thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--Lorraine Kelly Has A Very Sweary Message For Lockdown Rule Breakers Like Rita Ora And Kay Burley

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Lorraine Kelly has let her fellow celebs know exactly what she thinks about any of them breaking lockdown rules.
The presenter shared her thoughts in a mock-up of the Queen’s Christmas address while standing in as the host of Channel 4’s The Last Leg.
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After praising the efforts of people across the country in restricting the spread of the virus, she said that any celeb who has flouted the rules can “go fuck yourself”.
Lorraine Kelly attends the TRIC Awards 2020 held at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane in London. (Photo by Keith Mayhew / SOPA Images/Sipa USA) SIPA USA/PA Images
She told viewers: “After a year of lockdowns, tiers and self-isolation, let’s do whatever we can to make sure one day, we can all come together.
“To all of us who sacrificed so much this year, I wish you a very merry Christmas and a prosperous 2021.
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“Unless, of course, you are a celebrity who broke the rules of lockdown.
“In that case, you can go fuck yourself.”
Just love this ‘Queen’s Speech’ from Lorraine Kelly on The Last Leg tonight #thelastleg pic.twitter.com/rWK0INkuO7 — Peter White (@peterwhite_1) December 11, 2020
And on Thursday Sky News confirmed presenter Kay Burley has been suspended for six months after she broke Covid-19 rules while celebrating her 60th birthday.
Lorraine was presenting The Last Leg while its usual host Adam Hills quarantines in Australia ahead of visiting his family over Christmas.
While appearing on the programme, Lorraine also had a pop at Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s appearance on Good Morning Britain earlier this week when he appeared to get emotional about the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine.
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Lorraine labelled it as a “less than convincing performance of the role of overly emotional minister. I was watching that and I was not convinced.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--Revealed: How No-Deal Brexit Could Change Britain On Day 1 – And Beyond

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Boris Johnson has given his clearest sign yet that the UK will leave the EU without a post-Brexit trade deal on December 31.
The prime minister said on Thursday it was “very, very likely” Britain would have an “Australian-style” relationship with the bloc.
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If an agreement is not struck in the coming days, the UK will default to World Trade Organisation terms from January 1 and be treated like any other country outside Europe.
It has been widely reported that such an outcome would cause cause economic harm and major disruption.
But what shape will those things take, and when should we brace ourselves for the worst?
Here’s what a no-deal might look like as 2021 unfolds...
Day one
Lorries queueing on the A20 to enter the Port of Dover in Kent PA
Donald Tusk once suggested there may be a “special place in hell” for politicians “who proposed Brexit without a sketch of a plan”.
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The former EU Council president may well have had an eye on the very early stages of no-deal, which, by any expert’s estimation, put the hard into hard Brexit.
The government’s own experts in the leaked Whitehall Yellowhammer report predicted a three-month “meltdown” at ports and borders as both sides adjusted to new rules and regulations overnight.
Amer Ghazzal via Getty Images
This document forecasts widespread delays and disruption to the movement of food supplies, goods and potentially medicine.
Officials forecast lines of 7,000 trucks at Dover and two-day waits to get into France.
But, as Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove pointed out last year, the report was based on “the worst case scenario” possible, and, as it stands, despite talks on a full free trade deal breaking down, there may be hope.
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Johnson’s administration could do a contingency deal with the European Commission.
On Thursday, Ursula von der Leyen, Commission president, set out a no-deal contingency plan for fisheries, roads and air travel, which could apply from January 1 for a limited time period if no deal is reached.
Negotiations are still ongoing but the end of the transition is near. There is no guarantee that if & when an agreement is found it can enter into force on time. We have to be prepared including for not having a deal in place on 1 January. Today we present contingency measures ⤵ pic.twitter.com/FQ4Urn9YUC — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 10, 2020
The plans cover roads connectivity for freights and buses including regulations equivalent to those that already exist in the EU. It is aimed at keeping an open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
For the six months following the transition period, the Commission proposes the UK maintain EU aviation safety regulations to allow plane travel between territories.
It would also include maintaining reciprocal fishing access between the UK and EU until December 2021 or until a fisheries agreement is made.
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It is not yet clear if the UK would be open to the contingency measures if no trade deal is reached.
As the year unfolds, would things get better or worse?
Six months on
Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen PA
If the government did accept the contingency measures, it would be at this point that they expire.
So Brits could experience fresh travel chaos and border checks.
Some of the wider economic harm will start to become clear at this stage, with tariffs on agriculture and manufactured goods likely to hit jobs.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said at the spending review in November that Covid-19 could see unemployment rise to 2.6m, but if businesses begin to relocate abroad after no-deal this number could climb higher still.
All eyes will be on car-makers like Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan, who support thousands of jobs and supply chain businesses in the north and midlands.
Farming could see the greatest pressure, as workers will be unable to sell their livestock and produce in Europe.
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It is feared as many as two million lamb carcasses could go to waste and thousands of farmers could go out of business.
One year on
UK government posters along Edinburgh's Princes Street advising people to prepare for Brexit Jane Barlow - PA Images via Getty Images
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned earlier this month that no-deal would leave the UK worse off by a further 1.75% in terms of GDP (gross domestic product) in 2021.
To put that in context, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said that no-deal would cause a greater long-term hit to the economy than the coronavirus pandemic.
Jonathan Portes, professor of economics and public policy at King’s College London, said even if the UK has a strong recovery from Covid-19 a no-deal Brexit “is likely to have a more significant impact in the long run”.
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In a recent report for the UK In A Changing Europe think tank, he wrote that “the total cost to the UK economy over the longer term will be two to three times as large as that implied by the Bank of England’s forecast for the impact of Covid-19”.
If he is right, the hit to businesses, jobs, quality of life and the public sector will be profound.
Daniel Limpi / EyeEm via Getty Images
Trade secretary Liz Truss is aiming have 80% of UK trade covered by free trade agreements in three years, “starting with the US, Australia, New Zealand and Japan”.
It is unclear how many agreements the UK will have in place after 12 months but, whatever the number, the hit from not trading with the EU will be huge.
So far, Truss has negotiated a deal with Japan and Israel, among others, but has notably failed to broker deals with Australia and the US.
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The EU accounted for 43% of all UK exports and 52% of all UK imports in 2019.
So, while the government has ruled out trade talks with Brussels continuing into next year, it is unlikely that no trading relationship with the EU is a long-term position.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--Oxford/AstraZeneca Trial: What It's Like Working On A Covid-19 Vaccine The Whole World Is Waiting Fo

Oxford/AstraZeneca Trial: What It's Like Working On A Covid-19 Vaccine The Whole World Is Waiting For

Dr Amy Flaxman wept with happiness when she heard the news.
“I just cried immediately. It was a relief. It was exciting. We had all been working so hard up until that point.”
The revelation that Oxford University’s Covid vaccine was highly effective at stopping the virus hit headlines around the world. But it carried an extra layer of satisfaction for Flaxman, an immunologist in the team who helped create it.
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“Obviously we had done a lot of work on the safety side of it,” she told HuffPost UK. “So the next question obviously was efficacy. So when that came, it was a sense of relief.”
The race to find a Covid-19 vaccine began almost immediately after the pandemic did. Around the world, teams of scientists downed tools, stepped back from their projects and set their minds on one clear goal: to find a jab that would put a stop to the virus that had brought life to its knees.
The University of Oxford – along with its partner AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish pharma giant – has been at the forefront of this quest.
Backed with an eventual £65.5m in funding from the government, scientists from the Jenner Institute and the Oxford Vaccine Group came together for an “all hands on deck” coronavirus vaccine mission, the size and scale of which had rarely been seen at the university before.
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In normal times, people often work individually on different clinical trials, with some larger teams working on diseases like malaria, said Dr Sean Elias, a postdoctoral scientist. But in the battle against coronavirus, “everybody came together to work”.
“Lots of people were surprised that this pandemic happened,” he said. “But people who work in infectious disease and vaccine development always knew of the possible risks.
“We didn’t necessarily expect it in our lifetimes, but we knew the realities of the position we would be in if it did happen.”
But that understanding did little to lessen the sometimes punishing demands of working on a vaccine the whole world was waiting for as the death toll surged higher and higher.
“The only clear exit path from the pandemic was a vaccine, which everybody knew. So you were aware of the responsibility.” - Dr Mustapha Bittaye
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To date, in the UK alone upwards of 1.76m people have tested positive for Covid-19 – and more than 62,500 have lost their lives to a virus the world knew little about until the start of the year.
The Covid-19 vaccine trial was a “lot more intense” than previous studies at the Jenner Institute, said immunologist Dr Amy Flaxman, who has also worked on Ebola and influenza trials.
“We worked on the MERS coronavirus trial previously and that started with just 24 participants,” she said. “These Covid trials have hundreds and thousands of participants, so the volume of everything was much greater.”
It was “all hands on deck” when the trial started, she said. “It was a complete change from March to April this year within the lab.
“It was very hard work, but a lot of the time, because it was one team working on one thing, we all pulled together and got on with it.”
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Dr Amy Flaxman said the coronavirus vaccine trial was the most intense trial she has worked on Mustapha Bittaye
This translated into early mornings, late nights and weekends in the lab, with some people working 10 days at a time without a day off.
“In the first stages of the trial, some people were working very, very late,” Elias said. “I think the latest some people were working to was 3am.”
There was an incredible sense of responsibility among researchers, explained Dr Mustapha Bittaye, a postdoctoral scientist.
In the midst of the unprecedented impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, scientists were in a race against the virus, he said. “The only clear exit path from the pandemic was a vaccine, which everybody knew.
