Comedian and performer Jason Manford has criticised theatre-goers for leaving the floor of one of Manchester’s most beloved venues covered in litter and in a “shocking” state following one of his recent performances.
Currently part of the ongoing Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime run, Manford shared a social media post revealing the amount of rubbish left on the floor of the Manchester Opera House following the cast’s show to the general public.
Opening the video by stating, “Look at the bloody tip people leave”, the Salford-born stand-up, singer, actor and presenter asked, “Why do people do this?”
Posting the short clip on Instagram along with the caption, “What’s your take on litter inside a theatre? Is it [the] audience or staff’s responsibility? What d’ya reckon?”, the video itself has comments turned off but has already sparked plenty of discussion online.
The 42-year-old went on to urge people attending the show, or any theatre production for that matter to clean up after themselves, noting that there was rubbish of some form on “every single row”.
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Manford, who is starring as Jack, labelled the behaviour unbelievable and argued, “You wouldn’t treat you’re own home like that, would you?”
Citing that his days working front-of-house in cinemas might have coloured his opinion on the matter, he said it takes very little effort to simply pick up your refuse and find the nearest bin on the way out and the majority of people reacting online are in overwhelming agreement.
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One commenter underneath his post on X said, “People’s responsibility. Why can’t people just do the right thing and take their litter home with them ?? Or use a bin nearby??”, while most agreed at the very least that aside from accidental spillages, it’s just “common courtesy”.
Agree it’s insane. People never used to eat during performances, why now?! Maybe it’s because it’s so expensive now they feel entitled to do it 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
Another person went so far as to say: “People are disgusting. Personally, I’d ban food and drink in theatres and cinemas.
“It totally ruins the experience for me, listening to people chomping and slurping their way through the performance.”
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Jason’s turn in Jack and The Beanstalk began on Thursday and is set to run until the end of the year — here’s hoping this public callout will mean the theatre staff have less mess to clean up going forward.
It isn’t Manford’s only big stage production here in Manchester city centre either, as the local legend is also hosting The Big Night of Musicals in 2024.
Dame Sarah Storey is going on Strictly Come Dancing 2026
Danny Jones
Record-breaking local athlete and Paralympian, Dame Sarah Storey, is set to become the latest to join the Strictly Come Dancing annals.
With the Strictly cast for 2026 steadily being unveiled, we always keep an eye out for the Greater Manchester names in particular.
That being said, we’re buzzing to see the hugely successful Stockport swimmer turned cyclist will be swapping her Team GB kit for sparkly, sequined ballroom gowns and an entirely different type of sport and fitness.
Announced on Friday, 17 July, Storey is the seventh celebrity to be confirmed for the 24th series of the hit BBC show and dancing competition.
Having represented her country not only at nine Paralympics but across two different disciplines after switching to the racing bike back in 2005, she’s our most decorated competitor in the entire history of the Games with 30 medals to her name – 19 of which are gold.
Absolute GOAT levels.
But now the Cheadle Hulme-born is once again set to show her versatility to see how she fares on the dance floor later this year.
Commenting ahead of the new-look season which starts this September, the 48-year-old said: “Embarking on a new challenge so soon after stepping down as an athlete is hugely exciting.
“I have always loved watching Strictly, and my daughter Louisa is a very talented dancer, so to be able to learn from the best and hopefully understand even more about her world is incredibly motivating! I can’t wait to get started!”
This latest sea-change comes not long after the local legend and sporting icon officially announced her retirement from professional sport more than three decades on from first bursting onto the scene.
Thank you for taking the time to leave all the incredible messages. It’s so wonderful to read them and thank you for being the greatest supporters 🥰
— Dame Sarah Storey (@DameSarahStorey) July 9, 2026
What a career she’s had; it obviously didn’t take her long to get tired of sitting still for once, either.
She will be joined by the likes of Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer and Will Best.
In case you missed it, the upcoming edition of Strictly Come Dancing will be the first since Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and pro dancer Johannes Radebe stepping in as replacements.
In other starring Stockport news, we’ve finally got more info on the final season of a popular programme filmed in the area. Find out more down below.
Micah Richards reveals dad ‘unexpectedly’ died shortly before going on air for England v Argentina last night
Emily Sergeant
Micah Richards has revealed that his dad died shortly before he went on air for the World Cup semi final last night.
The former right back – who most-notably played for Manchester City for a decade from 2005-2015, and for the England national team from 2006-2012 – was one of the BBC’s pundits providing on-air analysis last night as England faced Argentina in a highly anticipated semi final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup last night.
The two teams faced off in Atlanta, and while goals came from both sides, it was ultimately Argentina that reigned supreme – securing a 2-1 win over the Three Lions.
But while much of the country is grieving the fact that football won’t be ‘coming home’ (well, for another two years at least), Richards is grieving on a deeper level.
He took to Instagram after the loss last night to share with his 1.4m followers that shortly before he went on air, his father Lincoln passed away ‘unexpectedly’ – calling him the ‘proudest parent possible’ in a touching tribute.
“He has left us all too soon,” Richards began in his tribute.
“Hwas my greatest fan. He barely missed a game my entire life. He would take me wherever I needed to go when I was a kid and he was the proudest parent possible during my professional career. It was so rare for him to not be by my side.
“I know how much watching England World Cup games means to everyone at home, and how the experience bonds families together across the generations, like nothing else.
“I know, particularly as a proud old-school Yorkshireman, dad would’ve wanted the show to go on this evening. And so it did.”
Danny Jones -
4th December 2023 
