Once famous for British icons such as the Gallagher brothers, The Smiths and footballing legends like George Best and Bobby Charlton, there’s now a hot new crowd in Manchester.
And instead of rowdy nights out downing pints and singing Wonderwall, they are busy drumming up social media followers, taking flawless selfies and exuding airbrushed glamour.
Enter the new wave of talent who are proudly from Manchester.
From reality TV stars and chart-topping musicians to actors, influencers and presenters, this generation is reshaping what it means to come from the city now.
Their stages are Instagram feeds, podcasts and TV shows – and while their audiences are global, their roots remain firmly in the North.
With proud Mancunian accents, sharp humour and a work ethic forged in the fastest growing influencer city in the UK, they are putting Manchester back at the centre of British culture. So who’s in the A-list – and who in the Z?
THE A LIST
Aitch
Rapper Aitch during his time on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! earlier this month
His northern twang has now become so popular on radio airwaves that rapper Aitch seems to have created a whole new fan base for Manchester.
Proudly from Moston, a residential area north of the city, the 26-year-old’s music is all about his M40 postcode.
He references local spots like Moston Lane, celebrates Mancunian slang and brings the city to life with his music videos often shot and set in the suburbs.
The rapper has also collaborated with plenty of Mancunian content creators and I’m told is keen to put local businesses on the map.
A recent video saw him alongside food influencer Toby Inskip, known on social media as Eating with Tod, where he went around town trying out different culinary spots.
Although he started from humble beginnings, Aitch has bought himself a £1.2 million mansion with a swimming pool and dance-floor.
He was also renting a £10,000-a-month Manchester penthouse for some time last year.
His recent high-profile appearance on I’m A Celebrity is only going to send the rapper further into the limelight – although he’s unlikely ever to venture far away from his beloved city.
Michelle Keegan
Actress Michelle Keegan on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in France this year
Although Michelle Keegan has now moved to her mansion in Essex, the Stockport-born actress will always be a Manchester icon.
This status was cemented earlier this year when her home city created a mural of her by the Etihad Stadium after it was confirmed she would be reprising her role as Erin Croft in Sky Comedy hit, Brassic, for the final time.
Although her acting career has taken her all over the world, Michelle grew up in Greater Manchester with her parents Michael Keegan and Jackie Turner, along with her younger brother Andrew.
She attended St Patrick’s RC High School in Eccles and later the Manchester School of Acting.
Michelle’s early jobs included working at Selfridges in the Trafford Centre on a make-up counter and at Manchester Airport as a check-in agent.
Soon after she was offered the part of Tina McIntyre in Coronation Street in her second-ever audition in 2007. After beating around 900 others to get the role, she made her debut on-screen in 2008.
Leaving Corrie in 2014, her career took off and in 2022 she and her TOWIE-star husband Mark Wright moved into that £3.5million Essex mansion.
However, she also still has a secret home near Manchester, where she and Mark took refuge when their Essex pad was broken into earlier this year.
Molly-Mae Hague
Influencer Molly-Mae Hague poses at the Wimbledon Championships this year
Molly Mae, 26, shot to stardom for her stint on ITV reality show Love Island in 2019 where she ‘fell in love’ with Mancunian boxer Tommy Fury – the brother of former world heavyweight champion Tyson – on the show.
Since then her fame has only escalated. Molly has gone on to found two companies, boasts nearly 9million followers on Instagram and this year released a documentary series with Prime Video.
The influencer, with a net worth of around £8million, now lives in a £5million Victorian Cheshire mansion with seven bedrooms, a swimming pool, gym and sauna along with Tommy, 25, and their toddler Bambi.
She is deemed so influential that some fans even compared her fleeting break-up with Tommy last year to Princess Diana’s and King Charles’s divorce.
She certainly has helped put Manchester on the map as an influencer hot spot in recent years, with the couple’s first shared flat being right in the centre of the city in a neighbourhood called Ancoats.
Since then, local sources tell me, it’s become the cool area, with coffee shops and brunch places opening up and students flocking to live there.
