thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-27--Here's How Other European Countries Have Decided To Relax Lockdown Over Christmas

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From behind his Downing Street desk, a self-isolating Boris Johnson proclaimed on Monday that an “escape route” from Covid-19 was now finally in sight.
The UK, which has the highest official Covid-19 death toll in Europe, has agreed to allow “limited additional household bubbling” so families can get together for Christmas.
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“Festive bubbles” could allow up to three households to mix between December 23 and 27. They can meet in homes and gardens, as well as places of worship and outdoor public spaces.
However, experts have warned an extra five days of strict lockdown measures will need to be imposed for every single day the rules are relaxed over Christmas. If the rules are loosened for five days, that would mean 25 days of tighter restrictions would then be needed to keep coronavirus infections under control, according to Public Health England.
Like the UK, governments across the rest of Europe – which accounts for a quarter of reported global Covid-19 infections and deaths – are trying to fine-tune restrictions on family life to allow them to celebrate the holidays while minimising the spread of the virus.
Cathedral sexton Ansgar Stuckenberg lights a candle on an Advent wreath in the Catholic St Peter's Cathedral, Lower Saxony, Osnabrück picture alliance via Getty Images
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It’s a high stakes gamble: relax too little, and they risk civil disobedience and political outrage. Relax too much, and the festive period creates a third wave of infections, just as the second starts to flatten.
Many have unveiled their plans this week, with most striking a similar balancing act to the UK: restricted family gatherings, with festive traditions — like German Christmas markets and Wise Men parades in Spain — widely cancelled.
“Either we break a third wave at Christmas or we make a third wave at Christmas,” Belgian PM Alexander De Croo, who plans to celebrate only with his wife and two children, said on Sunday.
Italy
In Italy, which is still scarred from being the epicentre of Covid-19 in the spring, fears of a third wave are dividing prime minister Giuseppe Conte’s cabinet. As the country struggles to curb a surge in deaths and infections, many regions are under partial lockdown, with restrictions due to stay in place until at least December 3.
Some ministers are pushing for strict measures to stay in place until New Year’s Day, while others are demanding shops and schools reopen to give the Italian economy a break, HuffPost Italy reported.
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Christmas shoppers in Munich SIPA USA/PA Images
The prime minister told Italian television on Monday night that “Christmas will be different this year,” warning the country couldn’t afford a repeat of the summer relaxation that led to the second wave.
Conte, who is in favour of a partial relaxation over the festive period, wants to allow Christmas shopping and gift giving to boost the economy, suggesting the government could allow limited family meetings and regional travel.
Although details are yet to be confirmed, any Christmas relaxation of restrictions would likely be just for Christmas Eve and neighbouring days, while a strict 10pm curfew would remain.
“We will have to spend the festivities in a more sober way. Big parties, kisses and hugs will not be possible,” Conte said last week.
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He also warned people not to ski during the holidays to help fight the pandemic.
France
French president Emmanuel Macron gave a national address this week and announced that the lockdown could be lifted on December 15 – on the condition that the number of new infections per day fell to 5,000 and patients in intensive care declined to between 2,500 and 3,000.
It is a contrast from the UK, which has refused to set explicit cut-offs for the lifting or imposing of different restrictions, with health secretary Matt Hancock saying that key indicators like infection rate “need to be viewed in the context of how they interact with each other as well as the wider context. [...] Given these sensitivities, it is not possible to set rigid thresholds for these indicators.”
In the face of looming pressure over the economic and mental health impacts of an extended lockdown, Macron announced a phased unwinding of the lockdown, to begin on Saturday with the re-opening of non-essential shops and then theatres, museums and cinemas, though bars and restaurants will have to stay shut until January 20 to avoid triggering a third wave.
After months of some of the toughest lockdowns in Europe, there are concerns the French are losing patience. The possibility of new freedoms in December and the promise of spending Christmas with loved ones could ease tensions, according to a HuffPost France editor.
Macron said people will be free to travel across the country to see their loved ones during the end-of-year holiday and leave home to socialise on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, despite the 9pm curfew around these dates.
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But no public gatherings will be allowed on these evenings and ski resorts won’t reopen before January. “The Christmas holidays won’t be the same as before, that’s for sure,” Macron said.
Greece
Greece has extended its nationwide lockdown by a week until December 7, as coronavirus cases continue to surge.
An increase in infections since October forced the government to impose the country’s second national shutdown since the pandemic began.
A HuffPost Greece editor said the government is understood to be considering lifting restrictions in time for Christmas, but with some conditions remaining in place, such as a continued ban on travel between regions.
Spain
This week the Spanish government said family and social gatherings will be allowed on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, but will be limited to six people. A curfew will also likely be imposed between 1am and 6am on those nights.
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The new draft plans recommend that family gatherings be restricted to single households, though meetings of up to six people with other households will be allowed, provided protections are put in place.
Spain has western Europe’s second-highest tally of confirmed coronavirus infections after France, with some 1.5m cases and 46,619 deaths from Covid-19, but Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has been under pressure to allow a Christmas relaxation.
As in Britain, many of the measures come with safety warnings that are recommendations rather than legal requirements: self-isolating as much as possible before travelling, for instance.
The government recommends avoiding work celebrations, student parties or gatherings at sports clubs, but if they are held, there should be a maximum of six people and take place outside or on terraces “with a maximum of two walls”. The plans also suggest that university students who return home for the holidays should “limit social interactions the days before they return home and take extreme prevention measures”.
Sanchez summed up the balancing act governments face: “We have two wishes: to be with and embrace those we love the most, and the obligation to protect them. Because without a doubt our greatest aspiration is to be able to live and share many more Christmases in the company of our loved ones.”
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Germany
Germany on Thursday agreed a 10-day relaxation of lockdown rules – twice the length of the UK’s five – over Christmas and the new year.
Chancellor Angel Merkel agreed with leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states late on Wednesday to extend and tighten the coronavirus lockdown until December 20, but ease rules over the Christmas holidays between December 23 and January 1 to let families and friends celebrate together.
However, the capital Berlin, one of the hardest hit cities in the country, has said it would not ease restrictions over Christmas.
Christmas candles depicting Santa Claus wearing a protective mask are displayed at shop in Thessaloniki, Greece Alexandros Avramidis / Reuters
Germany imposed a month-long “lockdown-lite” on November 2 to rein in a second wave that is sweeping much of Europe. Bars and restaurants are closed, but schools and shops remain open.
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From December 1, private gatherings will be limited to five people from two households. Over Christmas, that number will rise to 10, not counting children, from any number of households – although families are asked to voluntarily avoid social contact for a week ahead of visits.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-27--Over 1,300 People Wrongly Told They Had Covid Due To Test And Trace Error

