So that’s 2024 ticked off, and with it another year of news from the North’s media, digital, tech and production sectors.
It’s been quite the year, with elections on both sides of the Atlantic, ongoing economic woes and, more positively, some genuine global behemoths for the region in the shape of Baby Reindeer, Fool Me Once and teenager Luke Littler’s ascent to the peak of the darts world all proving huge hits in terms of both audience ratings and online search data.
For a bonus festive pick-me-up, this week alone also saw athletes from the region sweep the board at the BBC SPotY Awards and McCann Manchester and Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot named the UK’s all-time favourite Christmas ad.
We’ve also noticed a welcome lack of redundancy stories in our 10 most-read-of-2024 rundown compared to the 2023 list. While we can’t empirically say that’s because there have been less redundancies this year, if we’re looking for trends that’s one we’d certainly like to see carry on into 2025.
Without further ado, here are Prolific North’s 10 most-read stories of 2024:
10) Hairy Bikers Go West in new series

There were outpourings of grief from bikers, foodies and telly addicts alike when Hairy Biker Dave Myers passed away from cancer aged 66 in February, but he and his biker buddy Si King managed to squeeze one last series of their much-loved show in first.
Hairy Bikers Go West saw the pair journey down the west coast of the UK from Scotland to Devon, taking in Lancashire, Merseyside, North Wales and Bristol on the way. The food adventure featured local specialities ranging from Chicken Balmoral with truffle mash and a poached lobster served with Scottish Bucatini pasta, to a Lancashire Butter and Potato Pie.
Almost 50,000 bikers took part in a London-Barrow (Myers’ hometown) rally in Myers’ memory in June, raising around £127,000 for cancer research in the process..
9) Jeff Brown to leave BBC Look North
After 21 years as an on-screen fixture, Sunderland fan, journalist, anchor extraordinaire and all-round good egg, judging by the tributes, Jeff Brown called time on his long-running stint on the BBC’s flagship North East evening news show Look North. “He’ll be a tough act to follow,” said the BBC’s editor for the North East and Cumbria.
Luckily for viewers, Brown promised in his departing statement that he had projects in the pipeline – some of them “with the BBC.”
8) Saudi-backed bid emerges as new favourite in long-running Everton FC takeover saga
In a prime example of the “tomorrow’s chip paper” theory of news, way back in June it was widely reported that a consortium led by London-based lawyer, tech investor, IMS Digital Ventures partner and Everton fan Vatch Manukian, and including members of the Saudi royal family, was on the cusp of a £400m all-equity takeover of Everton FC following the ignominious collapse of 777 Partners’ takeover efforts.
Of course, as anyone who follows football will be aware, this saga is still very much ongoing. At the time of writing, the Liverpool Echo had just reported the club as being “on the brink of a historic deal” not with Manukian, but with American AS Roma owners The Friedkin Group – a deal which had itself reportedly fallen apart in July.
At a time literally 9 hours after writing, the deal appears to have completed on December 19, but given this story’s capacity to run and run don’t be surprised to find further chapters in the Everton takeover epic on the list next December.
7) Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson star in Apocalypse Slough
Back in July, UKTV commissioned a new Murder, They Hope caper from North East comedian and writer, Jason Cook. Apocalypse Slough, which debuted in September, saw Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson return as Terry and Gemma Bremmer alongside Sarah Hadland as Gemma’s wannabe influencer sister, Monica.
The supporting cast included Sanjeev Bhaskar (Goodness Gracious Me, Sandylands), Shaun Williamson (Extras), Annette Badland (Ted Lasso), Simon Day (The Fast Show), Jim Howick (Ghosts), Ben Bailey Smith (David Brent: Life On The Road), Jason Lewis (Murder in Successville), Matthew Kelly (Benidorm), Charlie Hardwick (Emmerdale), Gemma Jones (Harry Potter), Harry Peacock (Toast of London) and newcomer Dane Williams, and the reviews were middling at best.
6) David Tennant joins cast of Netflix adaptation of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club
Chris Columbus’ Netflix adaptation of Richard Osman’s smash-hit murder-mystery novel already had an all-star cast attached when the Tennant bomb was dropped in March, but if the promise of Jonathan Pryce, Richard E Grant, Naomi Ackie, Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie didn’t already have fans of British stage and screen legends licking their lips, the arrival of the star of Good Omens and Scotland’s favourite shape-shifting Timelord should have helped.