Having done so well for themselves, the couple sold the studio flat for £325,000 before moving to nearby leafy Cheshire in 2024.
THE B LIST
Angry Ginge
Angry Ginge
‘Never forget where you came from,’ Angry Ginge told fans in Eccles, Greater Manchester, as he returned from winning ITV’s I’m a Celeb show last week.
The English Twitch streamer and YouTuber, whose real name is Morgan Burtwistle, returned to coaching the Winton Wanderers U18s football team in his home town straight from the Jungle.
A die-hard Manchester United supporter, the 24-year-old has become something of a Gen Z icon, boasting more than five million followers across his social media accounts.
And in the past year alone, Morgan is predicted to have made around £1.2million from his online presence and TV appearances.
The streamer, who was raised by his mother on a council estate in Salford, Manchester, was able to buy himself a house after previously renting a ‘s***hole’ apartment with no shower and peeling wallpaper for £350 a month in order to save up for the deposit.
Aimee Lou Wood
Aimee Lou Wood
Stockport-born actress Aimee Lou Wood represents a quieter, more grounded form of Manchester success.
Best known for her role in Netflix hit Sex Education, Aimee trained at the acting school RADA and has since become very well known on both sides of the Atlantic.
Her role in the most recent series of The White Lotus saw her play actor Walton Goggins’s enthusiastic girlfriend, but led to a backlash from fans after the pair were forced to shut down speculation about their relationship.
Recently she has been spotted showing her new boyfriend, actor Adam Long, around the sights of her beloved city.
The pair were both filming in Manchester for the new BBC series, Film Club, that premiered in October.
Aimee has talked openly about class, self-image – including the bullying she endured for her tooth gap – and London-centric casting patterns.
Now her northern accent, once considered a barrier, has become part of her appeal, helping redefine what leading actresses can sound like on mainstream television.
C LIST
Molly Smith
Molly Smith
2024 Love Island winner, Molly Smith, has carved out a steady post-reality TV career rooted in Manchester.
After the 30-year old’s time on the show, she returned north rather than relocating to London, choosing to build her brand within the city’s growing influencer ecosystem.
Known for her fitness-focused content and fashion partnership, Molly is frequently spotted around Manchester gyms and restaurants.
While her name may not dominate national headlines, her consistency has paid off.
Brand insiders describe her as reliable, commercially appealing and very well-liked – qualities that have helped her sustain longevity in a notoriously fickle industry.
Molly has since moved on with fellow Love Island winner Tom Clare.
The couple bought a house in Barnsley, near Manchester. But sources tell me that, since they got engaged earlier this year, they are selling the property and planning a move further south.
Phoebe Dynevor
Phoebe Dynevor
Trafford-raised Phoebe Dynevor experienced a meteoric rise following her breakout role in Netflix’s Bridgerton in 2020.
The daughter of Manchester royalty, Coronation Street actress Sally Dynevor, Phoebe grew up steeped in the Mancunian acting world, attending Cheadle Hulme School before her rise to international stardom.
While her Hollywood momentum has slowed since Bridgerton’s early seasons, the 30-year-old remains a respected name within the industry.
Critics argue she had the potential to reach full A-list status, but her career choices have leaned towards lower-profile projects.
Her younger sister Hattie Dynevor is now following a similar path, quietly building acting credentials of her own.
Together, they reflect Manchester’s strong soap-to-screen pipeline.
Sasha Attwood
Sasha Attwood with boyfriend Jack Grealish
Model and long-term partner of Manchester City footballer Jack Grealish, Sasha Attwood has become a familiar face in Manchester’s celebrity scene.
Despite intense media scrutiny early in Grealish’s City career, the 29-year-old has maintained a relatively understated public presence.
Often splitting opinion due to her low-key approach, she has resisted the heavily curated influencer lifestyle adopted by many WAGs and lays low with their young daughter Mila Rose.
Still, her association with one of the Premier League’s biggest stars ensures she remains in the spotlight.