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More than 1,300 people were wrongly told they had coronavirus due to a lab error with NHS Test and Trace.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said 1,311 people who took a test between November 19 and 23 across the UK were incorrectly told they received a positive result.
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It said there was an issue with a batch of testing chemicals which meant their results were void.
A DHSC spokesperson said: “Swift action is being taken to notify those affected and they are being asked to take another test, and to continue to self-isolate if they have symptoms.
“This laboratory error was an isolated incident and is being fully investigated to ensure this does not happen again.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-27--Is Boris Johnson Risking Double Trouble On Covid This Christmas?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a visit to Public Health England (PHE) Porton Down, at Porton Down science park near Salisbury, Wiltshire. PA
You’re reading The Waugh Zone, our daily politics briefing. Sign up now to get it by email in the evening.
Boris Johnson today defended placing almost 99% of the English population into the strictest lockdown levels, arguing the “vast majority” of the public understood it was necessary to suppress the virus.
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But the prime minister is facing a significant rebellion from backbench Tory MPs, and when it comes to the vote next week and may have to rely on Labour votes to save his tiers. Sky News has counted 57 Conservatives who have indicated they will oppose the government. Other reports put the figure as high as 70.
Keir Starmer has not said yet what he will do, but shadow health minister Justin Madders hinted the party could demand some changes before giving the green light. He said this morning the government should “reflect” on whether restrictions should be made more local, given the varying infection rates within counties. Tory concerns about the broadbrush approach were a “fair critique”, he added.
Johnson, on a visit to a Public Health England lab in Porton Down, said he was not keen on dividing the country “up into loads and loads of very complicated sub-divisions” as “when a high-incidence area is quite close to a low-incidence area, unless you beat the problem in the high-incidence area, the low-incidence area I’m afraid starts to catch up”. The PM argued tiers 2 and 3 were needed to “drive the disease down” until the vaccine “comes on-stream”.
Speaking of the vaccine, my colleague Rachel revealed today that No.10 attempted to get doses of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca jab labelled with little Union Jacks.
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It’s not surprising the government would want people around the world to be reminded that a potentially pandemic ending vaccine was made by “Global Britain”. Remember that back in 2012 development aid was badged with the Union Flag as “a clear symbol” it came from the UK (there will likely be less of that now but that’s a different story). The motivation appears different this time however. It was No.10′s “Union unit” tasked with fighting calls for Scottish independence that is understood to have been behind the plan. An interesting tactic given how spectacularly well pointing at all the EU flags on things funded by Brussels went for the Remain campaign.
The UK’s coronavirus R rate might have dropped below 1 for the first time since September 4. Figures from the Government Science Office suggest the reproduction number is between 0.9-1.0. London and the South East of England are the only two regions of England believed to have an R rate below 1. This will please people and politicians in areas like the north west which are under stricter rules than the capital, despite having a lower R rate.
The tight restrictions in place from December 2 will of course be loosened for the Christmas free-for-all holiday between December 23 and December 27. And today’s weekly document dump of advice given to ministers by scientists reveals the concerns of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M-O). Coronavirus infections could “easily double during a few days of festive season” it said in a paper drawn up earlier in November. Yes, that’s right, a doubling of the infections.“Any relaxation over [the] festive period will result in increased transmission and increased prevalence, potentially by a large amount,” The “notes on festive period” document added. “Faithfulness to bubbles is paramount.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-27--Boris Johnson Dumps Tory Manifesto Pledge Of Superfast Broadband For All By 2025

