The Street, but she’s also a poet, spoken word artist; author, actor and comedy writer. She even created her own sitcom for BBC Three called Peck’Eds.
We can thoroughly recommend giving it a try. There’s plenty of laughs and seeing what parts of town you can spot as you watch makes for an added layer of enjoyment.
You can watch the full first season of Everyone Else Burns on All4 HERE.
Another popular British production has recently been greenlit for a TV adaptation too and is also set to be filmed around Manchester.
Beloved Manc butty shop Bada Bing set for a sensational return to the city centre
Danny Jones
Sandwich lovers rejoice because one of the finest butty shops to ever grace Manchester is returning: that’s right, Bada Bing is bada-back!
The Sopranos-inspired deli and sandwich shop that took its name from one of the central locations featured in the iconic US drama (yes, the strip club), was a huge success when it first opened in Manchester a few short years ago, so it was a huge blow when it closed in February 2022.
Starting out by serving sandwiches out of a window at The B Lounge pub on Paton Street near Piccadilly, before moving to a small kitchen on Radium Street and eventually setting up their stall inside Ancoats General Store, they would regularly have lines around the block every lunchtime.
These Italian-American sarnies were so popular you’d often struggle to get your claws on one – and believe us, they really are a two-handed task – as they’d sell out on what felt like most days. But now, whether you were a regular or someone who missed out, there is hope once again:
Announcing their sensational return to a new site over in the Northern Quarter, which will now mark the fourth premises they’ve popped up at, Bada Bing is back with a bang and, as you can, they dropped the news with one of the best reveal videos we’ve ever seen.
If you know, you know…
Set to take over 125 Oldham Street, owners Sam Gormally and Meg Lingenfelter haven’t yet graced us with an opening date but the new unit should hopefully be open sooner rather than later.
The duo, who previously worked at fellow NQ favourite Another Heart to Feed, came up with the concept during lockdown and it didn’t take long for the idea to take off, nor for them to earn their spot amongst the very best sandwich places in Manchester.
Seriously, these things were so big and unwieldy (in the best way possible) that they even used to come with eating instructions: both hands and the trademark Tony Soprano hunch recommended, though the slightly stained wife-beater, boxer shorts and open dressing gown look is optional.
From slices of provolone cheese, all the thinly sliced Italian meats you could think of and the closest thing to actual ‘gabagool‘ as you’ll find in Greater Manchester, the menu was fitting of being served up to the iconic characters that once sat outside Satriale’s and a big approving grin from the man himself.
Simply put, we cannot wait and we will certainly keep you posted when we find out exactly when Bada Bing confirms their official reopening date.
Will Mellor’s new BBC documentary about real-life Post Office scandal victims airs tonight
Emily Sergeant
A new BBC documentary about real-life victims from the Post Office scandal fronted by Will Mellor is hitting TV screens tonight.
As the country finally starts to wake up to the full scale of the Post Office scandal – which involved the British postal service pursuing thousands of innocent subpostmasters for apparent financial shortfalls caused by faults in an accounting software system between 1999 and 2015 – actor Will Mellor is on a mission to find out what happened to the real-life sub-postmasters in this new BBC documentary.
The Stockport-born actor famously played the part of Lee Castleton in the ITV drama, Mr Bates vs the Post Office, and says he feels a “real affinity” will the families he spoke to for the programme.
For the new documentary and accompanying five-part BBC Sounds podcast series – which is titled Surviving the Post Office – Will actually speaks to Mr Castleton himself, as well as four other affected people and their families whose lives have been “torn apart”.
Will Mellor has fronted a new BBC documentary about real-life Post Office scandal victims / Credit: ITV
Surviving the Post Office ventures to all four corners of England, including East Yorkshire, County Durham, Lincolnshire, West Sussex, and Cornwall, as Will discovers that many of the sub-postmasters want to “take back control of their lives”.
According to the BBC, for some facing the past, that proves to be a “troubling experience”, while for others, it ends up being a “liberating” step forwards.
As well as exploring the financial losses for many, including the people featured in the documentary and podcast series, Will also gets to find out how they are coping with their emotions, trying to move on from the whole ordeal, and how the victims are finding support in unexpected ways.
📢 Actor Will Mellor meets the real-life victims of the Post Office scandal in a brand new documentary from BBC Local
Surviving The Post Office is coming to @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer tonight at 8.30pm. The podcast series is on @BBCSounds now
“I feel a real affinity with these families, so it was a privilege to hear their stories for this documentary and podcast,” Will said ahead of the documentary airing on BBC One.
“What shocked me the most after meeting so many sub-postmasters is just how far the impact and trauma has spread – the effect it’s had on people’s health, their children, and their whole communities has been massive.”
Danny Jones -
6th February 2023 