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“So you were aware of the responsibility. It’s a virus that is very contagious and very deadly.”
Bittaye added: “Knowing what you are doing is going to benefit wider society makes you focus more and makes it more intense.”
On top of all of this pressure was the knowledge that, if someone on the team was to fall ill with Covid-19, it could set back the whole trial.
“Hand washing is something that you do all the time in the lab anyway,” Bittaye explained. “But you were doing it knowing that if one of your colleagues caught the virus, the whole team was going to isolate. So we were even more careful and we gave it so much attention.”
Like in many other workplaces, wearing masks, social-distancing and preventing teams from crossing over was also key.
But to Bittaye, it was remarkable that, despite the huge impact the pandemic had on the world, much of the work he was doing was similar to any other trial – if not on a much larger scale.
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“To be honest, one striking thing I have found about working on this trial is that it’s actually not something we have not done before,” he said.
Among his many responsibilities on the trial was the antibody testing of volunteers’ samples, a task also carried out by Flaxman as part of her own varied role.
“In the past, I never knew that all the things I was doing was like a warm up for a bigger thing,” he said. “I never knew that everything I had done before was the exact same thing that I had to do for this trial and was so important.”
Dr Sean Elias in the lab at Oxford University University of Oxford
It’s hard to overestimate how much the results of the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trial mean to the people who have worked on it with such singular focus and dedication over the past months.
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On November 23, Oxford University and AstraZeneca published the much-anticipated efficacy data for their vaccine – news that made headlines around the world.
Results from the study suggested an average efficacy of 70% – but this figure rose to 90% when volunteers were given half a dose of the vaccine during the first of their two injections.
A lot of people think there was a Eureka moment when everyone on the trial realised or was told how well the vaccine was working, explained Elias, who has focused on public engagement and media relations during the pandemic.
But in reality, it was only the most senior people on the project who knew the figures before they were released to the public.
“On the day that the efficacy data was announced, I found out 8am that morning by my girlfriend waking me up and going: ‘Your efficacy data has been announced.’ I checked my phone and I realised I needed to rush into work as quickly as possible,” he laughed.
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“Most of us – apart from the most senior people and the person in charge of the communications – found out that morning. It was exciting.
“Obviously we had indications and had some of the data, but the closely guarded secrets were kept among the core team so there were no issues of leaks or anything like that.”
Dr Mustapha Bittaye never expected to work on a project of this scale so early in his career Sarah Batawi
It was a “sigh of relief” that defined the moment for Bittaye too. “Looking back, it was a huge moment for everybody. I never thought in my career that I would be involved in something like this.”
On December 30, Matt Hancock announced the Oxford jab would be rolled out to the public from January 4.
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It means the vaccine these scientists worked so hard to design and test in 2020 will change history alongside the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, which was administered to the public for the first time in December.
But if there’s one thing Bittaye wants people know about the team that worked on the Oxford vaccine, it’s that they’re not geniuses – but passionate people determined to help others.
“I think it’s important to hear from people [working on vaccine trials] and share their stories,” he said. “Their stories will be key in inspiring people to pursue a career in science, but also to believe in themselves.
“It’s about passion, it’s not about being a genius. The only thing we have in common is passion for what we are doing and as Gallileo said: ‘Passion is the genesis of genius’.
“So if you have a passion for something, the sky is the limit. You can do whatever you want. We are not a bunch of geniuses coming together to develop something.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--One Year On From Election Victory, How 2020 Exposed Boris Johnson As Never Before

Sleep deprived, but still buzzing with the adrenaline of his election success, Boris Johnson was among the few people neither drunk nor hungover as he arrived at the Tory party victory rally at the QEII conference centre one year ago.
Having bulldozed his way through the campaign (quite literally in that memorable footage of him smashing a wall labelled ‘Gridlock’), he was at pains to strike a unifying note. Directly addressing former Labour voters who had delivered his majority in the “Red Wall” of the midlands and the north, Johnson thanked them for switching to “us Conservatives, one nation Conservatives for the first time”.
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After a Christmas Caribbean holiday with his fiance Carrie Symonds, his political honeymoon continued through the start of 2020, culminating in a fireworks display on January 31 to mark the UK finally leaving the EU.
Yet on the very day he had “got Brexit done” (a phrase as deceptive as it was effective), the first case of Covid-19 was registered in the UK. The coronavirus that had been silently killing thousands in China had hit landfall in Europe and Britain was to prove no exception.
Covid naturally dominated the first year of Johnson’s new government. But just how has he coped over the past 12 months, not just with the health crisis, but also in delivering on the Tory manifesto that got him elected in the first place? In a year of setbacks and U-turns, a year of hospitalisation, divorce and new fatherhood, has he lived up – or down – to expectations?
Delegating or abrogating responsibility?
Boris Johnson in happier times. Stefan Rousseau - PA Images via Getty Images
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In that speech on the morning after the triumph of the night before, the re-elected prime minister declared: “I will make it my mission to work night and day, to work flat-out to prove you right in voting for me.”
That pledge to work “night and day” was soon called into question in February as he spent nearly a fortnight at the ministerial mansion of Chevening in Kent. Despite pleas to visit areas hit by flooding in Storm Dennis, and despite the first Cobra emergency meetings on Covid taking place in London, the PM remained with his partner at the 17th century lakeside residence.
The muttering in Whitehall was that he didn’t work weekends, but this seemed another level of laid back leadership. Insiders said the PM spent a chunk of the time sorting out his messy divorce from wife Marina. There are rumours, denied, that he was even trying to finish a book on Shakespeare that he had promised publishers would be published by April.
As the Covid crisis spiralled, the PM finally called the first national lockdown – yet within weeks he was struck down by the virus and spent three days in intensive care. He recovered, but for MPs inside and outside his party, his absence exposed one of the big failures of the past 12 months: the lack of a strong cabinet who could either replace him or stand up to him.
One former cabinet colleague of Johnson’s puts it bluntly: “This is a third-rate cabinet, the worst I’ve known in 50 years. He’s paranoid about people being better than him. He won’t even let Penny Mordaunt (former DfID secretary now a mere minister of state) in. It’s not so much cutting down tall poppies as giving the lawn a razor cut. Ask most MPs in the party which of this cabinet would have made it into Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet and the answer is very round indeed: zero.”
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One MP actually warned Johnson in 2018 that if he ever became PM he should not repeat the Mayor of London model that had served him well in City Hall. “I told him that as Mayor you’re directly elected and your deputies aren’t, so no matter how good they are, they’re not a challenge to you. In cabinet, it’s not like that.”
Through 2020, many of the cabinet were indeed exposed to accusations of incompetence or irrelevance. Priti Patel was rarely let on the airwaves as bullying allegations dogged her and Gavin Williamson was embroiled in the summer exams fiasco.
Paul Goodman, editor of the activists’ website ConservativeHome, said: “It’s not a stellar collection. The people you can put out front of house are basically the chancellor [Rishi Sunak], [Matt] Hancock up to a point, [Grant] Shapps and [Michael] Gove.”
But Gove, who was meant to oversee Brexit as well as handling large parts of the Covid response, divides opinion. “Gove talks a great story but he couldn’t run a fucking whelk stall,” says one former cabinet colleague. “Believe me, I’ve seen him in action. Like Boris, he’s a journalist, very good at attracting good headlines but that’s it.”
One ex-minister is scathing. “At first I thought, oh well, he’ll be growing new talent and they’ll learn their way and then make the mistakes and get their feet under the table. And when he has a crisis in a couple of years time, they’ll be able to cope with it. Of course crises don’t come conveniently. And in this case the crisis came straight away. On Covid, we’ve been the worst in the world, the worst economic results, the worst medical results.”
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Just as his immune system was exposed to Covid, his whole style of politics was exposed by Covid and the huge pressures it placed on statecraft, critics say.
Another key problem that emerged was Johnson’s reliance on chief adviser Dominic Cummings, who at the start of the year embarked on a war with the media, the BBC, the courts and others. Before Covid hit the UK, Cummings tried to centralise the system of special advisers, attempting to put No.10 more in control.
“The problem with centralisation is you have more decisions to make, and you have to make them quickly and won’t be well briefed on them. Which means making decisions on the basis of instinct and judgment and history and previous repertoire,” says one former senior minister. “But that doesn’t work when you fill Number 10 with people who had no history of government, no previous repertoire. That meant that the error rate in the running of government went up dramatically – even before Covid.”
Several Tory MPs however believe Johnson has done his best with the terrible hand dealt him in 2020. One former cabinet minister said: “He wasn’t my choice as leader and I’m no cheerleader for him but I think he hasn’t done badly.” They said the UK’s open economy made it susceptible to importing the virus, the lack of a testing capacity was inherited from previous governments and even on the timing of lockdown Johnson followed scientific advice. “It was the opposite of negligence, a lot of thought was given to the timing,” they said.
Manifesto promises
Johnson gives a press conference in March to outline the response to Covid-19. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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In assessing a prime minister’s first year, the usual practice is to check their manifesto and other promises against delivery. The Institute for Government think tank runs its own policy tracker and it shows just what a mixed bag of performances different Whitehall departments have produced. HuffPost UK’s own manifesto audit (see below) shows many promises remain unmet.
Some key pledges such as hiring more nurses, more police and starting hospital rebuilds appear to be on track. The immigration bill’s point-based system was passed into law (“Boris has killed that issue stone dead but doesn’t get enough credit for it,” says one insider).
Constitutional change has been watered down but a start has been made on scrapping the fixed term parliaments act. Investment in schools and infrastructure has started, albeit after years of underfunding. But social care remains a massive policy vacuum.