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Boris Johnson has been accused of trying to bury bad news after the government quietly ditched his pledge to give all homes superfast broadband by 2025.
The prime minister came under fire from business and telecoms chiefs as the small print of the chancellor’s spending review revealed that planned spending on the roll-out of the technology had also been slashed from £5bn to £1.2bn.
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Labour said Johnson had been caught “sneaking out” the abandoned target and the spending cut as the country focused on plans for new coronavirus tiers.
Up to 5 million people are set to lose out as a result and critics have pointed out that high-speed broadband is needed more than ever during the coronavirus pandemic as home working becomes the norm.
The Tory election commitment to deliver “gigabit-capable” broadband to every home and company across the UK within five years was a landmark pledge, bringing forward by eight years a similar goal of predecessor Theresa May.
Johnson repeatedly campaigned on the promise, which he said was a central part of his “levelling up” agenda to make rural and urban parts of Britain ready for a post-Brexit future.
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The broadband pledge was first made in his speech on the steps of Downing Street when he first took office. He had ridiculed May’s own 2033 timetable as “laughably unambitious”.
The manifesto boasted: “We know how difficult it will be, so we have announced a raft of legislative changes to accelerate progress and £5 billion of new public funding to connect premises which are not commercially viable.”
But buried in this week’s spending review was a sharp drop in planned spending. The accompanying National Infrastructure Strategy confirmed the target of 100% of homes with superfast broadband by 2025 had been watered down to a “minimum of 85% coverage” by that date.
The strategy said that the government would “seek to accelerate roll-out further to get as close to 100pc as possible”.
Shadow digital secretary Jo Stevens told HuffPost UK: “Not only is this broken promise another kick in the teeth for businesses and families up and down the country, it’s yet another example exposing his hollow promises.
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“This year has underlined just how essential good broadband is for businesses, families and individuals. No one should be held back and penalised because of poor broadband connection. Sneaking this out in the spending review is not good enough – the government should be much more ambitious for our country.”
Johnson said in October last year he was not sure what gigabit broadband was but promised it would be “sprouting through every home like a kind of very informative vermicelli”.
Government insiders say that the main reason for the change was feedback from some industry providers that the works on the hardest to reach 20% of homes could not be achieved within the PM’s timeframe.
But without the cash, several firms say privately that they are more likely to focus on the more commercial rollout of the broadband network.
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Some in Whitehall also claim that both the pandemic and the decision to exclude Chinese firm Huawei from future infrastructure plans have setback the scheduled works.
Craig Beaumont, of the Federation of Small Business, said: “Covid has shown that a good connection at home is fundamental for work and business.
“This is not good news for businesses in rural areas, nor those made redundant in the coming months who we hope will want to become self-employed and set up in business from their kitchen table.”
The broadband industry is entering the key deployment phase for the new gigabit capable network and many firms are demanding immediate clarity on the remaining £3.8bn and how they should recalibrate their build plans, recruitment and investment decisions.
Broadband cut in Spending Review HuffPost UK
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The industry’s Internet Service Providers’ Association said it was disappointed to see only a quarter of the committed spending on broadband allocated across the next four years.
Andrew Glover, chair of ISPA, said: “The announcement scaling back the government’s ambitions for supporting broadband rollout in the hardest to reach areas is a blow to rural communities.
“This will not stop providers from continuing to press ahead with their commercial rollout plans, but it puts an even greater emphasis on tackling the regulatory and practical barriers that make rollout more difficult than it should be.
“As our experiences over 2020 have proved, our broadband infrastructure is fundamental to propping up the UK’s economy in periods of lockdown, so we urge the Government to ensure that this policy pivot does not lead to longer term digital exclusion of those in harder to reach areas.”
Sarah Lee, head of policy at the Countryside Alliance, said: “The spending review has prompted questions over when, how and whether rural communities will get gigabit broadband.
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“This is a significant concern for rural communities and businesses who now more than ever need better digital connectivity. If ever the business potential of the countryside is to reach its full potential, indeed recover economically from COVID-19, it must have gigabit broadband sooner rather than later.”
Digital minister Matt Warman had told MPs on the digital select committee a few weeks ago that the 2025 100% rollout was “a stretch goal that we are more than capable of meeting.”
Kevin Brennan, a Labour MP on the committee, accused Warman at the time of spouting “meaningless drivel”. Brennan told HuffPost UK: “This is typical of Boris Johnson’s casual relationship with keeping his word - if he pledged a target to keep 50% of his promises few people would even believe that.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-27--CNN Anchor Hits Trump With A Blunt Reminder After President’s Rant At Reporter

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CNN’s Jake Tapper responded to Donald Trump’s outburst at a reporter on Thursday with a stark reminder for the president ― that he won’t be in office for much longer.
Trump snapped at Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason for interrupting him during one of his lengthy, conspiracy theory-filled rambles in a press conference that followed the president’s video chat with service members for Thanksgiving.
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“Don’t talk to me that way,” Trump told Mason. “You’re just a lightweight. Don’t talk to me that way. I’m the president of the United States. Don’t ever talk to the president that way.”
Check out the exchange here:
JUST IN: President Trump snaps at reporter objecting to the President's false claims about the election: "You're just a lightweight. Don't talk to me that way. I'm the President of the United States. Don't ever talk to the President that way." pic.twitter.com/RbTKItjs9L — The Hill (@thehill) November 26, 2020
Tapper on Twitter named Mason as the “excellent journalist” who was “on the other end of this spectacle.”
He then dinged the president with this line:
“Jeff will still be working at the White House after January 20, 2021.”
The excellent journalist @jeffmason1 is on the other end of this spectacle.
Jeff will still be working at the White House after January 20, 2021. https://t.co/OJoGCvzUrG — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 27, 2020
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Tapper’s tweet has gone viral, receiving more than 40,000 likes on the platform.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-27--Government Told To Get A Grip On 'Deepening' Crisis In Children's Care Homes

Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson PA
Education secretary Gavin Williamson has been warned the “deepening” crisis in children’s care homes means the government must take “urgent steps” to support the sector.
Labour shadow ministers Tulip Siddiq and Kate Green have written to Williamson, telling him homes “should be a safe haven” for vulnerable children “but are far too often a source of neglect and exploitation”.
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Keir Starmer’s frontbenchers are raising the issue after a number of alarming reports.
An analysis of official data by the Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, found that 8,000 children in local authority care were put in three or more different homes within the space of 12 months.
One in eight are spending time in unregulated accommodation that isn’t even inspected, her office also discovered.
The two shadow ministers also underlined that there were over 37,000 cases of looked after children going missing from children’s homes in 2018/19 – an increase of around 150% from 2015.
Experts fear children in care may be being targeted for sexual exploitation and by “county lines” drug gangs.
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The Conservative Party’s 2019 election manifesto promised a review of children’s social care and Labour says there is “no sign of progress on this”.
Green and Siddiq’s letter says: “We knew that lockdown would increase the disruption and threats that already vulnerable children would face, so this crisis should have been a catalyst for change rather than an excuse for inaction.”
Tulip Siddiq, Labour shadow minister for children and early years PA Wire/PA Images
It comes after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government unlawfully removed rights of children at the start of the pandemic.
HuffPost UK revealed in April that emergency coronavirus legislation, pushed through using executive powers, meant children in care would, among other measures, get less frequent contact from their social workers.
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Charities later mounted a legal challenge, which the courts backed earlier this month.
“Children’s homes should be a safe haven, but a decade of Conservative cuts and poor regulation have left far too many children at risk of exploitation and neglect,” said Siddiq.
“The government should have acted to protect children from increased threats in lockdown. Instead Ministers pushed through a dangerous and unnecessary attack on children’s rights, which has now been found to be unlawful.
“There is still no sign of progress on the long-promised children’s care review, despite the fact that we’ve known about problems in residential care for a long time. A strategy to safeguard these vulnerable children is urgently needed, alongside a plan to fix our broken social care system.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--Police Arrest More Than 60 People At London Anti-Lockdown Protest

Police have arrested more than 60 people amid anti-lockdown protests in central London.
Hundreds of demonstrators including a man dressed as Santa Claus marched through Westminster chanting “shame on you” and “freedom”, causing traffic disruption on Saturday afternoon.
The Metropolitan Police said officers had made more than 60 arrests by 3pm.
The force said: “These were for a number of different offences, including breaching coronavirus restrictions.
“We expect this number to rise. We continue to urge people to go home.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--The Timing Of This Town’s Christmas Lights Switch-On Couldn’t Be Funnier

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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--Boris Johnson Picks Business Minister To Oversee Covid Vaccine Rollout

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Junior business minister Nadhim Zahawi has been chosen by Boris Johnson to oversee the deployment of Covid-19 vaccines.
Downing Street announced that the Stratford-on-Avon MP, who has served in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) since July 2019, would take on the role until at least next summer.
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He will temporarily relinquish responsibility for most areas of his brief, but under the interim arrangement will serve as a joint minister between Beis and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Zahawi spoke out against the government’s decision to place his constituency in tier 3 just days ago, saying he was “hugely disappointed” by the announcement.
Reports on Friday from The Guardian suggested that hospitals could receive the first deliveries of a vaccine created by Pfizer/BioNTech between December 7 and December 9 – little more than a week after Zahawi’s appointment.
His appointment follows calls from Labour for the government to appoint a minister to oversee the vaccine rollout, who would provide accountability and avoid repeating mistakes made over PPE procurement and Test and Trace.
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The UK has placed orders for 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine – enough to vaccinate most of the population – with rollout expected in the coming weeks if the jab is approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
It also has orders for 40 million doses of the jab from Pfizer and BioNTech, which has been shown to be 95% effective, and five million doses from US firm Moderna which trials suggest is 95% effective.
The rapid rollout of a successful vaccine will pose an enormous challenge for the government, one which Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned could be a “mammoth logistical operation”.
Rolling out the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may pose the greatest challenge as it needs to be stored at minus 70C – bringing potential difficulties with transport and storage.
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “Only days ago Labour called for a vaccines minister to oversee the huge logistical challenge of widespread vaccination.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--Police Investigate 'Toilet Of England' Stickers On Kent Road Signs

Police are investigating after prank “Toilet of England” stickers were put over Kent road signs by anti-Brexit campaigners.
Signs across the county were changed on Friday by activists from the group known as EU Flag Mafia, who have previously run other highly visible campaigns against the UK’s departure from the EU.
Where once before motorists would be politely informed they were entering the Garden of England – as Kent is known – the new message read: “Welcome to Kent The Toilet of England”.
The stunt aimed to highlight fears of huge lorry queues along the county’s motorways, with suggestions that portable toilets will have to be installed on roadsides for use by delayed drivers.
Kent Police said they have been made aware of “criminal damage” to road signs in the county and inquiries are continuing.
But a member of the activist team hit out at the idea of officers devoting time to the stickered signs.
They told the PA news agency: “We acted on behalf of the residents of Kent.
“Everyone who was involved in placing ‘Toilet’ on the road signs lives in Kent and we reject any suggestion that any damage was done to any of the road signs – the stickers can be removed very easily.
“If any Kent resident feels offended, we suggest they simply remove the stickers.
“We suggest that Kent Police have better things to be doing with their valuable time, like trying to work out how the people in Kent will be still be able to travel around the county while thousands of lorries are gridlocked in jams around the county.”
The cloak-and-dagger operation – which activists stressed was compliant with Covid guidelines – covered around 30 road signs stretching from Dartford near London to the border with East Sussex.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has previously warned that queues of up to 7,000 trucks could form in Kent unless businesses do more to prepare.
On Wednesday a five-mile queue of lorries stacked up on the M20 through part of Kent as a trial of Brexit border checks was carried out by French officials.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--AJ Pritchard's Girlfriend Reveals The Luxury Item That I'm A Celebrity Bosses Wouldn't Allow Him

