Michelle Keegan‘s ‘body double’, and a PE teacher and part-time rugby player from Manchester, are just two of the contestants heading into the Love Island villa.
Yes, whether you can believe it or not, it’s that time again.
Just less than six months after Davide and Ekin-Su stole the nation’s hearts, smash-hit reality competition show Love Island is set to return to screens for its 9th series, and it’s second Winter edition, and ITV has today revealed the lineup of hopeful singletons who will be making the trip to South Africa in the look for love.
The show is returning for the first of two series this year on Monday 19 January.
With brand-new host Maya Jama taking over presenting duties, ITV says contestants will be guided through the “twists and turns of coupling up” in a jaw-dropping villa.
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Love Island is back for its 9th series on Monday 19 January on ITV2 / Credit: ITV
Greater Manchester and the North West has always been well represented on Love Island over the years, and this series looks set to be no different – with 24-year-old Kai Fagan from Manchester revealed as one of the lads heading into the villa.
Claiming to have three different degrees from three different universities, Kai works as a PE and Science teacher, but also plays semi-professional rugby for Burnage RFC.
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He describes himself as “chilled, caring, and very impulsive”.
“I’m single by choice,” Kai explained in his ITV Love Island cast announcement bio, “I’m looking for the right girl. I feel like I have quite high expectations. I don’t feel I should commit to someone unless I’m absolutely buzzing over them, because it’s not fair on them.”
While Kai may be the only person actually from Manchester on the lineup so far, the region is somewhat also represented by the fact that another one of the contestants is 27-year-old ring girl and actress Olivia Hawkins – who says one of her claims to fame is the fact she has acted as the body double for Mancunian actress Michelle Keegan.
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“I did a film with Jason Statham and had a nice 10-minute convo about life,” Olivia said.
“I’ve been a ring girl for KSI, I played a waitress in James Bond with Daniel Craig, and I’ve also been a body double for Michelle Keegan and Emma Watson.”
The Love Island 2023 lineup / Credit: ITV
A farmer, a TV salesman, an airport security officer, and a hair stylist are just a handful of the other contestants taking part in the new series.
Love Island is back on ITV2 and ITVX on Monday 19 January at 9pm.
Yard Act announce handful of new headline shows ahead of 6Music gig in Manchester
Clementine Hall
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024, including a show right here in Manchester – but not before their BBC 6Music Festival gig later this week.
We are so, SO back.
It’s been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a limited run of domestic shows for later in the year including their homecoming gig at the O2 Academy in Leeds on Friday, 6 November.
But after playing over in Yorkshire, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on the following Friday (13 Nov).
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album, Where’s My Utopia?, with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August ’24.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy.
It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have been keeping busy writing and recording their third studio LP, as well as heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives – oh, and that intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to this coming autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait. We spoke to them a little while back and know how much big stuff they’ve got further pipeline; you can see the interview HERE.
Booking just three headline slots, the handful of tour dates are as follows:
06 Nov – Leeds
13 Nov – Manchester
26 Nov – London
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday, 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday, 27 March. Sign up to grab yours right HERE.
As for those wanting to find out more about this year’s 6Music Fest, you find the full lineup and more down below.
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.
Emily Sergeant -
9th January 2023 
