Britains Got Talent is the amazing TV talent show that has already uncovered the raw singing talent of Susan Boyle and child singing sensations Hollie Steel and Shaheen Jafargholi. Viewers have been thrilled and surprised by the wide range of talent competing for the shows prizes, including the opportunity to perform for members of Britain’s Royal Family at the Royal Variety Performance.

Manchester fans of Britains Got Talent are in for a treat when the live tour reaches Manchester on Sunday 14th June 2009. Two shows are scheduled, one at 1:30pm and the other at 7:30pm. At this early stage very little is known about who will be participating but I will try to update when more is known.

Britain’s Got Talent is possibly the best family entertainment around with plenty for a variety of tastes. To find out more about the Britains Got Talent Live Tour at the Manchester Evening News Arena, and to book tickets, visit the Manchester Evening News Arena website.

Please note that the tour starts in Birmingham on 12th June and there will be performances in Sheffield, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool, Cardiff and Nottingham. The Tour finishes in London’s Wembley Arena on Sunday 21st June 2009.

A company called Walk Talk Tours (WalkTalkTour.com) have produced a downloadable tour commentary for Manchester town centre. You simply down load your audio tour and tour plan from the Walk Talk Tours website and transfer the tour to your iPod or MP3 player.

The great thing about these audio tours is that although they can be completed comfortably in about two hours you can take as long as you like to complete it, stopping and starting whenever you like and you can even go back to a location for a second look – try doing that on an organised walking tour!

Walk Talk Tours produce audio tours for a number of UK destinations. The Manchester: Then & Now, Walk Talk Tour, covers many of Manchester’s most impressive city centre locations. The tour begins outside the Town Hall and guides listeners on a journey through the city. Hear about the city’s often overlooked Roman past. Visit the first passenger railway station in the world, Liverpool Rd, at the Museum of Science and Industry and hear about several scientific firsts pioneered in the city. Learn about colourful characters from the past at John Rylands Library, the Royal Exchange Theatre and Manchester Cathedral. The tour concludes in Cathedral Gardens.

The tour is easy to follow. There are clear instructions outlining how to get from one commentary point to the next and the tour comes complete with a free downloadable map, so you won’t miss a thing!

The Manchester: Then & Now, Walk Talk Tour costs just £5 and can be comfortably completed in two hours. Visitors can also hire the tour on a preloaded MP3 player from the Visitor Information Centre in the Town Hall Extension on Lloyd Street for £6.

To find out more about Walk Talk Tours and download The Manchester: Then & Now, Walk Talk Tour, visit Walk Talk Tours Manchester.

The Viewing Park provides is a great opportunity observe some of the UKs most interesting passenger aeroplanes, close up. The venue also has three raised viewing mounds which lets visitors view aircraft taxiing to and from the runways and landing and taking off from both runways.

For many people seeing Concorde at the Viewing Park might be the highlight of their visit, but here is lots more to see. The following aircraft are on display:-

Concorde G-BOAC - A new Concorde viewing hanger has been constructed recently. (Due to work taking place in the area surrounding Concorde, there may be a restricted view of the aircraft until the end of February 2009.)

DC-10 wide bodied jet (Forward section of a Monarch Airlines DC-10 aircraft only)

Trident (BEA Hawker Siddeley Trident 3B) - fully restored example

AVRO RJX - a great example of the last civil aircraft to be built in the UK

The Aviation Park includes a shop selling aircraft related memorabilia and gifts, and a snack bar, selling hot and cold snacks which you can take to the outdoor picnic areas within the Park.

For up to date information about the Aviation Viewing Park at Manchester Airport, including airport tours, opening hours and entry prices visit the venues website.

Have you visited the Aviation Viewing Park? Did you see Concorde? What did you think? Tell us about your visit, below.

From the Wednesday 28 January the BBC are offering tours of their studios across the UK.

As a part of this scheme, BBC Manchester is offering a 90 minute tour of their centre in Oxford Road, Manchester. BBC Manchester is the BBC’s regional centre for the North West of England. If you want to travel a little further afield there are tours of BBC centres across the UK including BBC Radio Stoke in Stoke on Trent and BBC Radio Lancashire in Burnley.

BBC Manchester tours will allow you to see how television and radio programmes are made. You will be able to visit their Interactive Studio and try your hand at presenting the weather and star in a radio drama.

Tours will take place each Wednesday from 10.00am to 12.30pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays at 10.00am, 1.00pm and 3.30pm.

BBC Manchester is located in New Broadcasting House, Oxford Road, Manchester M60 1SJ. Tour tickets are available from the BBC’s tour ticket line, 0370 901 1227 and pre-booking is essential. Ticket prices range in price from £4.50 to £5.50 per person. Ticket concessions are available. You can find out more about the tours and ticket prices, from the tours section of the BBC website.