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I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! bosses refused to give AJ Pritchard his original choice of luxury item, his girlfriend has revealed.
Before arriving in the jungle – or, in the case of this year, castle – each I’m A Celebrity contestant lists three potential luxuries they’d like to take in with them, with producers choosing one from the list, which the stars receive during the series.
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AJ was gifted some hair products (a curl cream, specifically) earlier in the series, but his girlfriend Abbie Quinnen has admitted this wasn’t actually what he’d listed as his top pick for a luxury item.
She told Metro: “AJ’s first option was a pillow with [a photo of] him and me on it. I’ve got it here actually.
“The curl cream was second, but unfortunately, they went for the curl cream as they didn’t want the pillow in there.”
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Abbie added that AJ had listed moisturiser as his third option, commenting: “He is very vain, I’m not going to lie. He loves his moisturiser and he does love his curl cream.”
AJ Pritchard's hair is still looking pretty immaculate, despite the conditions in the I'm A Celebrity castle ITV/Shutterstock
The former Strictly Come Dancing professional isn’t the only one of this year’s stars who didn’t get his preferred luxury item, though.
On Friday night, I’m A Celebrity said goodbye to its first contestant of the current series, with Paralympian Hollie Arnold losing out in the public vote.
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The original 10 stars of this year's I'm A Celebrity ITV
As sad as we are to say goodbye to I’m A Celebrity’s first contestant, viewers should probably start getting used to eliminations, as there’s less than a week left on the current series.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--Coronation Street Bosses Scrapped Pandemic Storyline A Year Ago As It Was 'Too Far-Fetched'

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Coronation Street bosses ditched a proposed storyline involving a fictional pandemic a year ago, as they felt it was “too far-fetched”.
The soap is currently gearing up to celebrate its 60th year on television, and in the lead-up, producers had asked the Corrie writing team to pitch potential storylines for the big anniversary.
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One such storyline involved Weatherfield becoming swept up in a pandemic, but bosses ultimately decided not to go with it, as they didn’t think it was realistic.
Coronation Street's iconic Rovers Return pub Mcpix Ltd/Shutterstock
Producer Iain MacLeod told BANG Showbiz: “About a year ago when we were talking about what we would do for our 60th anniversary, two of our writers pitched a story for a global pandemic, would you believe?
“It originated in Tyrone’s pigeon loft… he [would have] taken up racing pigeons in homage to Jack, and [the pandemic] came in as some kind of form of bird flu and spread around the street.
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“And the consensus around the writing room was, ‘No, it’s just too far-fetched. No one is going to buy that’.”
“Fast forward to now and it all looks horribly prescient,” Iain added.
Corrie's longest-serving and newest cast members recently posted for this photo in honour of the show's 60th annniversary ITV/PA
Although it’s not known exactly what Corrie bosses have planned for the show’s 60th anniversary, viewers should expect something big in the upcoming special episodes, as cast members are currently isolating together to prepare for filming a big stunt.
John Whiston, Managing Director of Continuing Drama & Head of ITV in the North, recently told Digital Spy: “There will be a stunt for the 60th anniversary and a little bit of the spectacular still there.
“We are going to do ‘close contact cohort’ for the first time. Which basically requires two or three of the actors to be tested every two or three days and for them to isolate only with themselves. And the stunt crews to do the same. So they can be within two metres of each other for this particular stunt.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--Great British Bake Off's Laura Reveals Message Of Support From Emilia Clarke

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Great British Bake Off finalist Laura Adlington has revealed the actual Queen of Dragons slid into her DMs to show her support during the most recent series.
Laura made it to the final three of this year’s Bake Off, and made no secret of the fact she struggled with some of the harsh abuse she had faced on social media from supposed fans of the show.
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However, during an appearance on spin-off show Extra Slice, she insisted there had been an upside to her new-found fame, including a private message she received from Emilia Clarke, best known for her role as Daenarys in Game Of Thrones.
Laura Adlington Mark Bourdillon/Channel 4
She told presenter Jo Brand: “Emilia Clarke, mother of Dragons from Game Of Thrones, sent me a message.
“It just said, ‘Laura, me and my friends love you. Thanks for brightening up our lockdown. We hope you win’.”
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“I think she called me a ‘baking queen’,” Laura added. “So my life is now complete, quite frankly. Friends with Matt Lucas and Emilia Clarke. Doesn’t get better than that, does it?”
Emilia Clarke at the Baftas earlier this year Karwai Tang via Getty Images
Laura, a musical theatre superfan, previously revealed at the beginning of the series how she’d been starstruck when she first met Bake Off presenter Matt Lucas, having previously watched him perform in Les Misérables.
This year’s Bake Off came to an end earlier this week, with Peter Sawkins becoming the youngest champion in the show’s 11-year history.
He beat Laura and fellow competitor Dave Friday in what Paul Hollywood said was one of the closest Bake Off finals ever.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--Every Hospital In England Could Be Overwhelmed With Covid Without Tiers, Gove Warns