The film’s release is still slated for a frustratingly vague “2025,” and with a cinema release promised too we may have an extra couple of weeks to wait before we can stream it at home.
5) ‘Seven-figure’ rebrand and Premier League ambitions at Huddersfield Town AFC
Fantastic Media was back at its old haunting ground at the John Smiths Stadium over the summer to undertake an extensive rebrand for newly American-owned Huddersfield Town AFC under the banner ‘Everything Together.’
Inspired by a fan survey involving over 350 participants and featuring a seven-figure investment to engage “both existing and lapsed fans and wider stakeholders,” the campaign is built on the messaging that everyone is an important voice in the success of the club.
Perhaps of more interest to fans without a keen eye on branding developments, the new owners have promised to take the club back to the Premier League. Fantastic previously worked with the club the last time it was in the top flight, creating the ‘No Limits Terrier Spirit’ campaign from 2015 to 2017.
4) Inside Castore’s journey to £1bn valuation – and why co-founder Tom Beahon doesn’t shy away from failures
Ever wondered how you turn a bright idea while daydreaming at your tedious day job into a $1bn company that supplies kit to Premier League clubs, Red Bull Racing and England Cricket, has the backing of global superstars like Andy Murray and rivals established megabrands like Nike and adidas?
Wonder no more – Prolific North sat down with Castore founder Tom Beahon to hear about his incredible journey from shattered teenage football dreams to global sportswear svengali, via a stint in banking, a head office switch down the East Lancs Road from Liverpool to Manchester, and that ‘wet-look kit’ drama.
3) Deal or No Deal and Corrie’s Simon Gregson among ITV’s 24 for 2024
ITV’s 2024 line up had readers excited right at the start of the year, laying down an early marker for the end-of-year list challengers to come all the way back on January 2.
The big Northern draw was a celebrity special of Deal or No Deal featuring Corrie favourite Simon Gregson and shot, like every episode of the rebooted game show format, at Salford’s dock10. There were plenty of other big Northern shows in the mix too (more of that at number 1).
Perhaps ITV’s biggest breakout hit of the year didn’t feature on ITV’s own highlights list, however, having already screened the night before. Mr Bates vs The Post Office, the NYD-premiering docudrama about a North Wales postmaster who took on the corporate might of the Post Office, and by association the UK government, was a genuine moment of TV history in the making, and the repercussions are still being felt in the courts today.
Unfortunately ITV lost about a million quid making that, and it only placed at number 11 in our festive rundown.
It would seem abject cultural snobbery, not to mention insensitive given the circumstances, to engage in any new massaging of numbers to squeeze it in here in place of something a bit more on the “light entertainment” slate though.
Oh.
2) Look North’s Abbie Dewhurst quits ‘dream job’
A second Look North departure in this year’s top 10 which, without wishing to over-politicise the situation, the BBC might like to take note of next time it’s wondering how much value viewers and listeners place on local news.
This time it was weather presenter Abbie Dewhurst, who announced her departure from the show’s Yorkshire (West, before the emails start) iteration in a lengthy and emotional tweet headed “The only thing crazier than landing your dream job is handing your notice in for it…”
Viewers needn’t have worried too much about losing touch with Abbie following her May departure, however. Within weeks she was back on BBC Radio Leeds covering for Rima Ahmed on the breakfast show before hopping over the Pennines to take up a presenter’s slot on Morning Live’s Manchester sofa.
If that hasn’t already caused widespread dismay among the Yorkshire separatist demographic of Dewhurst’s fan base, look away now. Eagle-eyed viewers to the West of t’hills probably also spotted Dewhurst presenting the weather on North West Tonight just last night.
1) Two new faces join the Real Housewives of Cheshire
And so to the most read story of 2024 on the OK Magazine Prolific North website.
Even 17 seasons in, The Real Housewives of Cheshire are still casting their debatable charm over viewers and readers alike, proving that you can write all the thoroughly researched, meticulously sourced, exclusive “content” you like, but you can’t beat a couple of influencers arguing with a former Atomic Kitten about their kids after too many Proseccos in an Alderley Edge wine bar.
The newcomers that had hearts all aflutter in S17 were “influencer, model, and fashionista” Ellie Egar and Chester nail salon owner Paige Chohan, who was promoted to a “full-time” housewife after previously making guest and “friend” appearances.
We can’t honestly tell you much more about them as, despite our unquestionable and unfailing commitment to supporting the North’s production industry, we don’t watch it.