SPECIAL REPORT: The disturbing trend is continuing and attracting a host of misogynistic and ‘cruel’ comments about the appearance of women who often have no idea they are being filmed. James Holt reports.
07:15, 24 Aug 2025Updated 07:15, 24 Aug 2025
Stills from videos on the YouTube channel(Image: YouTube/M.E.N.)
Secret videos filming women without their permission in Manchester city centre are still being shared online – and are now getting hundreds of millions of views and horrific comments from viewers, the Manchester Evening News has found.
Sick comments branding women ‘dogs’ and ‘easy to get’, while comparing them to ‘working girls’ and escorts are flooding recently posted clips, some of which have over 40 million views. Other viewers also make comments about the weight of women in the footage.
The recent spate of published videos has prompted police to urge any victims to come forward to see if a crime has been committed – with Greater Manchester Deputy Mayor Kate Green branding the clips and ‘misogynistic’ comments ‘concerning’.
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The disturbing nightlife trend, which emerged on TikTok a number of years ago, sees clips of women posted online without their consent and while out with friends, usually in the Deansgate or Spinningfields area of the city.
The surge in incidents and various accounts, which previously prompted police to respond, zoom in on women unaware they are being filmed.
Following an initial Manchester Evening News report back in 2022, one account was banned from TikTok for ‘violating community guidelines’, with many more continuing to post regularly online on other platforms.
The voyeuristic videos also appear to target young women who are often intoxicated.
One YouTube page, which the Manchester Evening News has chosen not to name, has already received more than 300 million views on the platform since being set up less than three months ago.
It is not clear how recent all the videos are or whether they were recorded by the channel, but it appears a number of them were filmed at various points in 2023.
The page, which describes itself as the ‘ultimate guide to Manchester nightlife’, features a total of 151 different videos to date, most of which appear to be filmed in Manchester and include groups of young women.
The channel falsely urges viewers to subscribe to see a glimpse of ‘exclusive nightlife coverage’.
One clip, showing two women walking together down Deansgate, amassed 42 million views in a matter of weeks. Another, showing a pair of young women sat on a wall and talking, already has 43 million since it was posted in June.
Under a guise, the channel falsely urges viewers to subscribe to see a glimpse of ‘exclusive nightlife coverage’ and ‘hidden gems you won’t find in travel guides’. It claims to be based in Pakistan.
The YouTube shorts, which are vertical videos similar to that seen on Instagram and TikTok, have similarly attracted thousands of negative or misogynistic comments about the weight, appearance and outfits of women in the footage who are unaware they are being recorded and posted online to millions of viewers.
A recent voyeuristic clip posted in June shows two women walking side by side along Deansgate in Manchester. One of the women is seen adjusting her top as she talks to her friend.
One comment, which had 180 likes, reads: “Women: Don’t treat me like an object? But she can present herself as one.” A separate comment likened the city to the ‘Red Light District’ in Amsterdam, as another comment states the women appear ‘easy to get’.
A fourth comment reads: “If it’s not for sale, don’t put it in the window.”
Misogynistic comments flood the videos online
Beneath a separate 20-second video, which includes various short clips of groups of women, there were a stream of other comments from viewers.
One described those in the footage as ‘working girls’ as another wrote: “Sadly they truly believe they’re attractive”.
“Leaving nothing to [the] imagination” said another, as a fourth read: “Working girls have definitely changed over the years.”
Comments posted beneath the videos
“I see a group of 6s or 7s that are 4s and 5s without all the paint,” another viewer commented as a separate comment read: “The type you pick up for one night then run a mile from the next morning.”
Various other videos also attracted similar comments, with one saying: “Who let the dogs out?” and another adding: “The mingers of Manchester.”
“A moment on the lips a lifetime on the hips. These things need to go on a calorie controlled diet and attend the gym,” said another.
Other viewers have hit out at the stream of ‘creepy’ videos on the channel, many of which have gathered hundreds of ‘cruel’ comments and shares.
One said: “So you post stalker / peeping videos of unsuspecting women going out at night. What kind of channel is that?” As another posted: “Nice to see these girls have confidence. Rather than covering themselves up. All these negative comments are cruel and unnecessary.”