Every hospital in England could be overwhelmed with coronavirus cases if new tier restrictions are not introduced, Michael Gove has warned, as he seeks to quell a Tory backbench rebellion over the measures.
The Cabinet Office minister urged MPs to “take responsibility for difficult decisions” to curb the spread of Covid-19, amid anger from some Conservatives that much of England will face stringent restrictions.
Only the Isle of Wight, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly will be under the lightest Tier 1 controls, while large swathes of the Midlands, North East and North West are in the most restrictive Tier 3.
In total, 99% of England will enter Tier 2 or 3, with tight restrictions on bars and restaurants and a ban on households mixing indoors when the four-week national lockdown lifts on Wednesday.
Gove, writing in The Times, said: “Covid-19 is no respecter of constituency boundaries and the hardships we are facing now are unfortunately necessary to protect every single one of us, no matter where we live.
“In any analysis of this government’s, or any government’s approach, the cost of lockdown and restrictions cannot be reckoned against the status quo ante, but only against the cost of inaction, or inadequate action, and the overwhelming of the NHS.”
Boris Johnson faces a Commons showdown with his own MPs when they vote on the measures next week, which could leave him dependent on Labour support to get them approved.
The chairman of the backbench Conservative 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, was among critics of the restrictions, accusing the government of infringing people’s “fundamental human rights”.
And Tory MP Craig Mackinlay, who represents South Thanet which has the second highest R-rate in the UK, said he is planning to vote against the new tiered restrictions on Tuesday.
He told BBC Breakfast that he would instead favour natural “self-regulation” which he says happens when people see the R-rate in their local area starting to rise.
But Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, urged MPs to think what the NHS might be like in January, saying: “You need to take the precautions now to ensure that the NHS doesn’t get overwhelmed at what is always its busiest time of year.”
Johnson acknowledged on Friday that people felt “frustrated”, particularly in areas with low infection rates which now face tighter restrictions than before the lockdown.
It comes as the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 in four NHS regions of England reached higher totals this month than during the first peak, with figures in both the South West and North East and Yorkshire still above those seen in the spring.
Latest data from the government’s coronavirus dashboard show there were 938 Covid-19 patients in hospital in the South West as of Thursday, down slightly from a high of 968 on Tuesday but higher than the spring peak of 840 on April 14.
Hospitals in the North East and Yorkshire saw a high of 3,400 Covid-19 patients on November 16, which had fallen to 2,925 as of Thursday but is still higher than the peak in spring of 2,567 on April 9.
Both the Midlands and North West also saw totals this month surpass the first wave peak, with 3,150 reported on Monday compared with 3,101 on April 10 in the former and 3,059 on November 16 compared with 2,890 on April 13 in the latter. The figures in both regions have since fallen back below spring peak levels.
Meanwhile, it emerged that scientists advising the government said that any relaxation of restrictions over Christmas will result in a “large” rise in coronavirus transmission rates and prevalence “could easily double”.
In a set of documents released on Friday, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said “substantial mixing” of people over a short period of time represents a “significant risk for widespread transmission”.
The scientists made their warning in a meeting on November 18 – a few days before the government announced that there would be a limited relaxation of restrictions at Christmas.
They said: “The prevalence could easily double during a few days of festive season, with further multiplicative increases as new infections go back to their ‘routine’ networks.”
Johnson confirmed earlier this week that three households will be able to mix from December 23 to 27, but he told families they must make a “personal judgment” about the risks to vulnerable loved ones when forming a Christmas bubble.
Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling led to the original lockdown in March, said “individual judgment” is important when deciding whether to see elderly relatives over Christmas.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--News Of Eric Clapton And Van Morrison's 'Anti-Lockdown' Song Has Not Gone Down Well On Twitter

