First comes a two-part ITV1 drama filmed in the city, which might lead ITV bosses, who spent é120m buying website Friends Reunited, to think there's some kind of conspiracy.
Viewers have already seen Coronation Street's Roy Cropper attend a Weatherfield school reunion - ending up the only guest, aside from the hapless organiser.
Now comes an even worse advert for hearing from old friends, in the form of Detective Inspector Stuart Milburn, played by Hugo. Love Lies Bleeding, to be screened later this month, sees Stuart turning up out of the blue on the doorstep of millionaire property developer Mark Terry, played by Martin Kemp.
They were once best of friends, but haven't seen each other for decades. And Stuart is about to turn Mark's life upside down with devastating consequences.
The drama has plenty of twists and turns involving the detective and tycoon, who share a secret from their childhood.
Scores
Known for a string of different roles - from The Full Monty through to last year's Messiah: The Harrowing and Bleak House's Captain George - Hugo doesn't have any scores he'd like to settle from his own school days.
"Stuart feels as though he was stitched up by Mark when they were children. He's harboured a lot of resentment and is very envious of Mark's life. I was all right at school - I held my own, and I don't like to bear grudges."
Hugo is now back in Manchester and today starts filming a new six-part BBC1 drama called Sorted. It's by Danny Brocklehurst, who has, among other things, written episodes of Clocking Off and Shameless.
"It's based around a group of workers in a sorting office, but I'm actually playing the boss, Charlie. I don't think he's a particularly nice man," explains Hugo.
The line-up of first class males on special delivery includes Shameless barman Dean Lennox Kelly, Stockport's Will Mellor, Ray Stevenson and Mark Womack. Former Corrie and Vincent actress Eva Pope, originally from Wigan, is also part of the cast.
Hugo says some of the storylines, including one postal worker on drugs, have given the Royal Mail cause for concern. "They said, 'This is bad for our reputation.' So they've not been co-operative. It's a comedy drama, but it deals with very real issues."
A spokesman for the BBC told the M.E.N: "Sorted is a gritty portrait of male friendship set in a fictitious postal sorting office. Our discussions with the Royal Mail are open and ongoing. In the meantime, filming is underway in and around Manchester."
Hugo is still an active patron of No Strings, the charity which uses puppet shows to reach children who have been subjected to trauma, conflict and disease around the world, educating them about landmine awareness, HIV and AIDS, plus street kids' issues.
Edition
Another patron is actor Neil Morrissey, who persuaded Hugo to appear as a guest on the first edition of his new celebrity game show Petrolheads (BBC2, Sunday, 10.10pm), described as Top Gear meets Have I Got News For You.
His appearance included a game of blindfold parking, alongside fellow guest Philip Glenister, currently showing plenty of driving prowess in Manchester hit Life On Mars. "We were encouraged not to be too accurate," reveals Hugo. "I've never done anything like it before and probably won't again. But it was great fun."
After 15 years in London, Hugo moved 18 months ago to a small village in Yorkshire, close to his home town of Harrogate, in what is far from a bleak house. "It's got no street lamps, no shops, one pub and it's on a hill - so we've got beautiful views. It feels like the best move I've made for a long time. I was hankering after a bit of green, fresh air, that sort of thing."
But Hugo and actress partner Christine Tremarco have no plans to settle down just yet. "I've still got some playtime left in me," he smiles. "I'm not going to stop partying until the party is over. It'll come to me, I'm sure, when the old bones start creaking. But I'm still having fun at the moment. So I think if we want the patter of tiny feet, we'll buy some shoes for the cat."
Details of No Strings are at: www.nostrings.org.uk/
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