In many ways however, the manifesto itself was deliberately thin. Spooked by Theresa May’s “dementia tax” blunder, as well as having to be drafted rapidly for a snap election in December 2019, the promises were slimmed down.
Alex Thomas, a former senior civil servant and now programme director at the IFG, said: “A lot of the cautious ‘ticks’ on our policy tracker are about giving more money to stuff. And that’s easy for governments. The question of whether it’s money well spent comes a few years down the line, but the actual kind of administrative process of it is as straightforward as the Treasury’s stroke of a pen.
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“Obviously the huge question mark over it all is Brexit. The manifesto said we will negotiate a trade agreement, so the next few days will be quite determinative for that. Of the two other big gaps, the first is on social care, it’s become the third rail of British politics. The other one is on ‘levelling up’, which depends on whether you see this just as more money and infrastructure. But levelling up as a thing still doesn’t seem to me much more than a branding exercise.”
He adds that a lack of “bandwidth” in Whitehall caused by Covid and Brexit, coupled with a lack of detailed plans, means that many policies are not accompanied by 500-page White Papers seen under previous governments. “This is a prime minister that likes the moonshots and bold ambitions. The big test for the next four years is whether they can back that up with the really kind of granular plans for getting stuff done. More than any individual policy area, that is a gap,” Thomas says.
“They should be able to make the legal and policy changes that they want. But the most significant changes that voters will notice take years to actually make happen. Whether they’ve got the administrative time to have changes on the ground, particularly on things like ‘levelling up’, we shall see. They might have a story to tell, but whether they will have changed the country, I don’t know.”
Greg Clark, the former business secretary who alongside Jeremy Hunt is jointly overseeing a Commons inquiry into “lessons learned” from the Covid crisis, had a key role in drafting the 2005 Tory manifesto.
He points out that the 1979 Thatcher manifesto was not a detailed programme, and didn’t suffer for that. “I think the thinner the manifesto the better and the more confidence that it entails. Delivering Brexit and levelling up were the two principal things and you have to concede that this government continues to be deadly serious about both. ‘Levelling up’ not only communicated a vision that resulted in a big majority but actually has been the lodestar everyone talks about.”
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The Treasury’s “Green Book” rules on value for money have been changed to allow more government investment outside the south east. Clark says that, plus a continued focus on industrial strategy, builds on the key insight of people like the Bank of England’s Andy Haldane that even a small improvement in productivity in small and middle-sized towns can make a huge impact in narrowing inequality across England.
Former minister Tracey Crouch says that the manifesto was clearly a “one nation” Tory prospectus but the government has sometimes failed to frame its economic response to coronavirus in similar terms. “Increasing Universal Credit, the furlough scheme itself, were both big one nation policies. But we didn’t communicate that effectively.”
Crouch points to the Tories’ review of gambling laws that has started (an issue over which she resigned from the May government), plus its moves to bring rough sleepers off the streets during the pandemic. “The manifesto was really conscious of various social divides that he wants to bridge. I suspect that the one word that would sum up 2020 for the prime minister is ‘frustrating’, because there’s a lot he wanted to do on a social policy side of things that he’s just not been able to do.”
Levelling up or levelling down?
Crouch’s seat in Kent is one of several taken from Labour after Blair, with working class voters shifting to the Tories long before the Red Wall was a phenomenon. “I still think of my seat as a Labour seat. There’s nowhere in my constituency that’s rich. But people vote Conservative because of that mixture of compassion and aspiration. It’s about giving people hope and opportunity, while supporting them through circumstances that are beyond their control. That’s the real Boris and I just hope we see more of it in 2021.”
Salma Shah, a former special adviser to chancellor Sajid Javid, is more sceptical about the “levelling up” agenda. She floats the idea that Johnson and Theresa May may have been unlucky with the timing of their respective premierships. “They were prime ministers at the wrong time. She would have been very good with Covid, very methodical. He would have been very good after the referendum in just getting Brexit through.”
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She also queries Johnson’s connection with what is known as “White Van Man (and Woman)” votes. “I’ve not seen anyone really articulate what ‘levelling up’ means. He can’t articulate what connects him to those voters. And the danger is the voters are projecting onto him what they want to think. That’s why he’s a brilliant campaigner, but it doesn’t make for delivery of concrete policy.”
One former insider has a similar take. ”Because he’s also so amiable and so socially agile or elastic, you almost get to the point where people can project onto him,” they said. “Boris does allow other people to paint what they want to see on him. I have asked myself ‘was Boris the guy that I sold to other people?’ Or was that me thinking I was putting paint on the canvas, when in fact all I was doing was holding the fucking easel?”
A strange kind of majority
Dominic Cummings leaves Downing Street. Henry Nicholls / Reuters
A major problem caused by the Cummings tenure in Downing Street in 2020 was not just the way he undermined the government’s Covid messaging with his infamous trip to Barnard Castle. The senior aide’s loathing of the Tory party in parliament caused MPs to question the PM’s judgment and led to serial rebellions as U-turns on everything from free school meals to summer exams proceeded.
Paul Goodman suggests that the majority of 80 has been undermined by a long term rise in backbench rebellions by newer MPs, “research groups” and “a culture of WhatsApp that the whips can’t get a handle on”. Many Tories are ready to put up a fight against tax rises to pay for the pandemic and some are furious about Covid restrictions.
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“He’s basically a bread and circuses politician – ‘are you not entertained?’ – cut taxes, borrow more, build bridges, let’s not worry about tomorrow. That was fine when you had room for maneuver but Covid changed all that. Unless we accelerate our way out with a ‘Roaring Twenties’ growth and so on.”
Even though the Tories are still polling a healthy 40% against Labour, Goodman points out that ConservativeHome’s panel of activists now puts the PM in negative rating territory, a dramatic shift from his 93% approval rating last December. For some MPs, the disruption of Covid has been matched by the chaos of Johnson’s leadership style.
“Anyone who’s ever worked with him, knows it’s going to be a kind of non-logical process, intuitive, contradictory, deliberate attempts to conceal what he really thinks,” Goodman says. One government insider actually confides that even if Covid had not happened, “the chaos would have been exposed, but in a different sort of way”.
Goodman adds that the underlying problems of a Johnson premiership have been laid bare over the past 12 months. “At the time of the Tory leadership we had the line from Batman, reversed: He’s not the leader we deserve, he’s the leader the Tories need right now, to get Brexit done and to see off Corbyn. But it was never likely he would run a competent government because he is himself.”
Green shoots?
But there is one policy area that many Tories and even those outside government think could offer Johnson a real chance to get on the front foot in 2021: the environment.
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Like partner Carrie Symonds, the PM has been immersed for years in the green movement thanks to his father Stanley and brother Leo. Close friends Ben and Zac Goldsmith have been hugely influential too. The decision to inject £4bn into energy efficiency, while short of the sums some wanted, was bigger than anything Labour or Cameron or May did in office.
Recent new targets to double the pace of carbon-cutting across the UK economy, to power every home with wind energy and to end all sales of petrol and diesel vehicles in just nine years (something even Jeremy Corbyn couldn’t get past trade unions) have impressed some in the sceptical environmental movement.
Overnight on Saturday, on the anniversary of Johnson’s election, his big new policy announcement was that the UK would no longer invest in overseas fossil fuel projects, a change welcomed by Greenpeace and others.
Joss Garman, UK director at the European Climate Foundation, praised the progress. “But of course the hard part will be turning them into reality and doing that in a way, which sustains strong public support. It remains to be seen if the policy detail will match the PM’s rhetoric but done right, No.10 can ensure towns across the country benefit from all the jobs there will be making electric cars and batteries, installing charging points and clean heating systems, and exporting our clean energy technologies to the rest of the world.
“If Johnson and Sunak can put the detailed investment plans in place to realise this big jobs stimulus, they will be able to demonstrate a green recovery to the rest of the world, which could help unlock similar promises from other major economies at the G7 and COP26 next year.”
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Manifesto co-author Rachel Wolf has been another key figure arguing for green policy as a way to boost jobs and skills in less well off areas, as has north east MP and former minister Simon Clarke. With the UK hosting the delayed COP26 climate talks next year, as well as the G7 summit, one silver lining of the pandemic is that it bought Johnson time for the arrival of the Biden administration and the Chinese government’s shift towards tougher climate targets.
Coming out of recession will also be key to building on the green agenda too. The IFG’s Alex Thomas says the real policy delivery that will most affect the government is not in its manifesto but in its vaccine rollout programme. “I think the vaccine is everything. If they get it right then that offers a real chance for sort of substantial reset and will be a very significant achievement. Get it wrong and that will not knock them enormously off course.
“Keeping the economic wheels spinning in the early phases of the pandemic was probably the most significant decision they took and the manifesto pales into insignificance to that really. If there is a Brexit deal and a vaccine rollout, then actually that will create quite a lot of political space for them to get cracking on the rest of the agenda.”
Greg Clark says that the most pivotal decisions of the government were to invest early in vaccines and also to extend furlough to ensure a bounceback in the spring of next year could be fully exploited.
“A lot of jobs that would otherwise have gone will resume in the spring. Brexit aside, I think the prospects for 2021 are really quite bright. I think once we are released from the [Covid] measures, growth will be very substantial. RBS is forecasting growth of 5.5% next year and 6.6% after that, and that will feel pretty buoyant to people by contrast to what they’ve experienced.
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“If we get a Brexit deal, we could literally start 2021, with some exuberance and solid ground for thinking that 2021 could really be a year in which we put 2020 behind us. If we don’t, it injects its own problems, both in terms of confidence, but also in terms of the reality of tariffs and checks and disruption.”
And with uncanny timing, Johnson’s first anniversary since his election win coincides with talks with the EU about that Brexit deal currently on a knife-edge. On Sunday, we will all know whether the past year will get better, or whether 2020’s chaos will continue.
Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen Getty Images
THE HUFFPOST TORY MANIFESTO AUDIT
Brexit
“Get Brexit done” was the focus of the manifesto and the UK did indeed leave the EU on January 1 with Boris Johnson’s withdrawal agreement.
But what “done” really means is open to question, given negotiations on a trade deal are still ongoing with less than three weeks to go to the end of the transition on December 31.
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There are also still questions over how the aspects of the withdrawal agreement relating to Northern Ireland will operate, with the UK and EU only reaching “agreement in principle” on checks on trade in the province.
A pledge to replace the EU’s common agricultural policy based on “public money for public goods” is also on track with a plan revealed in November.
Health and social care
Promises to hire 50,000 more nurses and arrange 50 million more GP appointments are on track, but think tanks warn much more progress is needed on social care.
Sally Warren, director of Policy at The King’s Fund, said: “The prime minister’s promise to ‘fix social care once and for all’ rings hollow to a sector that has been on the frontline of the pandemic and seen tens of thousands of deaths.
“The spending review yet again pushed back the timetable for reform, and there has been no progress on the cross-party consensus that the manifesto pledged to deliver.
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“Covid-19 has highlighted and exacerbated issues that the manifesto commitments sought to address, including shortages of critical health and care staff, a dysfunctional social care system and crumbling buildings across the NHS estate.”
The NHS has received no new multi-year funding for training or recruitment and there is still no funded strategy to deliver new staff.
Home Office
The key pledge to introduce an Australian-style points based immigration system will be fulfilled from January 1, along with an health surcharge for migrants to use the NHS.
The promise to recruit 20,000 extra police officers by 2023 is currently on track, with more than 4,300 taken on in England, as of the latest figures in July.
A pledge to cut the number of foreign nationals in prisons has attracted controversy, with a backlash and legal action against deportation flights to, for example, Jamaica.
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Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) have been introduced to fulfill a pledge to give police personalised stop and search powers to target known knife criminals.
A Royal Commission on criminal justice has been announced but does not appear to have started work and reports suggest it may not publish anything until 2022.
A new national cyber force to counter threats from terrorists, criminals and hostile states has been operating since April.
A pledge to open Parole Board hearings to the public is not yet fulfilled but a consultation has been launched.
A pledge to spend £500m on youth services has not been fulfilled, with charities warning of a black hole in the sector.
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Police and crime commissioner have not yet been given expanded roles or greater public accountability but a review has been launched.
Treasury
The triple “tax lock” pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance (NI) or VAT is beginning to look more shaky as chancellor Rishi Sunak seeks to plug the multibillion pound hole coronavirus has blown in the public finances.
The pensions triple lock promise is also looking under threat due to the size of the deficit, although Sunak promised in October to keep it in place.
A pledge to invest £5bn in gigabit broadband has been quietly dropped, with funding slashed to £1.2bn.
The Treasury has also been forced to deny reports that it plans to drop the digital service tax on internet giants like Facebook and Google, following the manifesto pledge to implement it.
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Funding for a promised £3bn national skills fund has been cut to £2.5bn.
More broadly, a broad pledge to cut taxes is likely to be reversed next year, and it remains to be seen whether Sunak will make more progress towards the “ambition” of raising the NI threshold to £12,500, having increased it to £9,500 earlier this year.
Transport
The promise of a £29bn roadbuilding fund was slightly scaled back to £27bn by Sunak in the spring Budget.
Meanwhile, northern MPs are still anxious about whether the promise of a “northern powerhouse” rail line between Leeds and Manchester will be done on the cheap, or slowly.
The planned Midlands rail hub is similarly in only the nascent stages of development.
There are also deep concerns that the third leg of HS2 between Birmingham and Lees will be scrapped.
The details of the planned £350m cycling infrastructure fund are still yet to be published.
Work and Pensions
The benefits freeze was cancelled in 2020 as promised.
But the promise to continue the roll-out of universal credit fell by the wayside after it was delayed to 2024.
The Tories pledged to reduce the number of reassessments disabpled people must go through to access welfare, but the government was criticised for extending benefit sanctions to people who fail to assess phone assessments just as the UK was plunged into the second Covid lockdown.
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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
The manifesto pledge to maintain overseas aid at 0.7% of GDP will be broken, and it’s unclear how long for.
Sam Nadel, head of policy and advocacy at Oxfam GB, said: “It was claimed this was about making difficult choices in light of the economic damage wrought by Covid-19. But it also found an extra £16.5bn over the next four years to spend on military spending – proving when it needs to find the money for its priorities, it can.
“The resumption last summer of arms sales to Saudi Arabia – fuelling the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in Yemen – makes a mockery of the government’s pledge to be ‘a champion of collective security, the rule of law, human rights...and a rules-based international system’.
“Credit where credit’s due – the government has made good first steps on its commitment to tackle the climate crisis. Lives and livelihoods are already being lost due to climate change, particularly in poorer countries that have done the least to cause it. The UK’s new emissions target, announced last week, is a step in the right direction. As it hosts the G7 and the COP26 climate conference next year, the government needs to live up to its promise for ’Global Britain to be a force for good in the world.”
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
The manifesto said: “We will legislate to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online – protecting children from online abuse and harms, protecting the most vulnerable from accessing harmful content, and ensuring there is no safe space for terrorists to hide online.”
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Despite repeated promises, the online harms policy remains unclear. The NSPCC wants “a comprehensive duty of care so tech firms make children’s safety a top priority when they design their sites and take steps to protect them from harmful content and abuse”.
But it also says the legislation must give a regulator powers to impose tough financial and criminal sanctions for tech firms that consistently fail children.
Business
Much of what the Conservatives planned to do, including a review of business rates for small firms and enforcing a digital services tax on huge tech firms like Amazon, has been delayed by the pandemic.
As promised, the government has raised research and development tax credits to encourage innovation.
While the government has made some steps towards tackling tax evasion, it has yet to introduce plans to double the maximum sentence for the worst fraud to 14 years in jail.
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Justice
The government pledged to end the automatic early release of prisoners convicted of serious crimes, and has brought forward legislation to do this.
A review of human rights law could also restrict judges’ ability to block deportations of foreign criminals, but this is still to be determined.
A £2.5bn modernisation programme for jails claims to have delivered on the 10,000 extra prison places promised.
The Tories vowed to boost the role of local police and crime commissioners, but has yet to bring forward any plans.
A review of Parole Board hearings in England has been launched after a promise to allow victims to attend.
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A new victims law guaranteeing rights has yet to be delivered on.
Trade
The Conservatives vowed to have 80% of UK trade covered by free trade agreements in the three years, “starting with the US, Australia, New Zealand and Japan”.
It has signed a deal with Japan but has yet to agree a deal with the US, Australia or New Zealand.
The manifesto also said that the UK will not compromise on environmental law, animal welfare or food standards. Trade secretary Liz Truss has repeatedly been accused of shifting the goalposts on food standards, however.
Education
The Conservatives did increase spending by up to £5,000 per pupil, but were accused by some think tanks of skewing the cash towards schools with more affluent families.
Pledges to “level up” on education have been hit by the pandemic, which has exacerbated inequality.
The A Level and GCSE results exams fiasco has unquestionably damaged the government.
Education secretary Gavin Williamson has also failed to ensure all disadvantaged pupils who needed a laptop to study at home during lockdown were able to get one. .
Housing
A promise to ban no-fault evictions as part of a better deal for renters has been postponed until there is a “stable” economic environment.
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Boris Johnson has pledged 95% mortgages to turn “generation rent into generation buy” but has yet to bring forward firm proposals.
The government pledged to protect and enhance the green belt, but planning reforms by communities secretary to accelerate the building of home face criticism they will do just the opposite.
A pledge to end rough sleeping is skewed by the fact Covid-19 public health funding for a scheme called “everyone in” may mask the problem.
The environment
The government has pledged to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and is making good progress.
Boris Johnson last months set out a ten-point plan to create 250,000 jobs.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--Christmas TV Guide 2020 – The 50 Best Shows To Feast Your Eyes On

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With Christmas taking a different form for the vast majority of us this year, we’re going to need our screens more than ever over the festive period.
And while the pandemic stopped TV production for a huge chunk of 2020, the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have all still managed to ensure all tastes will be catered for with a swathe of new shows.
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Whether you’re looking for top dramas, gripping soap storylines, quizzes and game shows, or festive editions of your favourites, there really is something for everyone this Christmas.
With the full listings having now been revealed, we’ve trawled through them all to pick out the 50 best shows you won’t want to miss.
The Story Of SM:TV
Boxing Day at 9.25am on ITV
ITV
Ant, Dec and Cat are reunited for this long-awaited special, which will take a nostalgic look back at their much-loved Saturday morning kids show.
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There will be brand new interviews with the hosts as well as a bunch of regular SM:TV guests and celebrity fans, and of course, there will be a delve through the archives as the likes of Challenge Ant, Wonky Donkey and Chums are revisited.
Britain’s Got Talent Christmas Spectacular
Christmas Day at 8pm on ITV
ITV
For the first time ever, the BGT gang are hosting a festive get together, as they welcome back some of the talent show’s most memorable and talented acts from the past 14 years.
Ashley Banjo will once again join Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, David Walliams in place of Simon Cowell following his back-breaking accident earlier in the year – but look out for an appearance from the man himself.
The Vicar Of Dibley
Wednesday 23 December at 12am on BBC One
BBC/Tiger Aspect Productions Ltd/Des Willie
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Everyone’s favourite Vicar, Geraldine Grainger is back to save 2020, as The Vicar Of Dibley returns for three new specials.
