The unlikely stars of coronavirus: meet the ordinary people making lockdown more bearable
At moments of national crisis, we look for heroes. The coronavirus has given us plenty to choose from: NHS workers, Dua Lipa, Rishi Sunak, Joss Butler, Tom Hanks, the entire Broadway cast of Hamilton… I could go on.
We also seem to find it helpful to identify a few villains: sorry, Amanda Holden, Mike Ashley, Kim Kardashian et al – you really should have known better.
But what about the ordinary people bringing the hilarious, the ingenious and the downright daft into our claustrophobic lives? From child-friendly morning fitness videos saving the sanity of UK parents, to Australian astrophysicists seeking hospital treatment for disease control experiments gone wrong, enthusiasts and creative thinkers everywhere are suddenly becoming lockdown famous. Here is a guide to these unlikely heroes.
The poem in praise of Britain's ethnic minority workers
Who? Darren James Smith and Sachini Imbuldeniya, colleagues who wrote and a produced the video-poem You Clap For Me Now
Heroics: James Smith wrote a 39-line poem in response to a call by the UN for coronavirus content that conveyed positivity, kindness and solidarity, inspired by his colleague Imbuldeniya's Sri Lankan mother, an NHS nurse for 40 years. You Clap For Me Now is anti-racist call to the public to continue to support migrant workers once the crisis is over. Imbuldeniya turned the poem into a two-minute video, in which doctors, nurses, teachers and delivery drivers read the lines. Since it was uploaded on, it has been viewed more than 8 million times.
Life-saver for: Ethnic minorities and immigrants worried about their future in post-pandemic Britain
You can find it: On Twitter or Youtube
In the poem's own words: “So it's finally happened/That thing you were afraid of/Something's come from overseas/And taken your jobs/Made it unsafe to walk the streets/Kept you trapped in your home/A dirty disease/Your proud nation gone/But not me/You clap for me now”
The walking war veteran
Who? Captain Tom Moore, a 99-year-old veteran of the Second World War
Heroics: Moore has so far raised £29 million for NHS staff after reaching his goal (ahead of schedule) of walking 100 laps of his garden by his 100th birthday. He walked the last 25 lengths on live TV on Thursday morning, accompanied by a guard of honour from the 1st Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment. He has since become the first ever centenarian to top the charts, after his duet with Michael Ball, a cover of You'll Never Walk Alone, went straight to number one.
Life-saver for: Everyone who will benefit from extra NHS funding
You can find him: Completing his final laps in our video
In his own words: “I feel fine, I hope you're all feeling fine too.”
The Kung Flu fighters
Who? Public health-conscious stunt artists from French stunt school Campus Univers Cascades
Heroics: A short video produced by the school showing a fight sequence – but a socially distanced one. With the help of lockdown necessities like loo rolls and bananas, the students deal each other an impressive series of kicks and punches, apparently unheeded by physical distance.
Life-saver for: those for whom life in lockdown doesn't pack enough of a punch
You can find them: going viral on Youtube
In their own words: Wham. Biff. Thunkkkk.
The super-teacher delivering packed lunches
Who? Zane Powles is the assistant headteacher at Western Primary School in Grimsby.
Heroics: Every weekday since the school closed, Powles has been delivering packed lunches to the 80 Western students on pupil premium (eligible for free school meals). He and his lime green trainers set off carrying two enormous backpacks, (gloved) hands full of paper bags, and spend the next two hours walking five miles around the city, dropping lunches on doorsteps.
Life-saver for: 80 kids for whom school lunch might be their one guaranteed meal of the day.
You can find him: Being modest in this BBC news clip.
In his own words: “People are saying... 'you're a hero' but I'm not, it's just my job. This is just a part of my job that I never expected to do really.”
The fancy dress postman
Who? Glen Walton
Heroics: In a bid to cheer himself and local residents up during lockdown, this Nottinghamshire postman has started doing his round in a different fancy dress costume everyday. In the past couple of weeks, he's been spotted as a cowboy, a ninja turtle, Princess Anna of Arendelle from the Frozen films, and a dinosaur. Oh and his free time he's also a wrestler by the name of Postie Malone.
Life-saver for: The residents of Mansfield Woodhouse.
You can find him: Being interviewed on Russell Howard's Home Time show on Sky Comedy and NOW TV.
In his own words: “People have been throwing money at me.”
