Entertainment

With the cost of a first-class stamp set to rise to £1.70 in April, the sixth increase in the last three years. I'd suggest buying a book of stamps at the current price and stashing them away for a rainy day. Just call me Martin Lewis and be done with it.

There are some pretty decent offerings this week, beginning with the taut, twisty spy thriller Black Bag. Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett lead a strong cast in this tale of subterfuge, loyalty, double-crossing, and gameplaying. It's a neat entry into my 'decent films lasting no more than 90 minutes' list, as George Woodhouse (Fassbender) is tasked with finding a mole within their spy circle. Unfortunately for him, one of the possible suspects is his wife Kathryn (Blanchett). Will he put his job before his marriage?

1998 was the year in which Britney Spears released her debut single 'Baby One More Time', Google was founded, Frank Sinatra died, the first ever MP3 player was available in the UK, France won the World Cup, if you wanted to watch a movie at home, you'd rent it on a video from Blockbuster as the DVD still hadn't been invented, and it was also the year the Spice Girls had the Christmas number one for the third year in a row.

The money app Plum has published a list of questions most likely to elicit a negative response at a dinner party. Even though I am fairly unlikely to plan any such occasions any time soon, I thought it might be useful to take you through the list, to spare you any potential blushes, should the Come Dine With Me cameras be filming at your place. Incidentally, why do so many contestants on that show do steak as a main course? I guess it's seemingly straightforward to cook, yet everyone has very particular preferences about how well (or otherwise) it's done, so the potential for mishaps is great.

Marching Powder is a contender for the worst film of 2025 so far for me. Danny Dyer plays Jack Jones, an ageing, down-on-his-luck football hooligan whose marriage is on the rocks as his life spirals out of control. The biggest wonder is that Dani (Stephanie Leonidas) sticks around past the opening scenes. In my book, this is certainly not a film to rush to see on the big screen.

It's just over two weeks until legendary singer songwriter Paul Young hits the road for a huge UK theatre tour lasting until mid-June. The tour, which is named 'From No Parlez To The Secret Of The Association' will look back at his incredible career during these intimate shows, that will combine conversation and acoustic versions of many of his hit songs.

One of the all-time musical films has found it’s way to the Palace Theatre for one week only! ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ opened the curtains on what can only be described as the perfect show for all the family.

The classic sitcom is back! And on a local stage too – how great! A show full of laughs and non-stop nostalgia.

"It's a Brat Brits", shrieked irksome host Jack Whitehall, as Charli XCX bagged one of her five awards during the ceremony. I've watched the Brits most years for as long as I can remember, and whilst it's shattering my showbiz age admitting this, I remember the Mick Fleetwood and Samantha Fox 1989 debacle all too clearly. If you don't recall this TV car crash, it's worth watching on YouTube for the sheer comedy value. Bros being presented with the Best Newcomer award by Ronnie Wood was a highlight.

I was fortunate enough to catch a preview screening this week of Flow, the Oscar-winning Latvian animation about a solitary cat caught up in a raging flood and forced to team up with other animals to try and survive the torrent. There's not a single word of dialogue, but this is a mesmerising watch from start to finish. An unlikely alliance is forged between the cat, a capybara, a dog, and a secretary bird, and the film leaves us thinking about climate change, living in the moment, and survival. Clever stuff, and it proves that sometimes you don't need a wordy script to move cinema audiences.

Last Friday, February 28th, I launched my new monthly podcast 'ROOTS'.  The idea of me hosting a podcast is something I have been thinking about for a few years, but with the help, support and encouragement from others, it is finally up and running. The aim of the podcast isn't to do the obvious people in which i am lucky to work with on the Manchester Music Scene and who I am lucky to be connected with, and it isn't about getting the biggest household names in music on, it's about hearing the stories from people who have played an integral part of the music scene and have great stories to tel

It's just over two years since I became the permanent drivetime presenter on Tameside Radio, and tomorrow, Friday February 7th, will sadly be my last day on the show.

A mix this week of stuff that I watched over the festive season and a couple from this week, to start another year of movie watching!

It was tempting to write something this week about the digital darts being fired from the keyboard of the world's richest man, and how it might be better if we just switched social media off for a bit, but for the sake of my blood pressure, I thought I'd share the first part of a musical Top 10 with you.

