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Belgrave and Headrow House join The Key Club and Mustard Pot in cancelling all World Cup showings

Sophie Smith Sophie Smith - 16th November 2022

Belgrave and Headrow House are the latest pubs in Leeds to cancel their showings on the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Both sites, which are owned by Super Friendz, made a public announcement on Facebook last night, explaining that the 'ongoing LGBTQIA+ and human rights surrounding the event', noting that they are 'a contradiction to the values we hold as venue[s]'.

Both Headrow House and Belgrave Music Hall will be fundraising throughout the length of the 2022 World Cup for Yorkshire MESMAC, one of the oldest and largest sexual health organisations in the country.

The full statements can be found below.

The news comes after The Key Club announced that they would no longer be showing the game, citing the 'ongoing human rights and LGBTQ+ issues' in the host city as the reason for the removal of the events from its schedule.

Releasing a statement on Facebook, The Key Club have said that:

"We have decided to cancel the upcoming England matches which we had planned to show at The Key Club.

"We wanted to create a safe space where people felt comfortable to watch the football, however, after careful deliberation and upon further research, we now understand it is best to cancel the upcoming events in response to the ongoing human rights and LGBTQ+ issues surrounding the host nation.

"The Key Club is committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space and so we hope you all stand by our decision.

"As an additional mark of our support, we will be collecting donations for LGBTQ+ charities at upcoming events at The Key Club.

Yesterday, The Mustard Pot in Chapel Allerton also issued a statement yesterday, stating that "I made the wrong decision to show the World Cup and I am sorry" with all tickets refunded and an apology "to anyone we offended by announcing we would be showing it".

Read More: Gareth Southgate advises England players not to use social media

The 2022 Qatar World Cup kicks off this weekend, with the first England game due to be played on Monday 21 November 2022.

Feature Image- Unsplash

News

Bradford man, 20, jailed after admitting to 36 child sex offences

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A 20-year-old man from Bradford has been sentenced to time in prison this week after admitting to numerous child sex offences.

Following an investigation initially by West Mercia and Lancashire Police, Kasey Fitton, aged 20 of Amundsen Avenue in Bradford, was arrested in February 2025 on suspicion of engaging in sexual communication with four children residing outside of West Yorkshire Police force area.

An investigation was then launched by Bradford Safeguarding Unit, who went on to uncover large-scale sexual offending against children.   

In February 2026, Fitton was charged with 16 counts of sexual communication with a child and 20 counts of making/possession of indecent images of children - with police confirming that five child victims have been identified.   

At Bradford Crown Court, Fitton admitted to all 36 counts, and then earlier this week (7 September), he was jailed for seven and a half years, plus a five year extension on licence. He will also be required to sign the sex offenders register for life, and he has been given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years.

Speaking following the sentencing this week, Detective Superintendent Alan Weekes of Bradford District Police, described Fitton as a 'very dangerous individual to children'.

"There are further investigations ongoing and we would appeal to anyone who may have been a victim to come forward to us," DSI Weekes said.  

"We are keen to speak to anyone who interacted with the Snapchat accounts Kaseyfitton23, Kaseyfitton24 and MyCroft110.  

"We take all reports of this nature extremely seriously and they are treated with sensitivity. We have specially trained officers who will guide you through the process and do everything we can to get justice."

Featured Image - West Yorkshire Police

News

History has never been this fun – Operation Mincemeat at Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House | Review

Declan Kelly Declan Kelly

Don’t judge a book by its cover... or in this case, a musical by its posters.

Going in completely blind, I really didn’t know what to expect from Operation Mincemeat. In fact, after the first number, I found myself thinking, I’m not sure this is quite my cup of tea.

How wrong I was.

Watching Tuesday night’s performance at Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House, I was quickly proven wrong about what I thought a musical needed to be. There are no huge sets, endless costume changes, or hundreds of performers filling the stage. Instead, Operation Mincemeat delivers a genuinely funny, surprisingly heart-warming story with just five performers, while somehow teaching you a bit of history along the way.

If I had to sum this show up in two words? Belly laughter.

Based on the real-life British intelligence operation during the Second World War, the musical follows the unlikely group tasked with convincing Hitler that the Allies were planning to invade Greece rather than Sicily.

And honestly, if you didn’t already know it actually happened, you’d probably think someone had made it up. That ridiculousness is exactly what makes the show work. The comedy comes thick and fast, with characters, accents, and personalities constantly changing as the five-strong cast jump between roles.

And this is where the production really impressed me.The multi-roling is incredibly slick. A pair of glasses, a change in voice or a small shift in posture can completely transform a character, and somehow it never feels like a gimmick. Instead, it becomes part of the magic of the production. It’s a brilliant example of how much can be achieved on stage without throwing money at elaborate sets or costumes.

Credit: Matt Crockett
Credit: Matt Crockett

But underneath all the comedy is where Operation Mincemeat really surprised me.

One of the standout performances for me came from Christian Andrews as Hester Leggatt. During ‘Roses’, Andrews completely captivates the audience while portraying an older woman writing about the experience of wives waiting for their loved ones away at war.

What makes the moment so effective is its simplicity. With little more than a pair of glasses, Andrews transforms into Hester, but there is never any sense that the character is being played for laughs. Instead, there is real care and respect in the performance.

Andrews captures the loneliness, vulnerability, and uncertainty of a woman whose life has been put on hold while her partner is away fighting. After so much laughter, the sudden change in tone really lands. For me, it was one of the clearest examples of the craftsmanship behind the show. Both the writing and performance manage to find genuine emotion without losing the production’s personality.

The music follows the same balance, moving between big, energetic numbers and quieter moments that give the characters room to breathe. It never feels like songs have been added simply because this happens to be a musical; they actually help tell the story.

And despite being based on a historical event, it never feels like a history lesson.

Operation Mincemeat at Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House / Credit: Matt Crockett

In fact, I left the theatre wanting to find out more about the real Operation Mincemeat, which is probably the biggest compliment I can give it and definitely will be watching the film very soon.

If you’re heading to the theatre expecting huge dance numbers, powerhouse ballads and elaborate sets, then this might not be the show for you. But if you want something different, something that will have you laughing at one of the strangest stories in British history while leaving you amazed at just how slick a production can be with only five cast members, then this is absolutely worth seeing.

What I initially thought wasn’t my cup of tea ended up being one of the biggest surprises of the evening.

Funny, clever, completely bonkers at times and unexpectedly moving, Operation Mincemeat proves you don’t need a massive production to make a big impression. I have seen a lot of theatre productions in my life, but I have never seen anything as slick as this production, and that is pure talent at its finest.

Sometimes, all you need is a ridiculous true story, five brilliant performers and a whole lot of belly laughs.

Featured Image - Matt Crockett (Supplied)

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