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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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!!!
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.
Daisy Jackson -
25th November 2022 
