Phoenix Nights is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
It may have only graced our screens for just 12 episodes between 2001 and 2002, but the beloved sitcom has become a British cult-classic.
Written by and starring legendary local comedian Peter Kay, the award-winning show follows the highs and lows of the staff and customers of The Phoenix Club – a fictional working men’s social club in Bolton.
If you’re unfamiliar with the show or you haven’t got round to giving it a watch yet, Peter Kay plays Brian Potter – a man whose dream it is to own a successful social club, but with two failed ventures already to his name, he’s hoping the third time will be the charm and is determined to make his new baby, The Phoenix Club, the most popular establishment in Bolton
The show originated as a spin-off from Kay’s earlier spoof documentary series That Peter Kay Thing, which is where many Phoenix Nights’ characters first appeared.
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Dave Spikey, Paddy McGuinness, Neil Fitzmaurice, and other well-known names also star.
Phoenix Nights is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year / Credit: Channel 4
And now, to celebrate it being two decades since the legendary show first aired, Manchester’s new independent theatre and bar 53two is hosting a Phoenix Nights-themed party this Sunday, with plenty fun and games to get involved in.
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The night is being hosted by our very-own Joe McGrath, who fans of The Manc may recognise as one of the familiar faces from our videos.
A description for this weekend’s event reads: “Come and join Joe McGrath from The Manc for a celebration of Phoenix Nights, where there will be a massive Phoenix Nights quiz, ultimate bingo, Talent Trek, and a DJ.”
Tickets are only £8 for a full night of entertainment – and you can grab yours here.
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Phoenix Nights: A 20 Year Celebration
Where: 53two
When: Sunday 3 October
Time: 6pm – 11pm (7pm last entry)
Featured Image – Channel 4
What's On
Society is offering Mancs a chance to win free dinner and drinks if they share their best breakup texts
Danny Jones
Ever hoped that a crushing breakup text from a few years back would one day come in handy and bring you some joy?
Well, you’re in luck because that day is almost here.
Popular Manchester city centre food and drink venue, Society, is putting itself out there for all those who have been ghosted, left on read, or just plain dumped this Valentine’s Day with an exciting trade: some of your romantic moments for free scran and drinks.
That’s right, Society are inviting foodies from all over Greater Manchester to share their best (or worst) breakup texts to be in with a chance of winning dinner and drinks at the food hall along with a plus one of your choice – be a bit of a gamble if they picked them in some kind weird blind date situation.
Breakup texts finally making us feel good. (Credit: Society)
With reports finding that as many as 45% of breakups take place just before the 14 February – as partners look to avoid pricey dinners and gifts – and up to 88% of these happening over a mere text, Society is stepping in to provide solace for the those on the wrong side of the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ text.
So how does it work? Well, it’s all rather simple: submit a memorable breakup text that you’ve received to be in with a chance of winning a free Valentine’s dinner and drinks at Society for you and your equally lucky plus one.
Texts can be submitted via Society’s Instagram, TikTok DMs, or by email; you can enter from Monday, 3 February until Tuesday 11 Feb 2025.
The team will then choose the most iconic/unbelievable/heartbreaking/downright hilarious entries to win prizes from the on-site food traders and bar team, and, with your consent, may even share some of the best to their social media channels.
The food and drinks selection and Society is top-notch, so that’s a good start. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
Now, before you get all panicked that you have to air your dirty laundry, don’t worry: all entries will remain anonymous unless you say otherwise.
Best of luck to all those submitting their breakup text entries and we sincerely hope we get to see a corker or two.
Love you, Society – you’re one of the most stable relationships in our lives x
Where to watch the 2025 Six Nations in Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
It’s that time again, the Six Nations is just around the corner and we can practically taste the Guinness already — that being said, we thought it only right to put together a list of where to watch it and enjoy those pints.
With the tournament kicking off on Friday, 2 February, we don’t want you scrambling around to find places showing the Six Nations in Manchester, we just want you to sit back and enjoy the games.
