Sir Ian McKellen got a bit tearful while describing an encounter he had on a recent trip to Manchester.
The beloved actor and national treasure – originally from Burnley – appeared on the Three Little Words podcast, hosted by John Bishop and Tony Pitts.
He was there to talk about the three words that mean the most to him, a running theme of the podcast.
One of the words that Sir Ian chose was ‘love’ – and it was an unlikely encounter here in Manchester that he chose to use as his example.
The Lords of the Rings legend went all misty-eyed and covered his hands with his face while he was describing an encounter he had with a local taxi driver.
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And John and Tony were also looking a bit doe-eyed staring back at him too.
Sir Ian said: “If you ever arrive in Manchester, if you’re lucky enough to be able to afford the train fare, you come down the steps at Piccadilly, and if you’re lucky enough to be able to afford a taxi, you get in the back of one, and the taxi driver, usually a man but not always, says: ‘Where you going to love?’”
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At this point in the story, Ian takes a huge sniff and starts to mock-sob, before saying: “Oh, and I feel I’m home.”
He then continues, with his hands cupping his face: “Where grown men call strangers ‘love’. I think if we all did that, it would be a rather better place wouldn’t it?
“And when people have got problems with gender, and pronouns, and so on, ‘love’ covers everyone really. Just call everyone ‘love’.
After sharing the clip on Instagram, Tony Pitts was quickly flooded with messages praising Ian for his lovely observation of our home city.
One person wrote: “So true.. My grandpa ( rest his soul) called everyone Love. It was always a good feeling to hear him say it. After seeing this I will say it more often.”
A new rom-com set in Manchester has started filming in the city centre
Danny Jones
A brand-new rom-com set in Manchester has begun filming in the heart of the city centre and there are some recognisable names attached to it.
Manchester is no stranger to a movie set or bit of filming, with the Castlefield canals and viaduct having featured in Peaky Blinders and numerous ad campaigns, not to mention Northern Quarter doubling as New York on numerous occasions, but the latest project looks set to be based all over the city.
Film crews have been spotted along those very same canals we just mentioned, outside the likes of Evuna tapas restaurant in NQ, staging queues outside Band on the Wall, walking down Canal Street in the Gay Village and more.
Seemingly set and filmed almost entirely within the heart of various Manchester districts, the film is called CC: Emily and stars young duo Angourie Rice and Spike Fearn.
📹 | Spike Fearn and Angourie Rice filming scenes for “CC: Emily” in Manchester Gay Village, England — via Celeb Media on TikTok. pic.twitter.com/bBvmzYP7wz
Principal photography is said to have started back in August but more and more shoots have been spotted popping up at various different recognisable locations.
Rice, 23, is an Australian actor who is best known for roles in the Mean Girls remake, action comedy The Nice Guys and the new Spider-Man movies, whereas English talent Fearn (24) has most recently appeared in the Amy Winehouse biopic, Aftersun with Paul Mescal and the latest Alien film, Romulus.
As for the plot itself, the IMDb listing explains that a “lovesick musician teams up with a psychology student to find his dream girl, sparking a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their hearts and ambitions.”
The conceit comes from Fearn’s character – all character names are still unknown – being given the wrong number and, as we’re sure any regular cinephile can guess already, the love story takes an unintended even if albeit predictable turn.
Not everyone is exactly happy about the space the Manchester-based rom-com is taking up though.
CC: Emily is being directed by Alicia MacDonald, the woman behind recent TV favourites like Stephen Merchant’s The Outlaws and will be distributed by Focus and Universal – two studios behind the likes of Shaun of the Dead and the Bridget Jones films – though there’s still no release date as yet.
This being her feature film debut after and only one of a few movie outings by writer Rachel Hirons, the equally young and still relatively unproven cast makes this an exciting original that we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on – especially since it’s filming around our way.
Along with the 90s aesthetic, the rom-com era looks to be back in full effect as another iconic franchise is also returning very soon.
British acting legend Dame Maggie Smith dies aged 89
Danny Jones
Some deeply sad showbiz news this weekend as it has been announced that British acting royalty Dame Maggie Smith CH DBE has died aged 89.
The legendary English actor was confirmed as having passed away on Friday, 27 September, following an official statement from her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin.
They wrote: “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.
“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.
They go on to thank the hordes of fans paying their respects online, adding: “[we] ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
With a career spanning six decades and known to generations of movie lovers for appearances as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, Lady in the Van, Downton Abbey and Oh! What a Lovely War, just to name a few of her countless iconic roles, she is the definition of a household name.
She appeared in more than 85 films and TV programmes all told but was arguably most famously known to kids all around the world as the stern but enigmatic and fiercely loyal Hogwarts witch who first welcomed them into the live-action universe of the much-loved wizarding world.
Her theatre career is arguably even more revered, with the BBC dubbing her “a piercing presence on stage and screen” in their official obituary. By all accounts and judging from the tributes online too, a lovely human being with a razor-sharp wit.
Making her acting debut way back in 1952, she went on to win two Oscars five BAFTAs, four Emmys; three Golden Globes, not to mention a Tony as well as nominations for six Laurence Olivier Awards – she quite literally did it all.
Made Dame Maggie back in 1990, Smith is one of the few performers to ever earn the so-called ‘Triple Crown of Acting’, which should tell you everything you need to know about her status within the industry.
Rest in peace to a true legend and thank you for the memories in some of our most formative years.
‘One, two, three – Vera Verto’.
RIP Maggie Smith, this was one of my favourite scenes from Harry Potter with professor mcgonagall 💔 pic.twitter.com/Qe61BS7u9w