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The news that Eric Clapton and Van Morrison have teamed up for a new single that’s been described as “anti-lockdown” has not gone down well on social media.
On Friday, the duo announced Stand And Deliver, performed by Clapton and written by Morrison.
Proceeds from the track – which is released on Friday – will go towards Morrison’s Lockdown Financial Hardship Fund, which aims to help musicians affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
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“We must stand up and be counted because we need to find a way out of this mess,” Clapton said of the song (via Variety). “The alternative is not worth thinking about. Live music might never recover.”
Van Morrison and Eric Clapton Handout via Getty Images
Shortly after the track was confirmed to be in the works, both artists came under fire, with many suggesting that protesting lockdown measures put in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus may not be the best use of their platforms:
@dannotdaniel Here's the article about the anti-lockdown. Now I am anti- Clapton and Morrison
People can survive lockdown. Coronavirus killed too many people in America.https://t.co/Jq78reSxpr — Ms. Lonnie 🦋💜🤗 (@Lon_S_J) November 28, 2020
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They are both old enough to be high risk. pic.twitter.com/N2RHYu4PeG — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) November 27, 2020
So... these musicians would rather see income over protecting human lives?
Alrighty then. https://t.co/vmp8b0MnSQ — Stacey Ma Dukes Hopkins (@staceyhopkinsga) November 27, 2020
Good morning to everyone but Eric Clapton and Van Morrison 🙄 https://t.co/a5LVDQc9s2 — Litsa Dremousis (@LitsaDremousis) November 27, 2020
In personal news feeling pretty good about early life choices of Neil Diamond over Eric Clapton and Van Morrison. pic.twitter.com/sViuHGuMja — Michael Tisserand (@m_tisserand) November 27, 2020
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Clapton: “Live music might never recover.”
Not-crazy people: “Real people are literally never recovering from the plague. No one wants to die for your tunes.” https://t.co/j9uvmKGJe8 — Wes Platt (@WesPlattTweets) November 27, 2020
Was tweeting last night about how much I miss live music but still the efforts of this pair of MOR rock has-beens to "save" it by killing people can get in the fucking bin https://t.co/aeCmLyBaYa — mattthr (@mattthr) November 28, 2020
If wearing a mask and avoiding large venues is "oppression" to you, you've lived a very privileged life. https://t.co/3dZYBSH3VL — mr. G (and the good trouble). (@invisiblelad007) November 27, 2020
2020 has thrown a lot of curveballs but I did not expect to wake up to the news that eric clapton and van morrison wrote an anti-lockdown anthem — hannah 🛸 (@styxandstones_) November 27, 2020
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Van Morrison, now Eric Clapton with new anti-lock down song? I'm prepared. pic.twitter.com/PO6khsQJpU — Stu Pendous (@blueskiesecho) November 27, 2020
Dolly Parton helped fund COVID vaccine research. Lady Gaga helped raise over $35 million for PPE for healthcare workers. Halsey purchased and 100,000 masks that she distributed to various hospitals.
Be like Dolly, Lady Gaga & Halsey.
Don't be like Eric Clapton or Van Morrison. — *you're (@RKJ65) November 27, 2020
The controversy also caused past comments made by the musician – most notably during a concert in 1976, when he spoke out against immigration, repeatedly used racist slurs and declared that he wanted to “keep Britain white” – to resurface on social media:
Not really surprised by Eric Clapton ... https://t.co/3L1RfP12d4 — Brandale Randolph (@Brandale1854) November 27, 2020
Lesson learned: Don't idolize talent.😕https://t.co/rZbrt3b8tE — There are some who call me...TIM (@TimNoEgo) November 28, 2020
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Blimey, have to say I did not know about Clapton’s awful racism — Liam Thorp (@LiamThorpECHO) November 28, 2020
For those unaware, he actually said this shit on stage
And please don’t give me that ‘different era’ shit - it’s total bollocks https://t.co/2IDanJb5xf — Liam Thorp (@LiamThorpECHO) November 28, 2020
You might not like some of his 70s comments either:https://t.co/hJ9uxPUisI — Martin Phillips 🏴🇪🇺 (@nfliving) November 27, 2020
I was today years old when I learned Eric Clapton is such a huge racist that in the 70s the movement Rock Against Racism was started after Clapton showed public support for a UK far-right party.
And now he and Van Morrison have put out an anti-lockdown song. Makes sense. — Ani-Mia (@AniMiaOfficial) November 27, 2020
On the one hand, Eric Clapton and Van Morrison are former rock stars.
On the other hand, they're now 75-year-old white guys. https://t.co/n8HmsSx8av — Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) November 27, 2020
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In 2018, Clapton said he was “disgusted” with himself for the language that he’d used at that time.
Van Morrison has already released three anti-lockdown songs during September and October; Born To Be Free, As I Walked Out and the less imaginatively-titled No More Lockdown.
“Eric’s recording is fantastic and will clearly resonate with the many who share our frustrations”, Morrison said of his new collaboration with Clapton.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--Donald Trump’s Tiny-Looking Desk Is Now A Hilarious ‘Photoshop Battle'


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--Trump Now Insists Biden Must 'Prove' He Won 80 Million Votes

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Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump said he was ready to step aside for president-elect Joe Biden, he has reversed his position, claiming that Biden must first “prove” he actually won the 80 million votes that states across the US have counted in his favour.
On Friday, a federal appeals court panel in Philadelphia shot down Trump’s legal team’s attempt to challenge election results in Pennsylvania, a state Biden won. Yet in a tweet completely detached from reality, Trump insisted that it’s now Biden who has a “big unsolvable problem.”
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The president-elect can “only enter the White House as president if he can prove that his ridiculous ‘80,000,000 votes’ were not fraudulently or illegally obtained,” Trump tweeted Friday. He did not indicate how Biden was expected to prove the legitimacy of votes that have already gone through a certification process.
Trump also falsely said Biden only did well in the large cities of Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Milwaukee, which he claimed have “long [been] known as being politically corrupt.” Trump won the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin in 2016, but not this year.
Twitter marked both of Trump’s tweets as “disputed.”
Biden can only enter the White House as President if he can prove that his ridiculous “80,000,000 votes” were not fraudulently or illegally obtained. When you see what happened in Detroit, Atlanta, Philadelphia & Milwaukee, massive voter fraud, he’s got a big unsolvable problem! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2020
Biden did poorly in big cities (Politico), except those of Detroit (more votes than people!), Philadelphia, Atlanta and Milwaukee, which he had to win. Not surprisingly, they are all located in the most important swing states, and are long known for being politically corrupt! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2020
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“Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here,” Trump appointee Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote in an opinion filed Friday for the three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The judges on the panel were all appointed by GOP presidents.
“Voters, not lawyers, choose the president. Ballots, not briefs, decide elections,” the court said. “The campaign cannot win this lawsuit.”
When reporters had asked Trump on Thursday if he would leave the White House when his term is up, the president had responded: “Certainly I will… Certainly I will, and you know that.”
But he also said it was “going to be a very hard thing to concede” and again falsely insisted there “was massive fraud.”
Members of the US’ electoral college will meet on December 14 to cast their votes in their respective states, a move that constitutionally determines the next president.
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Trump refused to say on Thursday if he planned to attend Biden’s inauguration.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--All These Organisations Made Black Lives Matter Pledges. But Have They Kept Them?