A Manchester Evening News investigation previously revealed how one vlogger was posting private videos of women in Manchester to paying subscribers on a Patreon page after receiving a warning from streaming website YouTube.
For £13 a month, the clips zoomed in on women’s chests and bottoms as they were followed. In one clip, a woman’s full breast was exposed and filmed in slow motion as it slipped from her top. It was later removed.
Women who are filmed in a manner which is causing them alarm or distress should contact the police.
In November last year, one man was arrested on suspicion of voyeurism and harassment following a series of the secretly-filmed Manchester nightlife videos were published online. It was the first arrest in the country linked with viral videos on social media platforms filming women on nights out. He remains on bail amid investigations.
But the trend was not unique to Manchester. It was discovered that other videos posted on various other pages also appeared to have been taken in London, Liverpool, and Leeds.
Greater Manchester Police has told the M.E.N that while it is not illegal to film people in public without their consent, ‘women and girls should feel safe on a night out’.
Women who are filmed in a manner which is causing them alarm or distress should contact the police immediately regarding the issue; a plea now equally echoed by the Deputy Mayor.
This is because each reported case can be reviewed individually. While overall conduct may not be classed as stalking, harassment or public order offences, some individual instances may be.
Persistent and unwelcome behaviour, such as a victim reporting continuous behaviours causing alarm and distress, could elevate the situation into the realm of criminality, particularly as a harassment report.
Uniformed and plain-clothed officers are continuing to patrol city centre hotspots at night to ensure the safety of women, the force said.
And the Safer Streets initiative in Greater Manchester, supported by the GMCA and Greater Manchester Police, focuses on improving the safety of public spaces, particularly for women and girls, and reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.
Superintendent Stephen Wiggins, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “Ensuring people feel as safe as possible when out in the city is a priority for our local policing team, and we’ve been very clear that videos such as these are intolerable.
“It’s the kind of behaviour that can make women feel uncomfortable on a night out and when it crosses the line of harassment then it becomes a criminal matter.
“We’ve already taken action in arresting one suspect in relation to a number of online videos that appear to focus on women in the city centre.
“It’s possible that this potentially criminal material continues to be circulated by other accounts online, which we strongly discourage, but we are not currently aware of any new content.
“However, we will look through the footage supplied to us by the MEN and if there is any suggestion of further suspects and offences then we will explore all legal avenues available to us.
“Our officers continue to take proactive action against the harassment of women and girls in Manchester’s night life, which has led to an increase in arrests for related issues such as upskirting.”
Following the discovery of the new YouTube channel, the Manchester Evening News contacted the Google-operated platform for a response.
It said its privacy complaint process allows user to report content that ‘features their image or other personally indefinable information.’
Police patrolling Manchester city centre(Image: Adam Vaughan)
Only the person whose privacy is at issue, their legal representative or legal guardian can file privacy complaints via their online link. The page was not removed.
The Manchester Evening News equally attempted to contact the YouTube channel in question, but did not receive a response.
The recent publication of clips comes just days after Mayor Andy Burnham launched the latest stage in the region’s campaign to raise awareness about coercive, controlling and misogynistic behaviours against women in Greater Manchester.
Deputy Mayor Kate Green said it is ‘never acceptable’ for women to be recorded against their will while ‘enjoying a night out’ and issued reassurance that Greater Manchester Police would act where criminality is recorded.
The Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: “It is never acceptable for women to be harassed or recorded against their will while simply enjoying a night out. Everyone has the right to feel safe when on a night out, and these videos are making many not feel safe, which is not ok.
“Our Gender-Based Violence (GBV) strategy is incredibly important to us, and we work closely with GMP and other partners to ensure tackling GBV is an absolute priority. Our #IsThisOK campaign encourages people to call out every day sexist and misogynistic behaviours and we have been very encouraged by the success of this.
“The continuation of these videos being shared online and the comments they gather is concerning, but I am confident that when the filming crosses the line into criminality, GMP will act robustly to stop this.
“GMP’s ‘Safer Streets’ initiative has invested in uniformed officers in city centre locations at busy times to ensure peoples‘ safety, and our Good Night Out Guide also gives advice for everyone to keeping safe.”