Throughout the year’s difficulties, Geraldine has been writing and delivering sermons to her parishioners via Zoom – when she can make it work, that is.
These new thoughts on life and chocolate will be packaged as three brand new 10-minute shows that will precede repeats of classic episodes in the lead up to Christmas. They will also be bundled up into one brand new episode to enjoy on 23 December.
Doctor Who
New Years’s Day at 6.45pm on BBC One
BBC Studios/Ben Blackall/James Pardon
One of the Doctor’s biggest and most feared enemies – the Daleks – return this Christmas in Revolution Of The Daleks.
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We catch up with The Doctor locked away in a high-security alien prison with no hope of escape, while sidekicks Yaz, Ryan and Graham are adjusting to life without her.
But old habits die hard when they discover a disturbing plan involving a Dalek forming. How can you fight a Dalek, without the Doctor?
This Morning
Christmas Day at 10am on ITV
Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
There will be an extra dose of daytime fun this festive season, as This Morning broadcasts on Christmas Day for the first time.
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield will be fronting a special episode which they promise will be “uplifting and heartwarming in equal measure”.
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The Serpent
New Years’s Day at 9pm on BBC One
BBC/Mammoth Screen
Tahar Rahim, Jenna Coleman, Billy Howle and Ellie Bamber star in this new eight-part drama, which is inspired by the real events of Charles Sobhraj’s capturing.
As the chief suspect in unsolved murders of young Western travellers across India, Thailand and Nepal’s “Hippie Trail” in 1975 and 1976, Sobhraj had repeatedly slipped from the grasp of authorities worldwide to become Interpol’s most wanted man, with arrest warrants on three different continents.
The arrival of Herman Knippenberg at the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok set off an extraordinary chain of events as he seeks to bring Sobhraj to justice for his terrible crimes.
The Great British Bake Off Christmas And New Year Specials
Christmas Eve at 7.40pm and Sunday 3 January at 7.45 on Channel 4
Channel 4 / Mark Bourdillon
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While we fully expected there not to be any Bake Off festive specials this year, given the lengths producers had to go to just to get the normal series on air, Channel 4 has come through with two extra helpings of the nation’s favourite cookery competition.
Former contestants James Hillery from the 2017 series, Ruby Bhogal, from the 2018 series, and Rosie Brandreth-Poynter and Jamie Finn from the 2019 series return as they go head to head for the title of Christmas Star Baker.
For the New Year special, Bake Off winners Nancy Birtwhistle and Rahul Mandal return to the tent alongside 2019 contestants Helena Garcia and Henry Bird.
The Great British Bake Off : The Winners
Wednesday 23 December at 7pm on Channel 4
Rex
Speaking of Bake Off winners, viewers will get the chance to catch up with Nancy and Rahul’s fellow champions in this documentary, which explores what they got up to after leaving the tent.
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The Masked Singer
Boxing Day at 9pm on ITV
ITV
The second series of TV’s most bonkers but brilliant competition kicks off on Boxing Day as a host of top secret celebrities mask up as a panel of celebrities try to guess who they are from their singing voice.
Cinderella: A Comic Relief Pantomime for Christmas
Christmas Eve at 8.15pm on BBC Two
BBC/Quentin Blake
Olivia Colman will make her pantomime debut as the Fairy Godmother, starring opposite The Crown co-star Helena Bonham Carter in a virtual charity version of Cinderella.
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The Queen’s Gambit’s Anya Taylor-Joy stars Cinderella, while Helena will play Lady Devilia, while real-life sister and brother Daisy May and Charlie Cooper will appear as The Evil Step Sisters. Guz Khan will play Buttons, Tom Hollander will appear as Baron Hardup, Rege-Jean Page will play Prince Charming and Jimmy Akingbola will be Dandini.
In addition, legendary artist Quentin Blake has created a host of original hand drawn illustrations, helping bring the panto to life for everyone watching at home.
Pandemonium
Wednesday 30 December at 9.45pm on BBC One
BBC Studios / Josh Cole
After Alison Steadman reprised her role as Pam Shipman in last year’s Gavin & Stacey Christmas special, this year she’s starring in a new one-off sitcom centred on the Jessop family.
Having seen their finances and future plans devastated, they’ve also had to abandon their holiday of a lifetime to California – but the Jessops decide they’re going to have their summer holiday after all, even if it means doing it in December. In Margate.
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Blankety Blank
Christmas Day at 7pm on BBC One
BBC/Thames/Matt Frost
Iconic gameshow Blankety Blank is back with a brand new host, Bradley Walsh for a festive special, as a new panel of celebrities try to fill in the missing blanks.
And of course, the legendary Blankety Blank Cheque Book and Pen is also set to make a welcome return too.
The Great British Sewing Bee Christmas Specials
Boxing Day at 7.45pm and New Year’s Eve at 8pm on BBC One
BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon
Denise Van Outen, Shirley Ballas, Dr Ranj Singh, Sara Pascoe, The Vivienne, Lesley Joseph, Sabrina Grant and Sally Philips will all put their sewing skills – or lack thereof – to the test in two Christmas specials based on the unlikely BBC hit series.
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Joe Lycett is back as host, as the two sets of stars compete in challenges set by judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young.
Mrs Brown’s Boys
Christmas Day at 10.05pm and New Year’s Day at 10pm on BBC One
BBC Studios / Alan Peebles
Love it or loathe it, TV’s most Marmite show is back for two new episodes, the first of which sees Agnes and her family getting used to “the new normal”.
Agnes and Winnie have also entered a competition in the Radio Times to perform an alternative Queen’s speech and are waiting to hear if they’ve won. Will either of them be a match for Her Majesty?
Call The Midwife
Christmas Day at 7.40pm on BBC One
BBC / Nealstreet Productions / Nicky Johnston
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It’s December 1965 and everyone is looking forward to traditional celebrations with all the trimmings, but nothing goes quite to plan.
As the Circus arrives in Poplar, there are new friendships, new experiences, and an exciting adventure for Nurse Crane. There’s also an unexpected trip to hospital and a surprise reunion for a Nonnatus House favourite.
EastEnders
Christmas Day at 9.10pm on BBC One
BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes
It’s set to be another dark Christmas in Albert Square this year, after Ian Beale was attacked and left for dead earlier this month.
The fallout of the new ‘whodunnit?’ will reach a head over Christmas with many under suspicion of dealing the brutal blow and desperate to cover their tracks.
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Meanwhile, secrets and lies are on the menu this Christmas for the Carters, as Linda falls victim to temptation and turns elsewhere for comfort, and Denise confronts a fearsome face from her past…
Emmerdale
Christmas Day at 6pm on ITV
Rex
After a difficult few years, Emmerdale favourites Chas Dingle and Paddy Kirk look set to get a happy ending, as he plans a surprise festive wedding.
Bosses have also teased that an explosive secret is set to be revealed, along with some other “disasters, comedy, heartbreak, shock twists and turns”.
Coronation Street
Christmas Day at 7pm on ITV
ITV/Shutterstock
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In contrast to the goings on in Walford, there will be some happier times ahead for some Weatherfield residents, as David and Shona Platt share a happy Christmas together after a difficult year.
Sadly though, Leanne Battersby faces a difficult festive period after the death of her young son Oliver.
Elsewhere, Todd Grimshaw, Billy Mayhew and Paul Foreman’s love triangle is also set to take centre stage in the Christmas episode.
Miranda’s Games With Showbiz Names
Christmas Eve at 9.45pm on BBC One
BBC/Monkey Kingdom
Miranda Hart hosts a new entertainment show full of Christmas games and fun as three of her favourite celebrity couples play against each other in a host of riotous and outrageous challenges from inside their homes.
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Black Narcissus
Sunday 27, Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 December at 9pm on BBC One
FX/Miya Mizuno
Mopu, Himalayas, 1934. A remote clifftop palace once known as the ‘House of Women’ holds many dark secrets. When the young nuns of St. Faith attempt to establish a mission there, its haunting mysteries awaken forbidden desires that seem destined to repeat a terrible tragedy in this new three-part drama.
Strictly: The Christmas Countdown
Christmas Day at 4.45pm on BBC One
BBC
With a traditional Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special out of the question this year thanks to the pandemic, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be fronting a special show counting down the 25 most memorable dances of all time, voted for by the public.
From the perfect 40s, the trophy-winning routines and dances that have made us laugh, the pair will also be joined by the judges and the professional dancers, who will kick things off with a brand new Christmas-themed group number.
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The Cube Celebrity
Sunday 20 December at 8pm on ITV
ITV
Following the successful return of the ITV gameshow earlier in the year, Phillip Schofield will be putting celebrities through their paces in a festive-themed edition of The Cube.
McFly’s Danny Jones and DougIe Poynter and comedian Emily Atack and her mum Kate Robbins will be hoping to win the jackpot of £250,000 for their chosen charities as they take on a series of tricky challenges.
The Repair Shop At Christmas
Boxing Day at 6.45pm on BBC One
BBC/Ricochet/Kenny Valaydon
Christmas has arrived at The Repair Shop where its team of passionate and skilled craftspeople are beavering away, repairing and rescuing four beloved festive treasures.
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Among the stories on the special episode include that of Steve and Amanda, who bring their cherished rocking horse to the barn. The toy was a Christmas gift for their daughter Tamsin when she was five years old. Tragically, just two years later, their little girl passed away. The horse is now being given a new lease of life to be gifted to their nine-year-old daughter, Hetty, to play on and remember the older sister she never met.
Dancing On Thin Ice With Torvill & Dean
New Year’s Day at 9pm on ITV
ITV
In this 90-minute special, the skating legends travel to Alaska on a quest to fulfil their life-long dream of skating together in the great outdoors for the first time in their 45-year career.
