Things you didn't know about... Wigan

Wiganers are known as pie-eaters

The Wigan pie (meat and squishy pastry) is a classic acquired taste. Originally the nickname was an insult from people from surrounding areas, but people from Wigan took it to their hearts. There's even a website devoted to pie-eating, and the World Pie-Eating Championships take place here, with a meat-free option for veggies.

Mint balls, another local delicacy...

According to the makers, the peppermint flavour and the action of sucking them were excellent for keeping miners' lungs free of dust.

From 1,000 to zero

In the late 1800s, there were 1,000 mine shafts within five miles of Wigan town centre, and now there are none. The last colliery closed in 1992.

Contrasting musical styles

Wigan's most famous musical exports are The Verve and George Formby. The Verve formed in 1989 at the local college. Formby (also known as the "Wigan Nightingale") was well-known for his risqu? lyrics—indeed his 1937 song 'With my little stick of Blackpool Rock' was banned by the BBC.

Wigan was home to Gandalf

Actor Ian McKellen, who played the wizard in The Lord of the Rings, grew up in the town.

Wigan has a wonderful dialect

In Wigan "klempt" means very hungry, "petty" is a toilet, and "yed-warch" is a headache.

Wallace and Gromit live in Wigan

And we have the proof. In The Wrong Trousers, Gromit picks up a parcel addressed to a Wigan address. And in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Wallace has a map of Wigan in his van.

Wigan was at the epicentre of the Northern soul movement

Between 1973 and 1981 the Wigan Casino became legendary as the venue for Northern soul dance nights, often marathon all-night sessions that were the precursors of the raves of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The music was a rougher, rawer version of Motown soul, and the club nights were characterised by energetic and athletic dancing that included back-flips and other forms of showboating.