There’s not long to go before a new world-first exhibition giving curious crowds the chance to “travel like a poo” arrives in Manchester.
And tickets officially go on sale today.
While it may not sound like something you ever thought you’d get to experience, a new exhibition is set to have its world premiere at the Science and Industry Museum in the heart of Manchester city centre this summer, and families can “dive headfirst into the digestive system”.
The new blockbuster exhibition, Operation Ouch! Food, poo and you, is based on an award-winning CBBC children’s TV series and will see the show brought to life.
Today’s the day! Tickets for Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You are out now 💩
Get ready for giggle-worthy grossness as you journey through the digestive system. From giant gnashers to the poo-duction line, you won't want to miss this adventure.
— Science and Industry Museum (@sim_manchester) April 19, 2023
Visitors can expect interactive experiences, amazing objects from the Science Museum Group’s collection, and appearances from world-renowned doctors who will be on hand to guide audiences through this “lively, interactive, and playful adventure to better understand our brilliant bodies”.
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It’s set to be “an unforgettable journey” of super-sized science and giggle-worthy gore.
For those who fancy it, the Museum is inviting people to head on down and “travel like a poo in a voyage” to discover where our food goes when we eat.
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From bowels to gallbladders, you’ll get the chance to explore the role of each organ in the digestive journey, figure out how food can fuel us, investigate the funniest bodily functions, and “goggle at glorious grossness” at this hands-on exploration of the science inside us.
Mancs can ‘travel like a poo’ at new Science and Industry Museum exhibition this summer / Credit: Science Museum Group
Sniff out the science of how food is broken down, protect the body from bugs by fighting off bad bacteria and step up to the poo-duction line to work together to help move waste through the large intestine and out the other end.
Set to take over the Science and Industry Museum’s Special Exhibitions Gallery from 21 July 2023 right through until May 2024, the Operation Ouch! Food, poo and you exhibition is being developed by the Science Museum Group, and produced in collaboration with BBC and 141 Productions – which are part of All3Media’s Objective Media Group.
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“I know, like me, that there are hundreds of children fascinated by the inner workings of the human body,” Dr Ronx from the CBBC show Operation Ouch! said of the upcoming exhibition.
“So it makes sense that we would dedicate a whole exhibition to the subject.
Tickets to the world-first exhibition are now on sale / Credit: Science Museum Group
“From saliva, boogey, bile and poo, adults and kids alike will be enjoyably disgusted and fascinated by this exhibition [and] we hope they will come away with encyclopaedic knowledge to show off to their friends.”
Tickets for the upcoming Operation Ouch! Food, poo and you exhibition are now on sale, and you can grab them from the Science and Industry Museum website here.
Featured Image – Science Museum Group
What's On
A Thomas the Tank Engine replica steam train is travelling through Greater Manchester this summer
Emily Sergeant
Everyone’s favourite little blue engine is making another return to Greater Manchester once again this summer.
But this time, it’s with a rock and roll twist.
After delighting families throughout the region during countless successful events over the past couple of years, East Lancashire Railway (ELR) has announced that the Thomas the Tank Engine replica train is back this summer, arriving in a couple of weeks for a ‘rocking good’ time.
In case you aren’t too familiar with the beloved Day Out With Thomas experience, it’s said to be ‘a train ride like no other’.
Families have the chance to hop onboard the replica of the cult-classic blue train character when he returns next weekend for a 45-minute trip through the Greater Manchester countryside.
Everyone’s favourite little blue engine is making another return to Greater Manchester this summer / Credit: ELR
The journey begins at Bury Train Station, where you’ll be greeted by The Fat Controller, meet Sir Topham Hatt, say hello to Thomas on the platform, and then climb aboard a carriage, all before Thomas makes a final stop at the beautiful Ramsbottom station.
The doors to Bury Transport Museum will also be open across the weekend and will be hosting loads of fun free activities.
On the Day Out With Thomas: Let’s Rock, Let’s Roll Tour, families will be able to watch and dance along to exciting live shows with Sodor Station Sweepers Rusty & Dusty, join in the Thomas and Friends character hunt, have fun with garden games, keep the beat going at the ‘Music Corner’ packed with music-inspired fun, and so much more.
Thomas will be stopping at East Lancashire Railway this year on 18-19 July so there’s plenty of opportunities to see him, and tickets are now on sale.
Ticket prices start at £14.50 for kids, and £24 for adults.
Beloved sitcom Dinnerladies to return after 25 years with new stage show in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
One of the most beloved sitcoms of all time is set to return after 25 years, but this time it’s coming to the stage in Manchester.
More than a quarter of a century after it was first screened on BBC One, a brand-new stage adaptation of Dinnerladies is planned for 2027, and it’ll feature a storyline inspired by the episodes and characters from the iconic original TV sitcom.
Making its premiere at Manchester Opera House in January, the new show is the first piece of the late Victoria Wood’s work to be commissioned by her Estate.
Adapted by Beth and Emma Kilcoyne, and directed by double Olivier-award winner Sean Foley, after debuting here Manchester, the production will then tour major theatres across the UK until August – with star Les Dennis as maintenance man Stan, and further casting to be announced soon.
Originally created, written by, and starring Bury comedy legend Victoria Wood, Dinnerladies ran for two acclaimed series and 16 episodes between 1998 and 2000, winning widespread critical plaudits and a devoted audience thanks to its warmth, wit, and brilliantly observed characters.
Dinnerladies is returning after 25 years with a new stage show in Manchester / Credit: BBC
Set in the canteen of fictional Manchester factory, HWD Components, the show followed the lives, friendships, and workplace dramas of the staff and regulars who gathered there every day.
Now, audiences will be reunited with the dinnerladies once again, as all the much-loved characters that made the show such a huge British comedy classic will feature in the play – including Bren, Tony, Dolly, Anita, Jean, Twinkle, and Philippa.
No matter whether you’re revisiting an old favourite or discovering it for the first time, the new Dinnerladies show is set to serve up a hilarious night out packed with heart, nostalgia, and plenty of surprises.
Dinnerladies will take to the stage at Manchester Opera House on 29 January 2027 and run right through to 6 February 2027 – with tickets going on sale this Friday (3 July).
Emily Sergeant -
19th April 2023 
