Bongo’s Bingo is kick-starting the new year by hosting its very own talent show that you can stream right to your living room this weekend.
As the reality of the new national lockdown is starting to sink in, it’s fair to say that 2021 is, so far, a continuation of 2020, and with precious few highlights to cherish in what has truly been an incredibly challenging 10 months for everyone, being cooped up again across the UK is a sobering thought.
But fear not, as Jonny Bongo and the Bongo’s Bingo team are launching a brand new and completely-free show this Saturday 9th January at 8pm on Twitch, which is set to be brimming with chaos, magic and mayhem for some already much-needed escapism.
Get ready for Bongo’s Got Talent.
You many remember it was Bongo’s Bingo’s initial run of live shows on Twitch in April and May, which saw millions of people tuning in as the wildly-successful and experiential concept reached out to the nation and beamed straight to the comfort of their own homes.
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And now the search is on for the UK’s most talented dancers, singers, magicians, stand-ups, gymnasts, onion eaters, egg headers, or something completely unique.
The viewers will help pick their favourite talent alongside Jonny, Rich Furness and a special guest judge, and the lucky winner will bag themselves a feast Bongo’s Bingo prizes, including everything from a Henry Hoover, a giant pink fluffy unicorn and a Disney princess set, to tickets to a Bongo’s Bingo summer show of your choice and even a whopping £500 cash.
This is completely free to enter and watch on Twitch, and each Saturday during the lockdown, there will be a Bongo’s Bingo show on Twitch to get the nation entertained.
Before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Bongo’s Bingo continuously sold out shows in over 40 UK locations and more around the world, often seeing dates fully booked-up in advance and coming close to selling two million tickets – and it will be back.
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But for now, sit back and strap in for Bongo’s Got Talent.
Bongo’s Bingo
To enter yourself into this year’s Bongo’s Got Talent, all you have to do is:
Record a video in landscape mode.
Tell them your name and a little bit about yourself.
Reveal what talent you’ll be performing and take it away.
Then email your entry to [email protected] by 11am on Saturday 9th January.
You can tune in this Saturday at 8pm via the Bongo’s Bingo Twitch platform here.
What's On
The Tina Turner Musical at Palace Theatre, Manchester – simply the best
Aimee Woodcock
Tina – The Tina Turner Musical has landed in Manchester, with a run of shows at the Palace Theatre taking place all the way into 2026.
And on opening night last week, the show lit up the Palace Theatre with a fierce, emotional and utterly captivating performance that charted Tina’s extraordinary life from her childhood in Nutbush to becoming the queen of Rock and Roll.
The cast delivered a knockout evening, bringing humour, heartbreak and sheer power to a story that truly earns its standing ovation.
Leading in the role of Tina, Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy was nothing short of phenomenal, capturing both the raw vulnerability of teen Anna Mae Bullock and the unstoppable force of the icon she became. Her vocals were electric, presence magnetic – a true tribute to Tina herself.
Opposite her, David King-Yombo’s portrayal of Ike Turner was chilling, layered and deeply impactful, grounding the story in its difficult truths without overshadowing Tina’s resilience.
Strong support from Martin Allanson (Phil Spector), William Beckerleg (Erwin Bach) and Isaac Elder (Roger Davies) rounded out a perfectly balanced cast. Special mention also to Tina Brice (young Anna-Mae) who belts out every vocal with ease, a true honour to watch her on the stage.
Tina – The Tina Turner Musical has arrived at Manchester’s Palace Theatre. Credit: Manuel Harlan
The musical beautifully weaves Tina’s life through her legendary discography. Opening with “Nutbush City Limits,” we step straight into her Tennessee childhood before moving through her early performing days with high-energy numbers like “Shake a Tail Feather” and “A Fool in Love.” The tension rises with “River Deep – Mountain High,” a defiant, goosebump-inducing moment that marked the beginning of Tina reclaiming her voice.
Act Two dives into reinvention, beginning with a vulnerable and reflective “Private Dancer,” before ramping up to the hits that defined her solo career. “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and “Proud Mary” was a standout – tender and triumphant all at once, while “The Best” closed the night with every person in the theatre on their feet.
This production doesn’t sanitise Tina’s story – it honours her strength, her fire, and her refusal to break. Emotional, electrifying and delivered with absolute heart, it’s a must-see tribute to a woman who truly was… simply the best.
You can get tickets for TINA – The Tina Turner Musical in Manchester HERE.
Stockport County’s Christmas dinner in a cup returns for 2025 as part of new festive food range
Danny Jones
We can’t believe it’s rolled around again already, but with the festive period well underway and the big day just a few weeks away, Stockport County have brought back their viral ‘Xmas dinner in a cup’for 2025.
Better still, the County Courtyard has seen some new Christmas specials added to its food menu, too.
The local football club are absolutely flying in League One at the moment, having spent plenty of time at the top of the table already and still well and truly contesting those promotion/play-off spots.
If you’re a Stopfordian, that’s plenty of cause for celebration right there, but with the Christmas dinner in a cup also up for grabs once more, the holiday season literally couldn’t taste any better right now.
For those who’ve never seen it before, it’s exactly what it says on the tin – well, cup: a little Sunday dinner in a County-branded takeaway coffee cup, complete with a healthy pour of gravy and pretty much all the trimmings you could hope for.
Yes, including sprouts, because all of you who still don’t touch them need to grow up already.
Currently priced at just £4.50, not only does it contain virtually all the major food groups (barring the customary matchday pints, of course), it might just be one of the healthiest and best value-for-money bits of footy scran around – certainly in Greater Manchester, anyway.
But, as mentioned, that’s not all this year; Stockport are also serving up the new festive hot dog and even a ‘leftover Christmas curry’ in a bowl, which might even be more warming on a cold night at Edgeley Park than the Xmas dinner in a cup or clinging onto a flask of Bovril.
Anyone else craving that curry with a cheeky bit of bubble and squeak now?
It’s also worth noting that you’ll only be able to get one of those on Boxing Day, by the way, when the Hatters host Lincoln City in the league.
As for the rest of it, County fans can get their hands on this seasonal scran for the first time this year at the weekend when Dave Challinor’s side take on Barnsley at 12:30pm, and two of the three specials will then be served at home every game over the holiday period.
Speaking of random Christmas food creations, there’s another limited-time-only and potentially divisive example that we’ll also be sampling this December…
Emily Sergeant -
6th January 2021 
