Avid soap fan Chris and his breakfast show team have planned a visit to Coronation Street while they're here. And the DJ reveals he's hoping to spot Samia Smith - Weatherfield hairdresser Maria Sutherland - on the cobbles.
"I think she's the most under-rated babe on TV," Chris tells me. "Samia is stunning but she's just not in the papers or the other media enough.
"I think Tina O'Brien is cute too and I also like Nikki Sanderson - even though she's not in Corrie anymore."
And he's even prepared to overlook the fact that Samia, Tina and Nikki all come from Lancashire, while he is a card-carrying Yorkshireman from over the Pennines in Leeds. "I always think its really funny how Lancashire and Yorkshire think each has the best county and there is all this rivalry, but then we'll happily gang up together to take on the southerners," he says.
Chris has plotted his Radio 1 breakfast show trip to the north this week around visits to various soap sets.
Emmerdale
"We've been to Emmerdale and Brookside and we're visiting Corrie today," he says. "I basically have nothing to do in the day so I watch all the soaps regularly. I had no idea I was such a big Brookside fan until we were walking around the old set in Liverpool earlier.
"I caught myself pointing out all the houses and explaining to everyone who was with us the history of the buildings and detailing who used to live there.
"And when we went to the Emmerdale set I got to talk to Jack Sugden, on the set, and he was wearing his flat cap," he adds with child-like relish.
His daytimes maybe the epitomy of inactivity but his evenings are certainly fully occupied these days.
Tonight the popular DJ will be bringing his on-air mates - including Comedy Dave and newsreader Dominic Byrne - to Manchester Metropolitan University's student union for the latest in his Gag Idol events.
"It's like a cross between X Factor and Britain's Got Talent but with people telling jokes. Anyone can tell a joke or two and we want people to come along and get up and tell some gags on the stage. The winner will get a really cheap plastic trophy but it will be a great night all round," he says.
If Gag Idol finishes early enough, Chris, get yourself to the Vermilion restaurant opening tonight - star guest is a certain Samia Smith.
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