So, without further ado, here is our list of the 16 places where to watch the 2025 Six Nations in Manchester city centre.
Don’t worry, you’re in good hands.
16 of the best places to watch this year’s Six Nations in Manchester
Speaking of Guinness, as far as Manchester Irish bars go, there’s a very strong argument to be made that there isn’t any better than Mulligans.
A go-to for sports fans and punters in general, not to mention Guinness’ second home in Manchester, this traditional Irish pub sandwiched just across the road from Spinningfields will be showing the games and promises live music every night. It’s always good craic in here.
You don’t book here, you just keep your fingers crossed for a table but with a whole new floor upstairs, you’ve got a better chance than ever.
2. Guinness Fan Zone at Freight Island – Depot Mayfield
Guinness and the Six Nations go hand in hand (I mean, their name’s literally on the trophy), so what better place to start than the official Guinness Fan Zone at Freight Island?
This year it’s not just the largest outside of London – it’s ser to be the biggest and best in the whole country and it’s got plenty more on offer than just the games.
You can book online but walk-ups are more than welcome too.
Next up, a tried and tested favourite of any punter who frequents sports bars in Manchester: Shooters Bar inside the Bierkeller at Printworks.
Showing the Six Nations every year, this place always draws in a big crowd whilst still promising plenty of room, not to mention great value for money when it comes to food and drink packages.
You’d be forgiven for thinking a place called Calcio only shows football, but au contraire mon frère (one for those few France fans among you): this sporting hotspot just on the edge of the Northern Quarter and not far from Piccadilly has all kinds on the box.
They’ll be showing all the rugby action from start to finish as well as keep you busy during the breaks with tonnes of retro games and, of course, plenty of pints.
Better still, they’ve recently taken on a brand new food vendor in the shape of RioMex. If you want to try both, you can book your table or a personal booth HERE.
5. Tib Street Tavern – Northern Quarter
No list of Manchester sports bars would be complete without Tib Street Tavern, one of the most popular in NQ or the city centre in general, for that matter.
With recently refurbished booths for you and all your mates to pile into, massive screens filling the walls and solid grub, this place is packed out noon till night, so you best book whilst you still can.
You can call them up on 0161 834 1600 for bookings of six or more but you can still try for a walk-in.
Whether you’ll be cheering on Ireland or not, Kiely’s is a prime location to watch the Six Nations.
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Yet another place for Guinness lovers and showing live sport all week-round before the rowdy live music kicks off in the evenings, we’ve spent many a night in here and can heartily recommend it for the rugby and good vibes in general.
We can’t think of many better places for a tipsy song-song after the game than here.
7. Seven Oaks – Central
For number seven, what better place to slot in than the seven screens over at The Seven Oaks? Tucked away on Nicholas Street just off Mosley St and round the corner from Chinatown, this place is great for watching all manner of sports, so of course they’re showing the Six Nations as well.
This place is always packed with plenty of regulars on matchdays and is even the local for the Northern Spurs fans and even the Manchester branch of St Pauli Supporters Club from Germany. It’s also known for serving bartenders till late.
One of Manchester longest standing free-house sports bars, having first opened its doors all the way back in 1824, it’s known for having some of the friendliest pub staff you’ll find anywhere in town, as well as now hosting regular live stand-up, music and even the odd theatre production these days. Give it a go.
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Credit: The Manc Group
8. The Waldorf – Piccadilly
Now, if you’re looking for something right next to the station so you don’t have to walk far for your first pint or, equally, can make a quick exit if the result doesn’t go your way, The Waldorf is the one for you.
Spanning across multiple floors with the upstairs regularly dedicated to big rugby fan bookings, you’ll catch many a face watching the sport here most weekends.
Again, it fills up quickly so bag yourself a table while you can HERE.
One of the biggest, best and busiest sports bars on this list, BOX on Deansgate brings a real sense of the American sports bar culture with shuffleboard, giant steins of booze, banging food and TV on every wall — including a big 360-jumbotron screen so nobody misses a second.
