A popular seaside town in Yorkshire was brought to a standstill this week after a huge beast arrived in town.
The slightly overweight, self-centred animal went viral for being a w**ker over New Year - and for once, we're not talking about Piers Morgan.
This particular mammal was Thor, a massive walrus who hauled himself onto the harbour slipway in Scarborough, drawing thousands of locals out to see him.
People were so concerned for his wellbeing, the local New Year's Eve fireworks were even cancelled so as not to disturb him, The Manc reports.
And unlike his viral walrus counterpart Freya - who was euthanised for posing a 'threat to human safety' after people got too close to her - Thor was left in peace until he was rested enough to continue his journey north.
Thor the walrus. Credit: Twitter
His little holiday in Scarborough even led to the local New Year's Eve fireworks display being cancelled, after the British Divers Marine Life Rescue advised that the loud noises could 'distress' the walrus.
Instead, crowds flocked down to see the huge creature hanging out in their town - and got to witness him... ahem... pleasuring himself in front of onlookers.
A video viewed almost four million times was captioned: "There's a walrus lost in scarborough. So hes just decided to knock one out in front of us all on the pier. no fucks given."
Someone else sharing the video wrote: "A walrus named Thor stopped by Scarborough to masturbate and rest on his journey in the North Sea, prompting the city to cancel its New Year’s Eve fireworks to avoid disturbing him. This is the energy we need in 2023."
Other more family-friendly videos show him scratching his nose, having a slow wander about, and generally chilling out by the water.
Since he moved on from Scarborough, he was spotted relaxing on a pontoon up in Blyth, Northumberland, but moved on again early this morning.
An incredible Twitter thread by Bethan Clyne, a marine mammal medic with BDMLR, detailed the 'gruelling but rewarding' 14 hours they spent monitoring Thor the walrus in Scarborough.
Her updates included that he remained 'relatively unphased and comfortable' despite the huge crowds who came out to see him.
Bethan wrote: "As Medics, we also devoted a large amount of our time to the public. I really enjoyed talking and educating 100's upon 100's of the interested, respectful members of the public. Some were so kind to offer drinks, food and encouraging words to keep us going in the rain and cold!"
She added: "After hours of him teasing us (I thought he was going to rest again) I was so excited and relieved when he finally made his way back to sea! We sprinted to the end of the harbour where we watched him surface a few times before disappearing into the darkness."
Thor the walrus is now expected to make his way up north, but may pause again for another break (hopefully he keeps it PG this time) somewhere along the Scottish coastline.
Featured image: TikTok @andysheadz / Twitter @BDMLR
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New study crowns Leeds as one of the friendliest cities in the UK
New research has revealed a global ranking of cities with the best customer service, with Leeds taking one of the top spots.
If you've been wondering which cities across the world are the friendliest of them all, then look no further because MoneySuperMarket have done the work for us in a new study.
In a world where social media culture plays a huge part in people's lives, online customer reviews are pretty important to local businesses.
To uncover the global locations that are home to the best customer service, the businesses insurance experts analysed over 100,000 reviews of leisure and hospitality businesses in 107 cities worldwide.
They looked at the language in the reviews to see how often friendly workers and staff were mentioned, building a global ranking of the cities where customer service truly stands out.
Out of a whopping 107, Leeds came in at a very respectable number 12. Now we think that's pretty good going.
Outside of the UK, Hanoi, Paris, Montreal and Abu Dhabi were highlighted for their friendly customer service whilst Edinburgh tops the global ranking, with Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol also making the world’s top 10.
The top 10 cities in the UK with the best customer service are as follows:
Edinburgh
Liverpool
Birmingham
Bristol
Belfast
Leeds
Glasgow
Cardiff
Manchester
London
Alicia Hempsted spoke on the study: “As businesses grow and engage with more customers, it’s important to make sure they’re protected. Public liability insurance is an important safeguard for those working with the public, helping to cover costs if something goes wrong, while also showing customers that their experience is taken seriously - from the moment they walk through the door to long after they’ve left.”
Prime Minister expected to announce extra bank holiday if England win the 2026 World Cup
Danny Jones
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is reportedly set to announce an extra bank holiday if England win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
What a way to sign off from the highest office in Great Britain, eh?
According to Sky News journalist Beth Rigby, the outgoing PM is expected to reveal an extended period of celebration across the country if/should/WHEN (you’ve got to believe) the Three Lions reach this year’s World Cup final and lift the biggest prize in global sport.
Starmer may be gearing up to leave No. 10 Downing Street soon, but he can certainly earn himself a few more points in the pros column should this familiar rumour come to fruition.
As Rigby states in her post on X, this decision would fall just before the transition in leadership, with Greater Manchester’s own Mayor Andy Burnham all but confirmed at the head of the table already within the Labour Party cabinet.
The incumbent announced he would resign last month, with Burnham declaring himself in the running not long after, winning the Makerfield seat and marking his return as an MP after nearly a decade away from Parliament.
Regarding the still only potential bank holiday – Thomas Tuchel’s side still need to make it through the quarter-final and the semis, remember – the Sky reporter states that the following Friday, 24 July, is the most likely date.
Understandably, plenty on social media are already rejoicing over the prospect, but some aren’t content with waiting a week to carry on the post-trophy lift party, with many arguing that it should be the Monday morning immediately after the final next Sunday (19/2/2026).
Let’s be honest, there’ll be lots of people pulling sickies regardless of whether or not their bosses are left to grant a day off.
Many have already rightly argued that such decisions should have been made in the past after the Lionesses won not just one but two back-to-back European Championships; we’re willing to forgive and move on if the powers that be make it happen this time.
Starmer recently said that despite always believing England will “go all the way”, he didn’t want to jinx anything, simply telling the BBC’s Chris Mason: “Ask me again if we make the final.”
Either way, the general jubilation should England end 60 ‘years of hurt’ will be nothing short of colossal, and it would only feel right given the sheer gravity of the would-be achievement.
We’re even getting excited merely by the idea of some additional and, at present, strictly hypothetical pre- and post-match entertainment…
Daisy Jackson -
3rd January 2023 
