Norwich is a city jam-packed with quirky characters meaning there is an endless stream of wacky stories to report.
Here is a list of 21 weird and wonderful Norwich-based tales that have emerged over the years.
1. The duo who thought they'd seen the Northern Lights in the city centre
A few weeks ago, people across the country were spellbound by Northern Lights sightings.
Karim Akhtar and Solomon Laurent were walking home from a night out in the city when they spotted a purple tinge in the sky.
They immediately started filming and, in the now-viral TikTok video, can be heard gasping "oh my god!" in amazement.
But they quickly realised they were instead gazing at the lights from the Duke Street Premier Inn.
"We thought Premier Inn was the Northern Lights,” they said. "We've been catfished. How have we been catfished? We thought it was the northern lights. It's a f*****g building."
A Premier Inn spokesman responded: "There’s no need to search the skies, Premier Inn is a beacon of light and can bring the aurora glow directly to your room."
2. The huge crowds that gathered to watch a 2.2km domino fall
In celebration of the 2022 Norfolk and Norwich Festival, thousands of people came together to watch 7,500 aerated concrete dominoes as they toppled down the city's streets.
The dominoes were lined up in a 2.2km route which spread from Anglia Square to The Forum, climbing up stairs, out of windows and through trees.
Once all of the dominoes had fallen, a man was overheard saying: "This is a jolly good thing. Just wonderful."
3. Muhamad Ali called us 'civilised' on an Ovaltine promotional tour
Champion boxer Muhammad Ali visited the city back in 1971 on a promotional tour for Ovaltine drinks.
Ali headed to St Stephens Street where he met crowds, signed autographs and said: "Most places have mobbed us, pushed the policemen over and become uncontrollable.
"Here I haven't been shoved around. That shows you how civilised the people are."
4. Norwich City's bus breaking down at the start of the promotion parade
After the Canaries were promoted in 2019, they set off on their famous open-top tour of the city.
But the specially decorated yellow and green bus broke down early on at the King Street lights.
City Sightseeing driver Don Grunbaum saved the day by loading the team on to one of the firm's tour buses.
Mr Grunbaum later said it was "one of the hardest drives" of his life and admitted he was glad he hadn't been aware of captain Grant Hanley standing on the roof.
5. Sinkhole swallowed a double-decker bus
A slightly scarier bus story emerged back in March 1988 when a double-decker bus was swallowed by a sinkhole in Earlham Road.
An old chalk mine beneath the street had collapsed.
The bus driver managed to lead the passengers to safety but the incident has gone down in Norwich folklore and will be remembered for generations to come.
6. Alan Partridge's world premiere at Anglia Square
On July 24, 2013, Steve Coogan travelled to the city's Anglia Square by helicopter for the premiere of his film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.
The appearance was the result of a long campaign dubbed 'Anglia Square Not Leicester Square', led by Rob Dodsworth, Rob Wilkes and Raf Turnbull.
He was greeted by hundreds of fans outside the Hollywood Cinema where he watched the movie before heading to London for another screening.
7. "Let's be 'aving you!"
Delia Smith went viral in 2005 for her emotional plea during half time at a Norwich City and Manchester City match.
Her "let's be 'aving you" cry was an effort to motivate the team who were at risk of relegation.
In 2010, in the five-part BBC2 series Delia Through the Decades, the television chef recalled: "They just handed me the microphone and said 'go on, go and do it'.
"I had heels on; the pitch was muddy. It was quite hard to walk."
She also clarified that, despite public assumption, she hadn't been drunk at the time.
8. 40 bishops descended on the city
People were shocked to see 40 bishops strolling the streets of Norwich back in January 2024.
The group - or 'convocation', as the collective noun has it - was coming together for a biannual summit.
Speaking at the event’s opening, Bishop Graham said: “The warmth of relationships as we get together is extraordinary.
“There are great bonds of friendship between us.”
9. Kenny McLean declared himself mayor
During the Canaries' 2019 promotion party, the Scottish midfielder Kenny McLean took to the balcony of City Hall.
He wore a feathered hat, clutched a bottle of MadDog 2020 and declared himself the new Mayor of Norwich.
He discussed the job in a later interview when he laughed: "I was only mayor for about two days and I was drunk for the two days. I had a day off and while I had the day off they appointed somebody."
10. The 'orange dress girl' who stole the show at an Arctic Monkeys concert
Arctic Monkeys performed at Carrow Road as part of their UK and Ireland tour in 2023.
While waiting for the band to take to the stage, audiences were treated to a lively performance by a woman nicknamed 'orange dress girl'.
Singing teacher Georgia Bristow danced and did cartwheels and roly-polies for those sitting in the River End as they chanted her name.
Speaking afterwards, Ms Bristow explained: "I'd had a couple of pints so I started to do cartwheels and people started clapping and chanting my name, so it developed from there.
"I was exhausted by the time the band came on."
11. Onel Hernandez shared his favourite thing about Norwich
In January 2019, the Cuban winger Onel Hernandez shared his favourite things about his move to Norwich City.
