Happy Valley viewers have all been publicly apologising to Neil Ackroyd, a central character in the hit BBC drama, after several fan theories fell completely flat.
Once again, if you haven’t watched last night’s finale, please walk away now – spoilers lie ahead.
To recap – Neil Ackroyd, played by the brilliant Con O’Neill, made his first Happy Valley appearance in the show’s second series.
He was a recovering alcoholic whose wife had left him, and took up a position working in the local corner shop.
It was there that he met Clare Cartwright (Siobhan Finneran), who is the sister of the drama’s main character Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire).
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The pair quickly strike up a romantic relationship, which carries on throughout the show.
Neil really landed himself in trouble during this final season, when it emerged that he had been taking Ryan to visit his convicted criminal father Tommy Lee Royce in prison – a decision that nearly broke Catherine and Clare’s sisterly bond.
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Clare and Catherine almost fell out for good in this season of Happy Valley, with Neil at the heart of the drama. Credit: BBC
The whole time, he’d seemed like a relatively minor character who just facilitated the relationship between Ryan and his dad.
But it left many fans questioning why he would actually help Tommy – a bona fide Bad Man – to build a bond with Ryan.
Fan theories have been flying around ever since Neil joined the Happy Valley cast, one of which was that he was secretly Tommy’s father.
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Someone else hypothesised: “Tommy is not Ryan’s father after all it’s actually Neil and he was the one who raped Becky all those years ago.”
Another person shared a clip of Neil’s reaction the first time he realised he was dating the sister of a police officer.
But after the series wrapped up at last last night, it turned out that Neil was just a normal bloke after all – albeit a normal bloke with a few brain cells missing.
It’s led to hundreds of viewers publicly apologising to the fictional character.
One person said: “Sorry for talking sh*t about you Neil xoxo.”
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Another said: “A f*ck tonne of us all silently apologising to Neil. Who wasn’t dodgy, or Tommy’s dad.”
One tweet said: “It’s such a Neil thing to do to not be part of any shock twist but just to have been a boring wet lettuce all along.”
A user pointed out: “Can’t believe we were all thinking Neil was Tommy’s dad and he was some kind of criminal mastermind who had planned for years to reconnect Tommy and Ryan when our first introduction to Neil was when he was so drunk he couldn’t get his own jumper on!”
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Well, that’s that then. Sorry Neil.
Featured image: BBC
TV & Showbiz
Greater Manchester cinemas are screening loads of classic Christmas films throughout December
Emily Sergeant
Cinemas across the UK will be screening loads of classic festive films in the run-up to Christmas, and you can already book tickets.
With the nights drawing in, the temperatures dropping by the day, and the most wonderful time of the year now firmly in our sights, film fans looking for some wholesome festive fun in the run-up to the big day itself will soon be able to head on down to their nearest Greater Manchester cinema to catch a classic on the big screen.
Vue, Odeon, and The Light are among the cinema chains set to screen a handful of beloved Christmas films throughout December.
Although there may already be a TV channel showing Christmas films 24/7 now on air in the UK, if you fancy seeing the festivities in full screen instead, then you can watch showings of fan-favourites like Elf, Home Alone, Love Actually, and more over the next few weeks.
Greater Manchester cinemas are screening loads of classic Christmas films throughout December / Credit: 20th Century Studios | Universal Pictures
You can also see seasonal screenings of live ballet, theatre, and concert performances too.
Undoubtably one of the highlights on the lineup this year, however, has to be The Polar Express, with several cinema chains scheduled to screen the 2004 animated Christmas gem to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release.
Starring Tom Hanks alongside a talented supporting cast of voice actors, The Polar Express is based on the beloved children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg and tells the story of a young boy who boards a powerful magical train to visit Santa Claus’ home on Christmas Eve, learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas along the way.
Elf, Home Alone, and Love Actually are among the films on the lineup / Credit: Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)
Looking for a more intimate festive film experience this Christmas?
Well you can also get yourself down to one of Manchester’s most popular hotels, King Street Townhouse, where a jam-packed lineup of classics will be screened in its very-own exclusive cinema over the next two months.
Here you can also complete your seasonal experience with festive-themed cocktails, popcorn, pick n mix, and a whole host of other treats too.
Head to your local cinema’s website to check when your favourite festive flicks are being screened.
Featured Image – Warner Bros.
TV & Showbiz
Tommy Fury announces return to boxing after dropping out of I’m a Celeb 2024 last-minute
Danny Jones
Manc fighter Tommy Fury has announced his sudden return to boxing after dropping out of this year’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
The Wythenshawe-born boxer hasn’t been in the ring since his victory over YouTube star turned fighter, musician and jack of all trades, KSI, back in December 2023, but he has now booked his next bout.
Preparing to take on former UFC middleweight Darren Till in the New Year, he’s set a blockbuster date for the hometown fight as Fury vs Till will be held at none other than Manchester’s state-of-the-art entertainment venue, Co-op Live.
Not even Tyson has had a Co-op fight yet – at least not the arena one, anyway.
Sharing the official DAZN fight poster this past weekend, the 25-year-old will take on Till as part of the next Misfits event, an ever-growing boxing promotion co-founded by his former opponent KSI.
This has all transpired very quickly as the 25-year-old looked set to feature on the 2024 I’m a Celeb lineup but ultimately pulled out in the 11th hour.
National treasures and long-serving hosts hosts, Ant and Dec, even made a dig about it on the first episode of this season which aired on Sunday night, expressing their disbelief at replacement Barry McGuigan doing the show before adding, “Well it was either do this or fight the YouTuber on Netflix.”
Besides the fight against KSI (real name Olajide ‘JJ’ Olatunji), his Fury‘s most notable fight famously came against fellow influencer and celebrity boxer Jake Paul, in which he was declared the victor following a split decision.
Meanwhile, Paul has continued to dive deeper into his now-pro boxing career, which officially began in 2020, and just recently a shock win over 58-year-old sporting legend Mike Tyson on points – though the exclusive Netflix-produced fight has been accused of being ‘rigged’.
31-year-old Till, on the other hand, has long maintained his opinion of the younger Fury brother’s boxing ability and seems pretty confident he knows what the outcome will be.
Tommy Fury vs. Darren Till just got announced for January 18th on Misfits Boxing 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gayFTXAmmA
Hailing from Walton, in Liverpool, not only will it be a homecoming night for ‘TNT’ but it will also be an all-North West affair with plenty of local rivalry fuelling both boxers and the crowd.
Tommy Fury vs Darren Till comes to Co-op Live in Manchester on 18 January and it will be just the second combat sports event ever held at the venue after UFC 304 earlier this year, where fellow Manc Tom Aspinall retained his interim heavyweight title.
Co-op Members can access pre-sale from 10am on Tuesday, 19 November, with general admission tickets going live at 6pm later that same day. You can get ready to grab yours HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
6th February 2023 
