A mural of Paul O’Grady painted as a tribute to the TV great has been vandalised and covered over just days after it was created.
The beautiful black-and-white portrait, depicting Paul with a Springer Spaniel, was painted by local artist Manchester Murals along the Fallowfield Loop.
But it didn’t take long before the mural was defaced.
Initially, the artwork was damaged by a green spray-painted tag – but over the weekend it’s been almost completely covered.
At the time the street art was completed, Manchester Murals, aka Chris Moore, posted: “A mural celebrating the life of Paul O’Grady.
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“Paul always seemed like a well-grounded entertainment machine that spanned generations, was one of the nation’s favourite drag artists and through his love for animals he was an ambassador for @battersea where he helped raise their profile. Only felt right to include a dog in his mural.
“Thanks for everything, Paul! Rest well.”
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Several people who have headed to the Fallowfield Loop to see the tribute have now shared photos of the state it’s been left in.
In response, Chris confirmed that if he did paint another mural, it wouldn’t be on that wall.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, he added: “It would have been nice for it to last longer. I only finished it on Thursday so it’s not even been three days since it was created.
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“I can kind of understand people’s disappointment in that the mural has only lasted as long as it has, especially given how recent his passing was, but, ultimately and unfortunately, this is part of the nature of the street art and mural scene.”
A tribute fund set up by Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has already raised more than £200,000.
The animal shelter, of which Paul was an ambassador, wrote: “Battersea joins the nation in mourning the loss of Paul O’Grady – an entertainment legend and much-loved Ambassador to our charity. We’d like to extend our deepest sympathies to Paul’s family and friends.
“To millions Paul O’Grady is the popular TV and radio presenter and comedian who lit up their screens with his razor-sharp humour and perpetual generosity and warmth. Battersea will forever remember Paul as a devoted animal lover with the biggest heart, who fell in love with every dog he met at our centres. Paul will always be associated with Battersea, and we are truly saddened to have lost such a true friend and huge part of our charity.
“Paul loved Battersea so much and we cannot thank him enough for everything he did for our charity and for rescue animals worldwide. We will forever be indebted to him for his endless generosity and support.”
Much-loved children’s show Gabby’s Dollhouse is bringing its live show to Manchester
Danny Jones
Much-loved children’s TV sensation Gabby’s Dollhouse is bringing its now world-famous live stage show to Manchester city centre for the first time ever.
Set for its debut UK tour, the smash-hit Netflix series created by the brains behind the 90s and noughties kids classic, Blue’s Clues, has become a global favourite since it first began back in 2021.
After proving highly successful over in the States, ‘Gabby’s Dollhouse Live!’ is now going transatlantic to delight little ones across the pond.
The super family-friendly show lands at Manchester’s AO Arena in early 2026, and we can practically hear the toddlers screaming with joy already.
As the Arena posted on social media, “This a-MEOW-zing new show, inspired by the beloved DreamWorks Animation preschool series, features songs that will have audiences singing and dancing along, from beginning to end.”
For anyone unaware of the name or simply looking to introduce their youngsters to something new, Gabby’s Dollhouse is an interactive pre-school programme that blends both interactive live-action with educational and undeniably cute animation.
It follows a girl named Gabby and her cat friends as they go on adventures inside a magical dollhouse.
The American show has taken off not only domestically but has now become the most-watched kids’ show on Netflix, so yes, it’s rather popular.
As for this still relatively new stage production, it brings to life an exciting original Dollhouse story featuring unique puppets and dynamic staging, with hit new songs that will have audiences singing and dancing along from beginning to end.
You can see the trailer for the US tour down below.
Presented not only by DreamWorks but Universal’s Destinations and Experiences team, the 15-date tour will get underway next spring; you can see the full list of shows here:
‘Gabby’s Dollhouse Live!’ 2026 UK tour dates
We’ve even highlighted all of the Northern shows for you, just in case you can’t make the Manc date.
Fri 27/03/26 SEC Armadillo Theatre, Glasgow
Sun 29/03/26 P&J Live, Aberdeen
Tue 31/03/26 Eventim Apollo, London
Wed 1/04/26 Eventim Apollo, London
Sun 5/04/26 AO Arena Manchester
Tue 7/04/26 Utilita Arena Birmingham
Wed 8/04/26 Edinburgh Playhouse
Sat 11/04/26 Brighton Centre
Tue 14/04/26 First Direct Bank Arena Leeds
Thu 16/04/26 Bournemouth International Centre
Sun 19/04/26 Plymouth Pavilions
Tue 21/04/26 Swansea Building Society Arena
Sun 26/04/26 M&S Bank Arena Liverpool
Tue 28/04/26 Utilita Arena Sheffield
Fri 1/05/26 Utilita Arena Newcastle
Sun 3/05/26 Utilita Arena Cardiff
General admission seats go live on Wednesday, 10 December, and if you’re looking to guarantee your family a spot at the AO Arena or any of the other venues, you can join the pre-sale waiting list.
John Cooper Clarke announces latest UK headline tour along with new book
Danny Jones
The ‘Bard of Salford’ himself, Dr John Cooper Clarke, is back with another UK headline tour in 2026, plus a brand-new book to boot.
Now 76 and still as fiery as ever, ‘The Godfather of Punk Poetry’s career spans more than half a century, and as a Greater Manchester native and cultural icon, he’s still just as worth celebrating as ever with each passing year.
Becoming the first poet to ever headline a UK arena with his landmark Co-op Live back in March, it’s been another milestone 12 months for local legend, and he clearly has absolutely no intentions of slowing down next year either.
Revealing a raft of new tour dates on Monday, 1 December, John Cooper Clarke will be bringing his spoken word stylings and latest collection – satsifyingly titled Have It – to crowds all over the country.
Confirming a total of 20 new live shows, JCC will be kicking off his next tour in October 2026 in time for the launch of his latest title.
Following on from last year’s release, ‘WHAT‘, which became an instant Sunday Times bestseller, and his memoir (published back in 2020), this will be his fifth book to date.
2025 also saw him receive the prestigious Northern Music Award (NMAs) in recognition of his phenomenal influence in the music world and art as a whole.
As for us here at Audio North, we recently also had the incredible privilege of sitting down to chat with Cooper Clarke ourselves ahead of the announcement.
You can see John Cooper Clarke’s list of live shows in full down below.
JCC UK headline tour dates 2026
We’ve kindly italicised all the Northern dates for you as well.
Tickets for Dr John Cooper Clarke in October 2026 will be available from this Friday, 5 December at 10am via Gigs and Tours as well as his official website.
Daisy Jackson -
3rd April 2023 