On their way, they discover firsthand the dramatic effects of climate change.
Worzel Gummidge: Saucy Nancy
Christmas Eve at 5.55pm on BBC One
BBC/Leopard Pictures/Amanda Searle/Matt Burlem
Worzel Gummidge is returning for another adventure after the success of last year’s festive special.
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When Worzel Gummidge, Susan and John visit a scrapyard, Worzel overhears the grumbling of a foul-mouthed old friend – the carved ship’s figurehead, Saucy Nancy. She has been languishing, unsold in the yard for years and longs to return to the sea. Worzel and the kids promise to get her there, but will her ship be waiting?
Birds Of A Feather
Christmas Eve at 9.15pm on ITV
ITV
The Birds are back for a brand new one-off, which catches up with them in lockdown.
Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph reprise their roles as Tracey Stubbs and Dorien Green with guest star Les Dennis as Dorien’s new flame Graeme.
Pauline Quirke has decided to sit out the special, which Sharon’s absence explained in a very 2020 way.
Celebrity Masterchef Christmas Cook Off
Monday 21 and Wednesday 23 December at 9pm on BBC One
BBC/Shine TV
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John Torode and Gregg Wallace invite eight of the most memorable celebrities from series past back to the MasterChef kitchen.
Janet Street-Porter, Christopher Biggins, Dev Griffin, Vicky Pattison, Craig Revel Horwood, Amar Latif, Crissy Rock and Spencer Matthews will compete against each other to see who can take home of the title of Christmas Champion.
It’s Clarkson On TV
Christmas Day at 9.55pm on ITV
ITV
In what sounds absolutely nothing like ITV’s attempt to recreate the success of Charlie Brooker’s annual Screenwipe, Jeremy Clarkson will host a TV review of the year show reviewing the best, worst and most bizarre TV offerings of 2020.
He will be celebrating some of the best of British TV, including gripping dramas like White House Farm, Quiz and Des, as well as featuring the latest offerings from the streaming services including dating shows like Love is Blind to property shows like Selling Sunset.
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Mary Berry Saves Christmas
Wednesday 23 December at 6.30pm on BBC One
BBC/Endemol Shine UK/Craig Harman
The original Great British Bake Off judge will teach three hopeless non-cooks to create surprise festive feasts for those closest to them with the help of three celebrity sous chefs – The Repair Shop’s Jay Blades, comedian Tom Allen and presenter Angela Scanlon.
Billy Connolly: It’s Been A Pleasure
Monday 28 December at 9.30pm on ITV
ITV
The legendary Scottish comic will look back at his decades in comedy, after announcing he would be retiring from performing.
Sir Billy, who is living with Parkinson’s Disease, will be joined by a host of famous faces including Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Sir Lenny Henry, Dustin Hoffman, Russell Brand, Whoopi Goldberg, Aisling Bea and Sheridan Smith as they look back at his illustrious stand-up career.
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He has filmed scenes from his home in the Florida Keys for the show, which will also feature his greatest stand-up moments and unseen performance footage.
Zog And The Flying Doctors
Christmas Day at 2.35pm on BBC One
BBC/Magic Light Pictures
Following the success of the BBC’s 2018 animation of the children’s book, Zog returns with a new adventure.
Zog, Pearl and Gadabout are now a flying doctor trio, caring for creatures including a mermaid, a unicorn and a sneezy lion. However, when bad weather forces them to land at the palace, Pearl is locked up by her uncle, the King. Zog and Gadabout try in vain to set her free.
Sir Lenny Henry leads the cast as the narrator, joined by Rob Brydon as the King and Hugh Skinner as Zog.
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QI Christmas Special
Wednesday 23 December at 9.30pm on BBC Two
BBC/Fremantle Media/Talkback
Sandi Toksvig hosts the seasonal QI Christmas Quiz, where she is joined by Chris McCausland, Justin Moorhouse, Holly Walsh, and Alan Davies.
Find out how to get a reindeer into a submarine, what happened when the children of Dijon turned against Santa Claus, and why the Immaculate Conception isn’t what you think it is - and watch the panel set not one, not three, but two new Christmas-themed world records.
Top Of The Pops Christmas Special
Christmas Day at 11.55am on BBC One
BBC
With most live gigs and musical performances banned this year, watching Top Of The Pops on Christmas Day is going to feel extra special in 2020.
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Clara Amfo and Fearne Cotton return to front the annual celebration of the year’s biggest pop songs, with performers including Celeste, Clean Bandit, Mabel, Aitch x AJ Tracey, and KSI ft Craig David.
First Dates At Christmas
Christmas Day at 11.10pm on Channel 4
Dave King
Fred and the gang are back to matchmake some singletons.
In a cosy hideaway inspired by the nation’s favourite yuletide rom-coms, singletons from across the UK can expect a Christmas dinner like no other as they search for the most perfect Christmas gift of all - love.
Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow – The Price Is Right Christmas Special
Christmas Eve at 8.15pm on ITV
ITV
Get ready to “come on down” once again, as Alan Carr returns with his Epic Gameshow.
Lucky audience members will be in with the chance to guess if the price is indeed right on a host of hilarious Christmas prizes, before spinning the wheel and taking on the epic showcase, where they stand to win a mountain of incredible prizes.
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Escape To The Chateau At Christmas
Christmas Day at 8.10pm on Channel 4
Channel 4
Join Dick, Angel, Dorothy and Arthur, as well as Angel’s parents Jenni and Steve, as they prepare to celebrate a family Christmas in France.
With an old 19th-century chateau ledger found in the attic and classic cookbooks to hand, the Strawbridges take inspiration from Christmases past, discovering what food, festivities, gifts and games would have been like in bygone eras.
Ghosts
Wednesday 23 December at 8.30pm on BBC One
BBC/Monumental Television/Guido Mandozzi
The hugely successful sitcom is bringing the spirit (literally) of Christmas this festive season, in a new adventure for the ghosts of Button House.
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Alison and Mike are hosting his family for the first time, he is determined to make it perfect. However his plan to make his parents relax may be optimistic as Alison is also set on delivering the best Christmas ever for the living and the dead. And it turns out Christmas just isn’t that much fun when you’re deceased...
Ainsley’s Festive Food We Love
Christmas Day at 2pm on ITV
ITV
Everyone’s favourite TV chef Ainsley Harriott will be serving up a Christmas edition of his Saturday cooking show on Christmas Day afternoon.
He’ll have drinks expert Olly Smith on hand to mix up some jolly tipples, with guests including Christopher Biggins, Martine McCutcheon and Brian Turner.
Have I Got 30 Years For You
Christmas Eve at 10.15pm on BBC One
BBC/Hat Trick/Ray Burmiston
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To celebrate 30 years of the BBC’s trademark topical panel show, there’s a special look back at three decades of battles, bust ups and guest hosts, along with contributions from the likes of Paul Merton, Ian Hislop, Germaine Greer, Gary Lineker, Victoria Coren Mitchell, Ken Livingstone and Alexander Armstrong.
The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year
Boxing Day at 9.05pm on Channel 4
Channel 4
Question master Jimmy Carr hosts, as celebrity quizzers James Acaster, Stacey Solomon, David Mitchell, Maya Jama, Richard Ayoade and Joe Lycett compete to see who can remember the most about the last 12 months.
The Chase Celebrity Christmas Specials
Christmas Day at 5pm and Boxing Day at 6pm on ITV
ITV
Among the stars taking part in this year’s festive editions of the enduringly popular quiz show include Colin Jackson, Anne Diamond, Josie Long, Nicky Campbell, Tim Lovejoy, Kay Burley, Eni Aluko and Richard Herring.
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Will any of them have what it takes to beat the Chasers?
One Night In Hamleys
Christmas Eve at 9pm on Channel 4
Channel 4
It’s A Night In The Museum meets Big as Romesh Ranganathan, Rob Beckett and Tom Allen are locked overnight in world-famous toy shop Hamleys on London’s Regent Street.
With no security guards or grown-ups there to hamper the fun, the three comics run amok, raid the shelves, chat about Christmas, invent daft games to play, and reminisce with funny festive stories, as they hang out after hours and unsupervised in the fun emporium.
Not Going Out Christmas Special
Wednesday 30 December at 9pm on BBC One
BBC/Avalon/Mark Johnson
We join Lee and Lucy hosting a New Year’s Eve gathering for their relatives for a one-off special of the sitcom, and it’s not looking like 2021 is about to get off to the best start.
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When parlour games are suspended in favour of a no-holds-barred round of Resolutions, the New Year fireworks might just end up being in the house...
Back To The... 80s / 90s / 00s / 10s
Sunday 27 and Monday 28 December at 9pm, Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 December at 10pm on Channel 4
Channel 4
To celebrate four decades of Channel 4, the station is going back in time with a nostalgic look-back at each of the decades it has been on air.
Sir Lenny Henry will steer us through the eighties, Vic Reeves will revisit the heady days of the nineties, Davina McCall will relive the glory days of Big Brother in the 00s edition, while Jimmy Carr will round things off with a look at the 10s.
Stephen Fry’s 21st Century Firsts
Wednesday 30 December at 8.30pm on ITV
ITV
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As this century approaches its 21st birthday, Stephen Fry takes a look at the fascinating and groundbreaking things that have happened for the first time, since the year 2000.
There’s interviews with experts and well-known faces, as well as ordinary people involved in some of the breakthroughs, including social media, the first iPhone, the flat white coffee and the legalisation of same-sex marriage.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Celebrity
Boxing Day at 9.30pm on ITV
Stellify Media
Jeremy Clarkson will be joined by some famous faces for a celebrity edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? as they put their knowledge to the test in an attempt to become the first ever star to win the £1,000,000 prize for charity.
