A new crime documentary exploring the chain of events leading up to one of Manchester’s most prolific gangland killings aired last night.
Audiences tuned into the first episode of Crime + Investigation’s Killer Britain with Dermot Murnaghan – which is hosted and curated by one of the UK’s best-known journalists, and explores British murder stories filled with detective intrigue and chilling storylines – as it focussed on the life and death of Paul Massey.
Paul Massey – the man who came to be best-known by the swaggering moniker ‘Mr Big’ – was raised in the rough-and-tumble surroundings of Ordsall in the sixties, moving from rapscallion to crime kingpin during the dawn of Madchester.
His blood-splattered story – which many Mancunians will remember culminated in his murder in 2015 – sounds like it was lifted from the pages of an airport paperback, and has proven a popular subject for crime media over the years.
This new documentary however attempts to examine the story in a light never seen before – and even features an “alternative theory”.
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Murder stories are told with archive footage and key interviews from those closest to the case / Credit: Crime + Investigation
In each episode of the new five-part series – which looks at crimes that shook local communities throughout Britain and gripped the nation until the killer was brought to justice – Dermot is joined by former Detective Chief Inspector of the Metropolitan Police, Clive Driscoll as he recounts a case he has reported on or followed at close quarters over the years.
The five murder stories are told with archive footage and key interviews from those closest to the case – including by family members of the victims and the investigating officers who were first at the scene.
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Last night’s Manchester-centred episode features interviews with Mr Massey’s partner, Louise Lydiate, and his daughter, Lydia Massey.
The five-part series will continue on Crime + Investigation each weeknight this week.
The devastating Cumbria shootings of June 2010, the callous murder of vulnerable young adult Phillip Nicholson in Boscombe, Dorset in 2015, and the dramatic twists and turns of the murder of Carol Jarvis in West Lothian in 2009 will also be featured in episodes this week.
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You can find more information about the series here, and catch-up via Sky TV On Demand / Sky Go and Virgin TV On Demand.
Featured Image – BBC
TV & Showbiz
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 -
1st June 2021 
