Luke Marsden

After he treated me to an expensive frothy coffee from Starbucks we headed towards Wigan’s answer to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I don’t dislike the concept of recognising Wiganers who have made valuable contributions to our town but, sadly but I do wonder who the panel is that deliberates on who gets immortalised in concrete on the floor with a stunning view of Gallimore’s Restaurant? The Wigan Joker asked me if I’d back his petition to have his name on the Wigan Walk of Fame. I declined and, a…

​These days, time is up for the old school, tech rules and ruins our lives. Last autumn I purchased a new Apple Watch. My previous one couldn’t make it through a day without dying and at first I was impressed by how long the new battery lasted without needing a charge, from Ring notifications, WhatsApp messages to even the odd Tinder match my watch could deal with it all, until this week. When you buy something brand new, despite its being 2024, you expect it to last at least a year without need…

​Back in January, after one too many cosmopolitans in NYC, I agreed with my friends to go watching a “Luke Combs Tribute Act” in May, in Wigan. This despite not knowing a single one of Luke’s hit country songs. A text I got last week with my e-ticket confirmation and that I was to “find my best cowboy boots” gave me a stark reminder of my pledge over one too many drinks in New York. Despite my namesake being one of America’s biggest breakout country music stars, I hadn’t a clue what he sounded l…

My electric car is now worth half what I paid for it and I’m stuck with it. They don’t tell you this in the adverts.

It was cheaper to fly to Lisbon to see Taylor Swift than to watch her in the UK!

You may have been so bogged down in the slog that is UK general election fever, that said it’s more a dry skin rash than an exciting race, so you can be forgiven for not paying too much attention to things across the pond.

Things have been so busy lately that I forgot a very important milestone that occurred a few weeks ago. I forgot to celebrate 16 years since the launch night of my series of Big Brother. With the looming general election and the few days of summer we’ve had, it slipped my mind to celebrate the launch night of the best summer of my life. On that fateful night in early June 2008, I was bundled in the back of a transit van at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, blindfolded and soundproof ear muffs pla…

Wigan finally has a cinema to be proud of! I’ve missed reclining on a comfy seat, sitting in the dark and munching on some salted (it’s the only way) popcorn and Wiganers can finally do this once again.

The new government must now back Wigan!

What the heck is happeneing in our town?