Randy pandas in Hong Kong
Who? Ying Ying and Le Le, a middle-aged giant panda couple in Ocean Park zoo in Hong Kong
Heroics: The committed but shy long term couple (in relationship since 2007, when both arrived at Ocean Park) who, despite the encouragement and desperation of scientists, have not mated for over ten years, finally did the deed last week. They have enjoyed some clearly much-needed privacy since the Park was closed for coronavirus lockdown on January 26.
Life-saver for: The endangered giant pandas species, if (fingers crossed) Le Le is pregnant.
You can find them: Enjoying a second honeymoon in Hong Kong's Ocean Park.
In their own words: The couple asked that we respect their privacy at this very personal time.
The Les Mis family
Who? The modern day Von Trapps riffing on their lockdown gripes.
Heroics: A family from Kent who went viral with a video of their lockdown-themed adaptation of Les Misérables, performed in their living room. Ben and Danielle Marsh and their four children changed the lyrics of One Day More to reflect common complaints during the lockdown. They followed it up with another Les Mis anthem and their twist on a track from Disney film Tangled.
Life-saver for: Les Mis fans, Sound of Music fans, anyone with a very British sense of humour (and a fairly high cringe-threshold).
You can find them: Here.
In their own words: One day more/Another day, another destiny/Shopping for online delivery/We tried again only to find/There’s nothing til September time.
The BBC-loving kitchen raver
Who? A Young TikTok enthusiast called Rachel Leary.
Heroics: Leary has taken something her generation is sorely lacking right now – club nights – and mixed it with something we all have arguably too much of right now – BBC News. The result is a hilarious and surprisingly catchy beat, amped up with sunglasses and cans of surface cleaner.
Life-saver for: Sad millennials and Gen-Zers, cooped-up ravers, BBC enthusiasts, anyone who fancies a boogie.
You can find her: For the non TikTokers, the BBC’s religion correspondent helpfully tweeted the video.
In her own words: “My mum would tell you, whenever the BBC theme tune comes on, I’m sat on the sofa throwing my fists up in the air.”
The cowboy security guard
Who? Tim Tiller, head of security at America’s National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
Heroics: Having taken over the museum’s Twitter feed during lockdown, Tim, a self-professed Twitter newbie, brings an intoxicating combination of inexplicable cowboy banter and Dad jokes to his virtual tours of the exhibits.
Life-saver for: Those in desperate need of Western film trivia, rodeo tips, or some gentle and inept internet humour.
You can find him: manning the museum’s Twitter feed.
In his own words: “And these are his boots. Hashtag John Wayne. Thanks, Tim. Send.”
Joseph’s Machines
Who? The YouTuber who builds hilarious chain reaction (or Rube Goldberg) machines.
Heroics: Always popular, Joseph’s videos have gained a new lease of life as quarantiners the world over try and emulate his creations at home. One particular lunchtime contraption, which involves smashing a laptop, melting butter with a candle and fooling a toddler, feels very lockdown appropriate.
Life-saver for: Bored school-children, desperate physics teachers, Rube Goldberg enthusiasts (there’s even a competition you can take part in) or parents who want to get some use out of their toddlers.
You can find him: On his YouTube channel.
In his own words: “Who says machines must be useful?”
The nation's PE teacher
Who? Joe Wicks is the fitness coach keeping kids fit in lockdown.
Heroics: Every weekday at 9am, this bouncy Essex boy runs a half-hour virtual fitness session aimed at school-age children, to replace their lost PE lessons. Wicks was already a fitness coach, popular cookbook writer and Instagram phenomenon before the virus, but only in the last few weeks has his mixture of high-energy but child-friendly routines (think bunny hops) and upbeat morning chitchat made him a big brother to the nation’s kids (and eye candy for the rest of us).
A life-saver for: Parents. And any casual appreciator of Poldark-hair and a sculpted derriere.
You can find him: On his Youtube channel or Instagram.
In his own words: “Parents are going to be under pressure, and for 30 minutes a day I can take over and inspire and energise the kids to get active, bounce around and have fun.”
The nasally-challenged astrophysicist
Who? An Australian scientist, Dr Daniel Reardon
Heroics: While bored self-isolating at home, Dr Reardon decided to invent a magnetic necklace that would sound an alarm when the wearer touches their face. Unfortunately, the experiment came to an untimely end when Reardon’s partner had to take him into hospital so that emergency staff could remove four magnets that he had somehow managed to get stuck inside his nose.
Life-saver for: Anyone who’s done something stupid during lockdown and needs to feel better by comparison.
You can find him: At home tiling his floor, having been safely released from hospital.
In his own words: “Needless to say, I am not going to play with the magnets any more.”