Liverpool can be a real drama queen – more so than any other British city. So if its year as European Capital of Culture was not a disaster, it had to be a tear-inducing triumph.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that Liverpool City Council’s bid for Capital of Culture was the best decision made since Brian Epstein signed The Beatles,” Warren Bradley, city council leader, boasted last week. Gemma Bodinetz, artistic director of the Everyman and Playhouse theatres, added: “I think many of us will look back and be grateful to be alive and part of this year.”