The Big New Year’s In
New Year’s Eve from 9pm on BBC One
kamisoka via Getty Images
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With the annual London fireworks cancelled this year due to the pandemic and the majority of us confined to our houses as Big Ben chimes in 2021, the BBC is planning a different sort of celebration to air on New Year’s Eve.
A live entertainment show will run throughout the evening packed with famous faces, before Alicia Keys provides 2020’s New Year’s Eve concert.
Victoria Wood: My Secret List
Christmas Day at 9.10pm on BBC Two
BBC/Phil McIntyre TV/Estate of Victoria Wood
This two-part programme counts down the late comedian’s personal favourite moments from her illustrious TV career.
The 20 sketches - chosen by Victoria herself - were discovered on a list in one of her personal notebooks after her untimely death in 2016.
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The countdown will be accompanied by contributions from a number of well-known faces who will discuss her broad catalogue of award-winning comedy.
The Hit List Christmas Special
New Year’s Eve at 5.50pm on BBC One
BBC/Tuesday's Child/Alan Peebles
In this special celebrity edition of the music quiz in which contestants try to recognise as many hit songs and artists as possible, hosts Marvin and Rochelle Humes welcome three temas made up of Paralympians Hannah Cockcroft and Nathan Maguire, actor and musician Martin Kemp with his son and radio host Roman, and singer Fleur East and her make-up blogger sister Keshia.
Who will hit the right note and get the chance to win £10,000 for their chosen charity?
The Last Leg Of The Year
New Year’s Eve at 9pm on Channel 4
Photographer Ian Derry
Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker say an un-fond farewell to 2020, as they look back at the last 12 months and take a punt at what 2021 could have in store for us all.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--As The Vicar Of Dibley Returns To Our Screens, The Show's Producer Reminisces (And Shares Lots Of Se

As The Vicar Of Dibley Returns To Our Screens, The Show's Producer Reminisces (And Shares Lots Of Secrets) From The Set

This article was originally published in December 2020.
There was much talk about entertainment ‘saving us’ from 2020, especially anything nostalgic, so the surprise return of The Vicar of Dibley to our screens in Christmas 2020 was like reconnecting with an old friend.
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James Fleet, who plays Hugo Horton with Dawn French on the set of The Vicar of Dibley in Lockdown. BBC
While there’s no new episodes of Dibley this Christmas, the show still forms an important part of the BBC schedules, with a number of classic episodes set to air.
To celebrate that, we’re revisiting our 2020 interview with Peter Bennett-Jones – an executive producer on the show since it first hit our screens in the mid-nineties – who shared some of his favourite memories – and secrets – from Dibley’s past....
Dawn French was worried about taking on the role
Dawn French as Geraldine Granger in The Vicar Of Dibley BBC
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“Joy Carroll [one of the first female vicars in the UK] made Dawn feel much happier about doing the show because she told Dawn that vicars can drink and eat chocolate and have a sex life,” says Peter. “Dawn was worried about doing the part… [She was worried it] might be a bit pious. Joy Carroll was such a force of nature.”
The part of Geraldine wasn’t initially written for Dawn
Vicar of Dibley BBC
“It wasn’t written for Dawn but she made it her own,” says Peter. “Richard wrote it for a forthright comic actress. I think he might have even seen three or four different people have a go at it. Dawn got cast and the rest is history as it were.
“I know he had a couple of other people but I think the right call was made. She just made it her own. She knows where comedy is - she’s a comic actress really, you can’t really imagine it without her, funnily enough.”
Writer Richard Curtis preferred working on Dibley to Notting Hill and Four Weddings
Richard Curtis wrote The Vicar Of Dibley with Paul Mayhew-Archer Jeff Spicer via Getty Images
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“Richard wrote me a note when I said I was going to do this,” Peter tells us. “He said: ‘I was doing Dibley in the period where I’d done Four Weddings and Notting Hill. Dibley was ten times more fun than making movies!’”
Would Richard ever be on board to make more of the show he loved filming so much? “Richard’s got so much else that he does I think he’d be fearful of going back, but never say never,” says Peter. “I’m sure he’ll carry on doing little specials and these are different ways of doing it in this particularly strange year.”
“Richard is a very generous writer,” adds Peter. “He’s not only funny but he depicts the best in people, by and large. He makes everything very affectionate and enjoyable and that spreads into the entire production. Productions are usually a fairly tense affair I would say.”
Filming in the village of Turville for the second series wasn’t guaranteed
Church Cottage, the house used as the vicarage in the The Vicar of Dibley. David Clapp via Getty Images
“Sir Alastair Horne was chairman of the village council,” Peter remembers of the village of Turville in Buckinghamshire, where they shot on location.
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“When we came round to doing the second series of episodes we had to go back, and once we’d committed to a location you have to persuade them to let them go back otherwise you’re sunk...
“He [Alastair] said, ‘I’m going to put you at the top of the agenda with the village council, and I did my spiel, saying ‘Is there anything we can do to make life easier?’ because it’s disruptive.
“He said ‘try putting some decent jokes in it this time,’ and he meant it. He was a dry, distinguished historian, but he did lend us his garden to shoot the fete in so he allowed us back and was perfectly cooperative after that.”
Most of the show was shot in front of a live studio audience
The cast of The Vicar of Dibley on the set of Comic Relief's, Red Nose Day 2007 special episode. Comic Relief via Getty Images
“Anything you see in the village was done in the village, but the village hall, in the vicarage where she’s inside with Alice or people coming in and out would be in the studio,” Peter says.
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The crew balanced time between Turville and the studios in Shepperton, Surrey. “You’d film somebody going into the vicarage, which was a house just by the church gate in Turville, and you’d just edit that together with the shots inside, done in the studio.”
The show was inspired by a real life female vicar
The Rev. Joy Carroll ANL/Shutterstock
There were just a handful of female vicars in the UK when Dibley began, recalls Peter. “There was a woman called Joy Carroll who was one of the very early female vicars. Richard hung out with her a bit and she was a sort of inspiration and Dawn was cast to play this role.”
The very fact that there was opposition to the concept of female vicars “put wind in Richard’s sails and helped form a very friendly central character,” remembers Peter of the early days.
The show was initially met with some hostility
“People had strongly held beliefs and they think any form of getting laughs at the expense of religion is insensitive,” reveals Peter. “So we originally had episodes pre-watershed, and they had to be pushed post-watershed is my memory.”
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The characters were inspired by real villagers
Dawn French and Gary Waldhorn on set Comic Relief via Getty Images
“It was just based on village life,” recalls Peter. “You’d get a farmer and make them slightly ridiculous, like Owen, and not [quite] the village idiot, played by Trevor Peacock - but he’s basically just given one joke and does it with commensurate skill: ‘no no no no, yes.’”
David Horton, played by Gary Waldhorn, was inspired by a real person in Richard Curtis’ life. “The David Horton character just plays it to a T,” says Peter. “There’s a rather haunting Lord of the Manor where Richard lives and that was based loosely on him.”
Remember the classic puddle scene? Filming of that didn’t go quite to plan
“That puddle she jumps into was filmed initially with hot water so she could not get too cold jumping in, but then we realised that just sent steam off so it didn’t work,” reflects Peter.
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“So they ended up putting cold water and she had a wet suit under her cassock.”
James Corden was cut out of a Comic Relief special
“[Richard Curtis] would get big stars to come in on the Comic Relief specials,” Peter says. “Johnny Depp did one, James Corden, he got cut out of one…”
Not everyone was a fan when the show first aired
Christmastime in Dibley Yahoo Movies UK/BBC
“It’s very rare that any comedy series that becomes a classic gets well-reviewed in its first outing,” remembers Peter.
“I remember some really horrible ones, I seem to remember a rather unpleasant one from the person who used to edit the Today programme. It’s very common. Something about the nature of critics, they aren’t mainstream fans. They’d rather something cleverer.”
Emma Chambers, who played Alice Tinker, took some persuading to film the final episode
Emma and Dawn appearing in The Vicar of Dibley. BBC Yahoo Celebrity UK
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“I remember the very last episode we did, Emma took some persuading to do it,” reveals Peter. “We couldn’t do it without her.... She was going through all sorts of problems. Anyway I did persuade her to do it and I remember her coming up after - we had a lovely drinks thing at Shepperton after the last recording - I was just leaving and she ran outside, gave me a big hug and said ‘that’s the most fun thing I’ve done, I’m glad you persuaded me.’
“She brought a lot to that party - her performance was fantastic. Playing somebody essentially a bit dim but totally lovely needs fine judgement, because otherwise it can be offensive. It’s never offensive.”
So there won’t be another series, right?
“The BBC always had an appetite for more,” says Peter. “Never say never, but you know, in the end it’s unlikely to go back to its former self because Alice is no longer with us, Owen’s no longer with us… half the cast are gonners, sadly. Oddly immortalised.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--Try Gordon Ramsay's 5-Step Recipe For Cranberry Mince Pies

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It’s the season for mince pies, and while we spent November munching on them for our annual taste test, we still want to try and make them at home, too.
Plus, it’s all the more satisfying scoffing down a warm pie with cream when you know you’ve made them all by yourself (or with a little helping hand).
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This year, we’re taking inspiration from Gordon Ramsay with his cranberry mince pie recipe – all the usuals, plus some dried cranberries for fun. In five steps, Ramsay teaches us how to make the delicious festive creations.
The recipe below makes 24 mince pies.