After the massive success of last year's huge 40th anniversary tour,  legendary soul band Stax Of Soul will be rolling back into Uppermill in November as part of this year's series of tour dates.

Rock n Roll Star, National Treasure, Musical Icon, Manchester legend, and TV hero Shaun Ryder next week begins a huge UK theatre tour which runs until May 2025, telling stories and tales of his life as one of music's most iconic and wildest frontmen

Two days before Oasis's debut album 'Definitely Maybe' celebrated its 30th anniversary, the news broke that 15 years since splitting up, Liam and Noel Gallagher would be getting the band back together next year. If you had asked me a few years ago if i would like them to get back together, I probably would have said no, leave it in the history books just as The Beatles and The Jam did

When we started our Local music Spotlight feature on Tameside Radio and across the Not Really Here Group media outlets back in January 2023, I knew what an important feature it would be for local bands and artists, but I don't think anybody could have predicted just how successful it has been.

Pauline Town MBE is a Tameside hero and a legend. As landlady of The Station Hotel in Ashton, she has made the respected British pub much more than that, it's also a hub for the homeless, victims of domestic abuse, families in need, and those facing poverty in this area.

Its three years since Stereophonics last toured, and last week the band announced their biggest ever UK and Ireland stadium tour which will take place in 2025.

It's almost impossible to review The Substance without spoilers, but I'll try. It's grisly, bone-crunching, shockingly gory stuff, but what a performance from Demi Moore. This is possibly the most bananas movie I've ever seen, and Moore's finest hour in my book.

Back in the day, I used to love watching Top Of The Pops on a Thursday night. It was one of the telly highlights of the week, at a time when there were only three channels, no social media, and Dial-A-Disc was still a thing (ask your parents if this doesn't ring a bell).

It's a rarity, but a trio of films were all released last Friday that I couldn't wait to see. I've managed two of them this week, and both are outstanding.

Starting this week with my film of the month for September. Strange Darling is grisly and twisty as hell The best review I've seen comes from rapper Kid Cudi, who wrote: "Movies like this come every so often. As a fan of horror, I've never been this thrown by a horror movie before. I went in thinking one thing, and left knowing another". The difficulty in reviewing this movie is that it's definitely best enjoyed without spoilers. It's gory, tense, and nerve shredding.

The UK has a rich history when it comes to condiments. A lot add unami taste to our dishes (a Japanese word meaning 'savoury deliciousness'), and a survey carried out recently by Fentimans found brown sauce ranks second in a list of the UK's top 10 favourite bold flavours.

I wrote about stress recently, and feel quite zen this week, apart from the fact I'm writing this column right up against the deadline.I don't know where the weeks are going, and Christmas is now less than 100 days away, whilst the nights are drawing in faster than I can eat a bag of Haribo Tangfastics.

Following the Ellis Mano Band's European tour last year in support of the critically acclaimed "Luck of the Draw" album, fifteen songs recorded in Germany and Switzerland have now been released on their first live album "Live: Access All Areas".

The first of two films based on that Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew hit Netfllix this week, and Scoop was a five star treat in my book. Based on three chapters of a book by producer Sam McAlister, who arranged te interview at Buckingham Palace and has since said it was "hard to keep a poker face" while he was speakin

This week, I watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix, and I would highly recommend that you give it a whirl. As one of the quotes at the beginning says: "Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse" (Sophocles), and if you're anything like me, you'll be left questioning how much information you've given away to social media platforms over the years.

"Fortuna", the long-awaited studio album from the British Blues rock roots guitarist and vocalist Bex Marshall, is a ten-track blues tapestry that bulges to the edges with addictive hooks and story lines.

If you're a John Wick fan, there will inevitably be comparisons with pulpy new action film Monkey Man, which is out this weekend. Armed with little more than a monkey mask and a shedload of grit and determination, Dev Patel's Kid won't rest until the men who took everything from him get what's coming to them.

Stockport based NK Theatre Arts head to New Mills Art Theatre for the very first time with their production of Rock Of Ages. 

Event cinema is pretty popular, with reports that Queen Rock Montreal (IMAX) raked in over $4 million, split across the USA and the rest of the world. Clearly, the lure of a remastered Queen concert from 1981 is strong.