He said: "I love the city. I like that I live next to the stadium and next to me is a Morrisons which is good so I can buy my food.
"Also, I'd never seen an Argos before in my life.
"I walked inside and saw the catalogue with things you can order. You can order bikes, TVs – We don't have this in Germany.
"Argos has everything and I've never seen this in my life before. When I need something, I buy it from Argos! I live in a perfect area."
The Riverside Argos store later hosted a meet and greet and signing for Hernandez to chat with fans.
12. Les Dennis forced to deny graffitiing landmarks
In 2017, graffiti simply saying "Les Dennis" started appearing around Norwich.
His name featured as a tribute on buildings in St Benedicts Street and Fishergate in what Rob Setchell from ITV Anglia branded the 'SurreaLesm' movement.
In 2018, the comedian and presenter jokingly denied being the man behind the paint, writing on Twitter: "It wasn't me!"
13. The Flower Pot Man
Norwich's famous 'Flower Pot Man' was a popular sight for years in the 2010s.
He was often seen running through the streets wearing nothing but a pair of pants, large sunglasses and trainers with a flower pot hat on his head.
Sometimes he would mix it up with a special seasonal get-up such as a Santa hat on Christmas Eve.
One specific sighting took place at 6.10am on March 1, 2018, when it was -3.5C outside.
14. The manager who thought a booking from 'John Travolta' was an April Fools' joke
John Travolta dined at Erpingham House in Tombland in April 2022 to celebrate his daughter's birthday while he was in Norfolk filming The Shepherd.
During his stay he was also spotted in Morrisons in Fakenham and a Wetherspoon pub in Dereham.
Anna Burnard, manager at Erpingham House, said: "When I first took the booking I thought it was an April Fool's. It's bonkers.
"It was an absolute pleasure, I was totally beside myself. I've loved him since I first saw Grease.
"Afterwards the staff all went upstairs and had a dance around to the film soundtrack. It was just unreal."
15. Elm Hill transformed into a winter wonderland for a Netflix musical
In June 2019, Netflix transformed Elm Hill into a Victorian winter wonderland to film scenes for the Christmas musical Jingle Jangle, produced by John Legend.
Snow was laid out along the road and Olive's Cafe on the corner of Elm Hill was turned into 'S.Boone Town Store and Supplies', while other shops became bakeries, beauty parlours and fishmongers.
Once the historic street returned to normal, Philip Goodby from The Dormhouse Bookshop, remarked: "The cobbles are cleaner now than they've ever been. It's spotlessly clean."
16. 'Marigold'
Marigold, whose real name was Alvin Braithwaite, was well-known by locals for directing traffic on the inner ring road while wearing rubber gloves.
Many people have called for a statue to be erected in his honour and in 2014 the eccentric public figure was immortalised in an oil painting.
Mr Braithwaite's death was announced in 2015 by his daughter who said: "People in Norwich have been very respectful to him and kind.
"I want to thank the people of Norwich for being so kind to him because he was ill but he was able to bring out a kindness in people and a respect."
17. Snoop Dogg announced his love for the Canaries
During his performance on the first day of Radio One's Big Weekend in Norwich in 2015, Snoop Dogg wore a Norwich City FC shirt with 'Dogg' on the back.
The Drop It Like It's Hot rapper shared a photo of his outfit to Instagram before taking to the stage and was met with an ecstatic reaction from fans.
18. The UEA's beef ban
The ban was passed for climate-change reasons and caused much debate within both the university and wider communities.
The union had previously been criticised for banning the Mexican restaurant Pedro's from offering sombreros at the Freshers' Fair in 2015, branding it "cultural appropriation".
19. The Puppet Man
The Puppet Man is another public figure often spotted in and around the city.
The street performer, whose real name is David Perry, has been busking with a harmonica and a selection of puppets in Gentleman's Walk for decades.
Some onlookers have been cruel to Mr Perry over the years, stealing his donations and pouring water over his stereo, but he always reappears with a smile.
20. Landlord who belted out Disney tunes to stop anti-vax protest outside his pub
In July 2021, The Murderers landlord Phil Cutter banned anyone from entering if they had not received a Covid-19 vaccination.
The news hit the national tabloids and a number of outraged people staged a protest outside the venue.
Onlookers were surprised to hear Disney songs such as the Bare Necessities, Hakuna Matata and A Whole New World playing loudly from the pub as protesters gave speeches and chanted.
Mr Cutter later explained: "It was actually my son's idea - as Disney as a company is very protective of its copyright.
"Therefore, if the footage was online and included Disney music, it would soon be pulled up for copyright infringement."
21. Orlando
Orlando Williams ran the Ber Street restaurant Yakiniku until it closed in 2015.
Rumours quickly circulated that he was running a replacement Japanese establishment from his suburban home in Earlham Road.
He has consistently denied this and has been engaged in a long-term battle with Norwich City Council over the accusations - despite having a large sign with his name hanging above his front door.
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