When Grealish moved to Everton from Manchester City earlier this year, she stayed firmly put in their £5 million Cheshire mansion because she loves nearby Manchester so much.
D LIST
Grace Jackson
Grace Jackson
Grace Jackson is another Love Island alumna from Manchester and since leaving the show in 2024 has focused on fashion and lifestyle influencing, securing steady brand partnerships along the way.
The 26-year-old has become a well-known in the city, hosting club night events and regularly being spotted at influencer hotspots.
At one point she was even linked to ex-Manchester United player Marcus Rashford.
Yet since going back on the ITV dating show last year for Love Island’s All Stars series, where she met now-boyfriend Luca Bish, she seems to have gravitated away from Manchester.
The influencer relocated to London a few months ago, signalling a shift away from the northern reality-TV circuit to take advantage of opportunities in the capital.
Fury Family
Brothers Tyson and Tommy Fury
The Fury family are among Greater Manchester’s most recognisable celebrity clans.
From world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury to brother Tommy, their blend of boxing success and reality-TV appeal has kept them constantly in the public eye.
Rooted in Greater Manchester, the family’s story of grit, resilience and controversy has translated into global fame.
Tyson has been well known to pledge millions to local charities, although did reveal he has turned his back on his beloved Manchester United after getting into horse racing – he had two horses running recently at Cartmel racecourse.
Whether through championship bouts or television appearances, the Furys remain a dominant force in both sport and entertainment.
Max George
Max George with girlfriend Maisie Smith
The Wanted singer Max George has long been linked to Manchester, both personally and professionally.
While the boyband era has passed, Max has successfully reinvented himself through television appearances, radio work and reality formats.
Often spotted in the city, the 37-year-old remains a familiar face, now living with girlfriend actress Maisie Smith.
The pair, who met on Strictly Come Dancing back in 2020, have recently renovated a house in Manchester having ‘grown closer than ever’ because of Max’s heart condition.
After undergoing heart surgery last year, the X-Factor alumnus had a pacemaker fitted after being admitted to the hospital in December.
Z LIST
Thomas Brothers (and Scarlet)
The Thomas brothers
Ryan’s daughter Scarlett with her mother Tina O’Brien
Brothers Ryan, Adam and Scott Thomas have built a shared career spanning soap, reality TV and presenting.
Older brother Ryan’s Coronation Street roots keep him closely tied to Manchester, while Love Islander Scott has set up shop in the city, opening his own agency, The Social PR.
His twin, Adam, has also invested money in the Manchester-based restaurant The Spinn in 2019. But after the first three years, the eatery ran up debts totalling up to £300,000, forcing him to close it down.
In 2019 the trio were sent by ITV to India to explore their family heritage. The result was a moving six-part series, Mancs in Mumbai, which won over viewers and boosted their public profiles.
Yet sources have told me: ‘Their TV personas are all very friendly – they play the game well, they’re good-looking and they signed up to one of the big showbiz talent agencies a few years back because they really thought they were going to hit the big time.
‘But in their personal lives, they can be pretty ambitious, and when they’re out on the town locally, they think they own the place. When they show up to a bar or a restaurant there’s always a big fuss about them arriving.’
All three brothers now live on the outskirts of the city and this year they launched a podcast together, along with a YouTube channel and joint social media profiles.
Ryan’s 17-year-old daughter Scarlett is now beginning to attract attention online, hinting at a new generation of Manchester-linked TV personalities continuing the family legacy.
Callum Jones
Callum Jones
Love Island star Callum Jones returned to Manchester after his reality-TV stint in 2020 and has remained embedded in the local influencer circuit.
His media profile seems to have cooled, yet his recognisable presence and city-centre lifestyle keep him relevant within Manchester’s celebrity ecosystem.
He has since tried to launch himself as a chef, following in the footsteps of multiple other male Love Island contestants, and is now dating Mancunian model Myna Amor.
Callum Jones and Molly Smith (in the C list) were previously in a relationship following their time in the Love Island universe, with the pair becoming a familiar sight around Manchester before eventually going their separate ways in 2023.
