Here at OperaWatch offices in Northern Soul Towers, the staff are giddy with excitement. After a surreal visitation by the spirits of past, present and future, I have granted them a few extra days off ...

Since publication in 1952, when it won the Carnegie Medal for outstanding children’s book by a British author, Mary Norton’s The Borrowers has been constantly in print. Its popularity has spawned ...

The problem with Manchester is that, in its rush to define itself, it can be quick to paper over its cracks, over the contradictions which lend the city its character. This pride in its contrarian ...

Here’s the thing. I’ve never seen either of the Miracle on 34th Street films, not the 1947 original nor the 1994 remake. But that didn’t stop me from loving this adaptation, now showing at HOME in ...

Talking to Anna Appleby, the creative force behind Norrisette, is a giddy delight. Arguably Manchester’s most distinctive electronic pop artist, her conversational synapses trigger firework ...

As the dawn of a New Year draws ever closer, it’s traditional to draw up a list of resolutions. Whether it’s spending more time with family, learning a new skill or losing the Christmas weight, we are ...

Bafflement is an underused word. But when taking a pal from New Zealand to a pantomime, it’s entirely appropriate. It’s easy to forget that there’s something peculiarly British about panto. As far as ...

As we approach the end of 2024, we’re looking back at the things that have brought us immense comfort during the year. For the team at Northern Soul, books were once again a source of great joy, and ...

When chatting to Frank Skinner, it’s impossible to resist the topic of football. I skirt the issue of whether it will ever come home for England, turning instead to his beloved West Bromwich Albion ...

There’s a man running full pelt down Winslow Street in Walton, a cardboard shoebox held out in front of him as he sprints. Watching is a four-year-old boy with a quizzical expression. Where is the man ...

During many years living in a first-floor flat, houseplants were my only source of greenery. As a nascent gardener, I bought impervious species, playing it safe with ivy, cacti and mint. I killed them ...

“Ey up!” shouts Pete McKee as I pick my way through boxes and wires at ...