With all that in mind, it makes for the perfect place for all fans to come along and watch the Six Nations.
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Even with two large floors, this place packs out quickly, so we would get booking your place now.
10. The Directors’ Box – Central
Another all-time classic Manchester sports bar, The Directors’ Box just off St Peter’s Square in the city centre has plenty of pints and an absolutely mint menu full of sharing platters perfect for watching the game with your mates.
We’ll be straight with you, it isn’t the biggest place for the amount of people that try and get in — it’s a local favourite for a reason — so we’d advise you book your Six Nations table now if you can.
No one likes being the one who suggested a place only to not get in. Trust us, we’ve been that person far too many times – the worst.
Located just off Oxford Road Corridor, Brickhouse Social continues to cater to sports fans in the city centre and its fan zone come tournament time just keeps getting bigger.
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With three floors including a rooftop terrace, solid slices of pizza up for grabs and plenty of pool tables to keep you busy in between the ruck, this place has everything you need.
Boasting a total of 12 screens and a state-of-the-art sound system for live entertainment and the club nights downstairs in Kable, this might be one of the best places for atmosphere in Manchester when it comes to the Six Nations. Book your table at [email protected] or on 0161 236 4899.
The massive pub, club and local nightlife institution has plenty of food, pints and screens to cater to the hordes of punters. Better still, with its Australian roots, there’s a real love for rugby in here, whether you’re a Wallabies, England fan or otherwise.
We’ve already had a couple of Irish bars on the list, what harm could another do? Third time’s the charm, as they say.
Mulligans, Kiely’s and O’Sheas: the holy trinity of Manc Irish pubs and just like the other two, this boozer on the corner of Princess Street has a brilliant atmosphere, especially when the rugby’s on.
With great Guinness, classic Irish snacks like Taytos, a solid food menu and live music most nights, what more could ask for? To be honest, at this point, we might as well just give all the places decked out in green – you won’t go far wrong with any of them.
Our cousins know how to enjoy the rugby even better than we do.
14. The Grosvenor – Oxford Road Corridor (formerly The Footage)
Another student favourite and budget-friendly venue, we spent many a uni day watching live sport in The Footage and we have to say, no matter how many years and tournaments have gone by, there’s nothing quite like a fever pitch rugby crowd in this place.
It might have changed name after a short hiatius from the busy student strip but the prices in here are still great and it’s looking bigger and better than ever. Big tellies, pool tables, beer pong – they’ve got you sorted from noon until night.
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You can of course book a table if you want to secure the perfect spot but this place always has plenty of rooms try your luck with a walk-in.
15. The Courtyard – Oxford Road Corridor
The penultimate round on this fixture list, not only is this one of the cheapest places for a night in town, possibly the country, but it’s yet another prime location to watch the sport.
It might be very student-heavy most nights of the week but with a large interior, huge outdoor area with coverage, as well as plenty of value for money grub and bevs up for grabs, you can’t go wrong with the old stomping grounds.
You are never—we repeat, never too old for Courtyard and it NEVER disappoints when the game is on.
The Brotherhood of Pastimes and Pursuits is another tried and tested favourite come any matchday and the team over there do a great job of building a proper atmosphere across their two floors. You can tell how much they love sports from the original posters they create for each tournament alone.
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It’s great a post-work spot any day of the week, let alone when there are big events on like this. Food, pints, pool, table tennis and more. 10/10, no notes from us.
Not a bad place to love you and leave you to enjoy the Six Nations this year. Walk-ins are welcome but you’re best reserving your table HERE.
So, if you’re still wondering where to watch the Six Nations in Manchester, that should be plenty of options for now. It’s one of the biggest competitions on the sporting calendar and we don’t plan on missing a single second.
It may still be a bit nippy this time of year but we’ve never been ones to let the weather put us off going out and having a good time.
Emily Sergeant -
30th September 2021 