HuffPost UK Chris Terry
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
250g plain flour, plus extra to dust
25g icing sugar
125g chilled unsalted butter, diced finely
grated zest of 1 orange
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
1–3 tsp ice-cold water (if needed)
Filling:
400g jar good-quality mincemeat (or use home-made, see below)
150g dried cranberries
To finish:
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp water (eggwash), to glaze
icing sugar or caster sugar, to dust
evgenyatamanenko via Getty Images
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Method:
1. For the pastry, put the flour, icing sugar, butter and orange zest into a food processor and whizz to fine crumbs. With the motor running, add the egg and whizz for a few seconds until the mixture forms clumps and you can press it together into a ball. (If necessary, add 1–3 tsp ice-cold water to bring the dough together.)
2. Turn onto a very lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes, or until firm. (The pastry can be made up to 3 days ahead or frozen for up to a month.)
3. For the filling, turn the mincemeat into a bowl and stir in the dried cranberries (there’s a recipe for homemade mincemeat below if you fancy). Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using an 8cm fluted cutter, cut out 24 rounds and use to line two 12-hole non-stick mince pie tins.
4. Re-roll the trimmings to the same thickness and stamp out 24 stars or Christmas trees, with an appropriate cutter, for the tops. Put a dessert spoonful (2 tsp) filling into each pastry case, then press the tops in position. Chill for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
5. Brush the tops with the eggwash, then bake the mince pies for 15–20 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from the tins and transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store an airtight container for up to 1 week. Warm slightly before serving, with a dusting of sugar.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-12--How Christmas Feels Different For Single People In 2020

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There are those adverts featuring doe-eyed couples, and that question – “how’s your love life?” – that dries your mouth faster than overdone turkey.
It’s no wonder some single people find Christmas a more stressful time than Valentine’s day, according to one survey by e-harmony.
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This year, though, Christmas is different for everyone. A year with limited dating, plus intimate “Christmas bubble” gatherings ahead has intensified anxieties for some. But for others, the pandemic has provided a moment to breathe, allowing a shift in perspective.
Andrew Steel, 32, moved from Wales to South London in 2012 and has been largely single since, with a few short-term relationships that never coincided with Christmas. He tends to feel “a slight sense of dread and sadness” as the season approaches. Sadly, this year is no different.
“I will be seeing my parents for a few days and I know they’ll ask if I’m seeing someone and be disappointed by the answer,” he says. “My friends are all married, or close, so this situation does make me feel rather immature and like a failure. Given that I would really like to share myself with someone, I can get very low during this time.”
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Andrew Steel Andrew Steel
Christmas is always tough for Andrew, but this year feels harder. “Mostly because of the pandemic, it’s been such a lonely year,” he says. “I live on my own and my landlord never replied about me getting a cat, so I haven’t had any physical connection.”
The year has also been hard for Jennie, 39, from London, who’s been single for two years – and will be finalising her divorce before the end of 2020.
“In the past I have volunteered at Crisis or gone on a meditation retreat between Christmas and New Year so I remove the dread of talking about NYE, dealing with couples and feeling more lonely,” she says. “This year there are virtual events, but there’s just something about being away from your surroundings and being able to focus on something else.”
Grace Cary via Getty Images
With its focus on family, Christmas presents a particular challenge for Jennie. She and her ex-partner tried to conceive for several years via IVF and suffered two miscarriages before they separated. With a divorce and a 40th birthday on the horizon, she feels that door has now closed.
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“For me I believe time has run out when it comes to children,” she says. “I don’t know if I ever could have carried a child full-term.
“I grieve the Christmas days I’ll never have: the daughter who believes in Santa so much she couldn’t sleep, buying the present that will make her smile so much, seeing their faces, hosting Christmas and having my sister and my parents to my house for Christmas Day while bickering with my husband in the kitchen about having too much food. All of that will never happen for me.”
Cecilie Harris, who’s 46 and lives in London, can relate to this. “Christmas, for me, is usually another strong reminder that my story didn’t play out the way I wanted and the dreams of having children slipped away from me,” she says.
Being single usually fills Harris with feelings of “independence and a sense of freedom”, but she often feels her positivity wavering during December. This year will be even harder, as she can’t visit family in Norway.
“Christmas takes the dream you lost and shoves it in your face,” she says. “Your only choice if you want to remain sane and content is to reframe your reality – to find an alternative path that gives you purpose and makes you happy. To find acceptance that your story took a different direction and that this one is okay too. Otherwise, you may break into a million pieces.”
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It’s not unusual for Christmas to heighten feelings of loneliness or longing, causing us to think of what “could have been”, says Ruairí Stewart – aka the Happy-Whole Coach – a psychotherapist who specialises in self-esteem and relationships. The season can test those who are otherwise happily single the rest of the year, she says.
“If you think about the images and marketing around Christmas time, it’s heavily geared towards people being connected and coupled, staying at home during the cold, dark winter nights, money being spent on displays of commitment, love and togetherness,” he tells HuffPost. “For someone who is single, this can be overwhelming and bring up feelings of loneliness or judgement.”
As we approach the end of another year, Christmas can also be the catalyst for questioning where you are in life, “especially if you start comparing yourself to siblings, family members or friends who have settled down,” adds Stewart.
“This can be a painful to process and bring up mixed feelings of loneliness, anger, sadness, envy, shame and lead to you giving yourself a hard time for feeling this way and not being able to actually enjoy the holiday season.”
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For some though, the pandemic has eased apprehensions they’ve previously had about being single at Christmas.
Bridget Gilmour, 47, from Northamptonshire, has been single for most of her adult life. This year, she’s happy to be alone and is looking forward to making Christmas Day special for herself.
“My feelings this year are very different as having had so much time alone, and so much going on out of my control, I became calmer about life,” she says. “For the first year in a long time I’ve not had toxic, disruptive people around me. I have lived each day for what I could control in the moment and as a result, my world has become fuller and more empowered.”
Bridget Gilmour Bridget Gilmour
*Bethan, 29, from South-East London, is also feeling more optimistic this December compared to last, when she was newly single after a “slightly hectic” 18-month relationship.
“I think this is definitely to do with the pandemic,” she says. “It’s more practical than any sort of great perspective shift. You’re not going to Christmas drinks or office parties or family gatherings filled with people asking about your love life. Plus if anyone asks how dating is going you can just looked shocked and respond ‘in a pandemic?!’ which is the best explanation for being single.”
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The two national lockdowns have been helpful for Seema, 39, from London, who’ll be spending her second Christmas alone after separating from her husband last year.
Her divorce should be coming through in the new year – just in time for her 40th birthday – and the pandemic has given her time to process the end of her 13-year relationship.
“I’ve spent a good chunk of this year living completely alone and sitting with my own thoughts,” she says. “It’s been hard at times, but I’ve also got to really know myself and actually, that’s been wonderful.
“I was together with my ex from my first year at uni. I’m now 40 – and I’m a very different person. I’ve found that I actually quite like myself and I feel excited and hopeful about what lies ahead.”
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The run-up to Christmas hasn’t been completely joyful, though, and Seema has found herself worrying about the progress of the coronavirus vaccine, or questioning whether she’ll ever find love again.
“I went for a walk the other day past my local garden centre, filled full of happy families carrying their Christmas trees home – it was hard, I won’t lie,” she says.
“I had a bit of a cry as I walked past. But I got my tears out, listened to some power ballads, got myself a hot chocolate with marshmallows and realised how far I have come this year.
“I’m actually really proud of myself, getting through these lockdowns alone.”
Cavan Images via Getty Images
If you’re struggling with being single this year due to a specific reason (such as involuntary childlessness), it can help to connect with support groups. Gateway Women, for example, is a group that unites women who are childless not by choice – Jennie and Cecilie have both found it helpful.
Anyone struggling with loneliness may want to contact a charity for support – you’ll find a list of useful websites and phone lines at the bottom this article.
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But for those who are on the cusp of embracing singledom this Christmas and simply need a helping hand, Stewart recommends setting some boundaries regarding topics of conversation with family ahead of time. This can include informing them that questions about your love life are out of bounds.
“What you allow is what will continue, and learning to empower yourself by setting boundaries with family is something that you can control,” he says.
If you’re not ready to be upfront about it, Nicola Slawson, founder of The Single Supplement newsletter, recommends asking one person to spread the word.
“One thing I have done in the past is put the word out via a trusted love one that I don’t want to talk about my love life,” she says, “Otherwise, usually what I do is make a joke or be vague about it, then immediately change the subject.”
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If that fails, Slawson recommends combatting intrusive questions by firing back a question yourself – so prep some ahead of family gatherings. “People love talking about themselves,” she says. “If it’s an older relative ask about their son’s promotion or whether their grandchild is walking yet, for example.”
And a word of advice? Don’t ditch the decorations, just because you’re single. Slawson is also a fan of decorating for Christmas – whatever your relationship status. She’s been surprised to see other single people without kids posting on social media to say they won’t bother this year, due to Covid stopping guests.
“It’s a shame,” she says. “I decorate my house because it makes me happy. I’ve got a 6-foot tree and as well as buying myself lots of beautiful baubles, I’ve enjoyed making my own decorations for it. It’s been a real labour of love.”
Ultimately, says Stewart, the key to shaking off any negative messaging you’ve internalised about being single at Christmas is remembering your worth is not defined by your relationship status.
“Being single in’t a negative thing, you just haven’t met someone you’re happy to be with, so think about the fact that you’re free from being tied to an unfulfilling or unhappy relationship,” he says.
“You have so much to offer as a human being – your quirks, talents and unique personality, all the things that make you you are valuable. Being single doesn’t take away from who you are at your core.”
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Useful websites and helplines
Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.
*Some names have been changed to provide anonymity. Some interviewees also chose not to publish their surnames.