The UK is a massive country filled with all kinds of people doing all kinds of things. In 2023 alone we’ve seen news topics as varied as rediscovered Roman roads, the nation’s loneliest home, potential Eurostar alternatives and Cadbury bringing back a much-loved choc.
But which stories were the biggest? From Charlie’s coronation to the ongoing national rail strikes, the past twelve months have seen plenty of massive news stories with exceptional highs and grounding lows. These are were Time Out’s five biggest UK news bits of 2023.
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1. Wilko, the fall and rise
Everyone loved (and still loves) Wilko, and we at Time Out were as devastated as any to see the affordable homeware chain run into trouble over the summer. The Wilko saga was understandably one of our most-followed stories, with readers keen to know which branches were closing and when.
Here’s our article about the 400 Wilkos closing down.
But that wasn’t the end. The Wilko saga continues – with more branches set to come in the near future.
Find out where Wilko is opening stores next and how the brand plans on opening 300 new stores.
2. King Charles III’s coronation
For many Brits, 2023 was the first time they’d seen the coronation of a British monarch. And as your guide on the best things to see and do, we covered plenty of all that.
Recap our King’s coronation content, from the timetable and general guide to the concert line-up.
3. Train strikes
Ah, train strikes. They’ve been going for over eighteen months and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight. Throughout 2023 – a full year of strikes, no less – our regularly-updated hub had the lowdown on who’s going on strike, when, and how it’ll affect you.
Find out more and read the full article here.
4. Taylor Swift’s UK tour
She’s the world’s most-streamed artist, she’s released tonnes of tunes that’ve dominated the airwaves and, recently, she was named Time’s person of the year: of course Taylor Swift was a popular topic in 2023. Her ‘Eras Tour’ comes to the UK in 2024 – and our guide to how to get tickets was obviously popular.
Find out more and read the full article here.
5. The UK is home to three of the world’s best universities
Brits are generally pretty proud of this country’s educational institutions. So when three UK unis were revealed near the top of the 2023 Times Higher Education World University Ranking, plenty seemed keen to hear all about it. Cheers to Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial!
Find out more and read the full article here.
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