A film that received terrible reviews when it was released several years ago has been doing surprisingly well on Netflix.
Strangeways Here We Come, set in Salford and starring Michelle Keegan, was initially slammed for its ‘vile stereotypes’ – something its creator has defended.
It follows a group of residents on a council state plotting revenge on a local loan shark, played by Stephen Lord.
Alongside Michelle Keegan in her first film role, the cast also includes Chanel Cresswell and Perry Fitzpatrick from This Is England and Misfits actor Lauren Socha.
Strangeways Here We Come was written and directed by Chris Green, from Lower Broughton, in 2018.
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The film was absolutely slated by The Guardian on its release, who said in a one-star review that it was an ‘awful Salford-set Shameless ripoff’.
It’s named after a The Smiths album of the same name, but the paper noted it was ‘roughly as funny as Morrissey is nowadays’ – which is not very.
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The Times went a step further, giving it exactly zero stars out of five. I didn’t even know that was a thing.
Michelle Keegan stars in Strangeways Here We Come. Credit: Strangeways Here We Come
“This was made by someone who lived there. Growing up on Spike Island we saw a lot of violence. I can honestly say that 90 per cent of what you see in that film is true – its stuff I’ve seen, stuff I’ve experienced or know about. Apart from the murder, obviously.”
He added: “When [the film] came out, it was like putting Salford on the map. At the end of the day, all those unsavoury characters who are a bit brutal, are part of a community.
“When the chips are down, like the Salford communities I remember, they all come together to help each other out.”
But despite failing to wow the critics (understatement), the film has been quietly plucking away with Netflix audiences, and popped into the top 10 in the UK on its release week.
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Green said: “I couldn’t get my head round the fact that Strangeways Here we Come had gone to number ten on Netflix films yesterday. But now it’s at NUMBER 9!!!
Trailer released for ‘gripping’ new ITV drama series starring Michelle Keegan
Emily Sergeant
The trailer for a new ITV drama series starring Manchester’s very-own Michelle Keegan has been released.
Already billed as being a ‘gripping’ new series that’s set to have audiences right on the edge of their seats, The Blame will dive into secrets, suspicion and systemic corruption all under the surface of this seemingly quiet town.
The six-part series – which was filmed in and around London late last summer – promises complex characters, unexpected twists, and a mystery at its core.
Produced by the acclaimed Quay Street Productions – which are part of ITV Studios – and written, developed for television, and executive produced by Megan Gallagher, The Blame sees Michelle Keegan take on the role of DCI Kenneth Walker.
A talented ensemble cast stars alongside Keegan, including well-known actors like Douglas Booth, also in a lead role, as well as Ian Hart, Nathan Mensah, Nigel Boyle, Joe Armstrong, Matilda Freeman, Gavin Spokes, Josh Bolt, and Ceallach Spellman in various supporting roles.
The series begins when the body of teenage figure skater, Sophie Madsen, is discovered, sending shockwaves through the town of Wakestead.
As DI Crane (Keegan) and DI Radley (Booth) dig deeper, what starts as a tragic death spirals into a tangled web of lies, institutional cover-ups, and moral compromise. As the clock ticks and trust fractures, Crane must navigate both a murder investigation and the treacherous politics inside her own team.
A trailer for the show has now been released showing the cast in action ahead of airing on ITV later this year.
The trailer has been released for a ‘gripping’ new ITV drama series starring Michelle Keegan / Credit: ITV
“The Blame is a brilliant new crime thriller full of surprising twists and a compelling investigation that also cleverly tackles police corruption, exploitation and misogyny as the thriller unravels,” commented ITV’s Director of Drama, Polly Hill.
“Megan is such a wonderful and clever writer, and with Michelle Keegan in the lead, this is going to be an unmissable drama and one I’m very proud to have on ITV.”
No release date for the show has been announced, but we do know it’s ‘coming soon’.
Featured Image – ITV Studios
TV & Showbiz
Liam Gallagher says he’s ‘ready’ to make a surprise appearance at the World Cup final
Danny Jones
Liam Gallagher has said that he is “ready” to play at the World Cup final should England make it all the way to the last two later this month.
He may have just been having some fun on social media as usual, but you never know – after all, we never actually thought we’d see him and his brother reconcile, but look how that turned out…
In his words, he may have “Irish blood”, but the Manchester-born Britpop and rock icon has an English heart, and after one person online said it’d only be right for him to fly out for the conclusive fixture if Thomas Tuchel’s side make it all the way, he gave a typically off-the-cuff response:
You could argue there’s not much in this besides an impromptu comment from a famously keyboard-happy lead singer, but stranger things have happened.
For instance, it may have come after a gradually increasing barrage of old tweets, pestering and a bit of positive peer pressure in full view of the public eye, but we did at long last get to witness an Oasis reunion with the ‘Live ’25’ world tour; however surreal it felt, it’s soon set to be relived in a documentary.
This reply comes as a response to LG’s initial post on X, in which he wrote: “It’s hard work that singing Harry Kane cmon ENGLAND cmon WONDERWALL.”
It also isn’t the only time he stoked the fire of this still only pie-in-the-sky idea, either, as after another user similarly asked if he’d fly out and sing it at the final, he simply responded, “Oh I’ll show Harry how it’s done.”
He’s not the only one to have made a rather big public proclamation this tournament, either.
The England and Man United legend set himself up for a fall.
As for the 53-year-old musician, he also jokingly quipped at the expense of those less keen on the idea with just as straightforward a clap-back: “Stop crying your heart out.”
Now, obviously, we’re taking this one with a big pinch of salt (enough to season ‘some lasagneee’, you could say), but who knows? There’s been plenty of big and strange showbiz stuff happening at this year’s competition in North America.
Maybe we all need to just keep tagging the Burnage boys, FIFA, England and the official World Cup page as much and hope for at least some kind of Oasis-centric surprise.
Come on, just imagine how much this would go OFF if even one of the Gallagher brothers was in the crowd, let alone this unthinkable hypothetical…
Daisy Jackson -
25th November 2022 
