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The Manc -
28th January 2020
The Manc -
28th January 2020 What's On
The shortlist for the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards has been revealed
Danny Jones
The shortlisted nominees for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award (SPOTY) have been revealed, including one notable nearby name.
The question is, who do you fancy most for it this time around?
After Atherton’s very own Keely Hodgkinson claimed it last year, we were naturally hoping another Greater Manchester native would win it once again.
While we haven’t quite got what we wished for, you could say we’ve got the next best thing, as a fellow North West name has been nominated.
🗣️ REVEALED!
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 11, 2025
The 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year contenders are:
🌟 @hannahhampton_
🌟 @chloekelly
🌟 @elliekildunne
🌟 @LukeTheNuke180
🌟 @McIlroyRory
🌟 @LandoNorris
You can vote during the live awards show on Thursday 18 December from 1900 GMT on BBC One &… pic.twitter.com/3wmLfXKkSc
A short train ride away to Cheshire, and being a big Man United fan basically counts, if you ask us.
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Yes, Warrington’s very own Luke Littler has been named on the shortlist for the 2025 Sports Personality of the Year, quite literally 12 months from his previous nomination.
Littler, who is still only 18, did go on to win the 2024 Young SPOTY last December – a very decent consolation prize following his blockbuster debut year or so – but he has been tipped as a bookies’ favourite this time around.
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He’s also been voted for that award again this year, so you’d hope he’d be walking away with at least one of the trophies, though it’d be far from his only one of late.
Since then, the young sporting prodigy has gone on to win all but two of the 10 PDC majors, including two Premier League Darts titles.
In fact, if you want to look at how his arrival onto the senior professional darts circuit breaks down, you can take a gander at the frankly staggering stats behind his breakthrough down below.
As you can see, other nominees include former Manchester City Women’s star Chloe Kelly and Lioness, Hannah Hampton; rugby union and national team member, Ellie Kildunne, F1 favourite Lando Norris, as well as Irish golfer, Rory McIlroy (not for the first time).
We’ll confess we’re very much biased and backing local lad Littler – sue us.
The other Young SPOTY nominees for 2025 include another rising England star in Michelle Agyemang and Northern Superchargers cricket talent, Davina Perrin.
Being hosted over at MediaCityUK in Salford once again, voting will take place during the show on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer on Thursday, 18 December.
Who’s got your backing this year?
Read more:
- Manchester City are hosting special Christmas-themed tours of the Etihad Stadium
- A Manc-based runner has broken an ultramarathon record by running across the desert
- Joey Barton officially sentenced over offensive online posts
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Darts Now (YouTube)/Katie Chan (via WikiCommons)/Raph_PH (via Flickr)
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Manchester Film Festival returns for 2026 and early bird passes are live NOW
Danny Jones
Cinephiles, prepare yourselves, because the Manchester Film Festival is back for 2026, and you can grab discounted early bird tickets right now.
Taking place over the course of 10 days next spring, the annual event will be spread across multiple much-loved cinemas and is a must-not miss if you’re a movie buff or just love going to the pictures.
Serving as a celebration of both international cinema and local filmmakers, highlighting a diverse range of films from both established and emerging talent, the Manchester Film Festival has been going for over a decade now, and 2026 is set to be the biggest yet.
You can see how last year went down below.
Having earned nods from both BAFTA and the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), there’s already plenty of pedigree and excitement behind it, especially with the discounted early bird offers available.
You can see the prices of Manchester Film Festival (MFF) early bird passes here:
- 6 Film Pass – £36 (normally £45)
- 10 Film Pass – £52 (normally £65)
- Full Festival Pass – £71.95 (normally £89.95)
As you can see in the clips from the 11th edition of MFF back in March 2025, the showcase featured everything from the indie up-and-comers to well-established famous faces.
For instance, standout showings included The Penguin Lessons, starring Steve Coogan, and Y2K, which featured Disney star and singer Rachel Zegler, as well as Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst.
As for the latest instalment, whether you’re most interested in the movie screenings themselves, the panels and Q&As, or just the taste of some red carpet glamour, there’s something for all film lovers.
MFF’s full programme is set to be announced in January, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us this time.
This year, they’ve also had a Salford student design the official 2026 festival poster, as Pendleton Sixth Form College’s Charlie Cunliffe has shared his striking visuals.
Commenting on this continued collaboration with the further education institution, Festival Director Neil Jeram Croft said: “This is the third year we have worked with Pendleton Sixth Form design students, and once again the work they all put in was exceptional.
“It was really tough to choose a winner, but we felt that Charlie’s design really stood out with its simplicity and use of colour. We think it’s going to look fantastic all over Manchester this spring.”
As for the venues taking part in MCR Film Fest 2026, the likes of Aviva Studios, HOME, Odeon Great Northern, Flix at Treehouse Hotel, and CULTPLEX over in Cheetham Hill will be helping host.
Next year’s festival runs from 19-29 March and, once again, passes currently start at £36 – reduced from the standard cost of £45.
If you’re interested in trying it out this year, you can grab your tickets HERE.
Read more:
- A big battle of the bands is happening in Manchester this week – and it’s all for charity
- Review | The Lion, The Witch and The Beaver* at The Lowry – sorry, Wardrobe
- There’s pairs of tickets to a load of events up for grabs as part of a ‘Great Christmas Giveaway’
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Press shots (supplied via Manc Film Fest)
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