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed on camera during a police arrest. The video showed a white officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck as Floyd, a Black man, called for his mother and repeatedly cried “I can’t breathe” before losing consciousness for the last time.
The video of Floyd’s death spread across the internet within hours. In what was already an extraordinary year given the Covid-19 pandemic, this chilling footage sparked a resurgence in global Black Lives Matter protests against systemic racism.
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In the days and weeks following, a string of organisations made visible public pledges of solidarity with the anti-racism movement and renewed commitments to workplace diversity.
But critics expressed scepticism about just how far these institutions would be willing to dismantle structural inequalities perpetuated within their own ranks.
After all: for all the well-intentioned pledges made, it’s the follow-through that makes the lasting impact.
Though centuries of systemic inequality can’t be undone in half a year, it’s still important to hold these organisations to account.
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So six months later, just exactly how much progress has made? HuffPost UK asked a number of large organisations how much progress on their own targets had been made. The responses reflected a mixture of gainful progress to nothing at all.
No.10′s promise to ‘look at all aspects of inequality’
Toby Melville / Reuters
In June, prime minister Boris Johnson announced that he was setting up a commission to look at inequality.
In October, the board, chaired by educational consultant Dr Tony Sewell, quietly published an open call for evidence to investigate inequalities in education, employment and enterprise, health, and crime and policing. It was not promoted across verified government platforms and many members of the public were not aware of it until the page was recently shared by social media influencers.
With responses due by November 30, it left a little under a month to provide findings by the initial proposed deadline.
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The commission’s sponsoring minister Kemi Badenoch came under fire last month for “attacking the work of anti-racists”, raising questions about its commitment to tackling structural inequalities. This came after Badenoch told the BBC that the purpose of the probe is to find out why people think the Tories do nothing on racism.
In June, a report by Public Health England found Black communities have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19 because of structural inequalities.
Yet people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds were not mentioned in the priority list for a coronavirus vaccine – despite the health secretary saying they could be among “the first” way back in June.
Last month, entrepreneurs told HuffPost UK they felt excluded from the government support offered at the outbreak of the coronavirus lockdown.
Campaigners have slammed the government for failing to protect Black people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Parliamentarian pilot scheme for unconscious bias training
In September, optional training was made available to MPs to give participants the tools to understand, recognise and mitigate their own unconscious bias.
The last session in the pilot phase took place on November 19. When HuffPost UK asked the number of MPs who participated and who they were, we were asked to submit a Freedom of Information request.
Following the pilot scheme, there are currently no plans to roll this training out more widely. When asked why, a House of Commons spokesperson said: “As with any pilot, we will examine the results and feedback before making further decisions. These sessions were put on at the request of MPs, and we will continue liaising with them on any further support requested.”
National Police Chiefs Council
BrianAJackson via Getty Images
In June, the NPCC said it would develop a plan of action looking at issues of diversity and inclusion. It also expressed concerns about racial inequalities in policing.
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In the following month it proposed to establish a scrutiny board to review topics such as internal culture and inclusivity by October.
The board does not yet appear to exist. The NPCC told us it is “still consulting on the appropriate criteria for a chair”, and trying to “secure resources” for the action plan.
According to Nathan Oley, a stakeholder engagement lead, the organisation is “striking a balance between moving at speed and getting it right – but progress is a priority”.
West Midlands Police
In June, West Midlands police and crime commissioner David Jamieson pledged to recruit 1,000 BAME officers to West Midlands Police over three years, to better ensure the force represents the communities it serves. When HuffPost UK asked how many Black officers had been recruited so far, we received no response.
NHS Race and Health Observatory
TkKurikawa via Getty Images
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With one of the most publicised elements of this summer’s reckoning relating to racial disparities in healthcare, the NHS was one of the key organisations from which many have been anticipating news of progress.
A recently released report from parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights, entitled Black People, Racism and Human Rights, stated that though Black women in childbirth have a death rate five times higher than that of white women, the NHS has no target to end it.
When asked why, a spokesperson directed us to a previously released statement from the chief midwifery officer for England, Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, which stated that the organisation “stepped up extra support” as soon as increased risks for Black and minority ethnic women were identified during the pandemic.
The statement continued: “The NHS is also fast-tracking a continuity of carer programme for women from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, which will mean they receive care from the same midwife before, during and after they give birth and this is proven to significantly improve women’s overall experience of care.”
The NHS Race and Health Observatory was announced in July, aiming to identify and tackle the specific health challenges facing people from BAME backgrounds. A director for the scheme, Dr Habib Naqvi MBE, was announced in August, following the announcement of the group’s chair, Marie Gabriel. Further development is yet to be announced.
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British Medical Association
The British Medical Association published its response to Black Lives Matter protests on June 5, pledging to engage further with Black medical organisations to do more to address under-representation at a staff level, and to address the concerns of Black members of staff.
Asked how it had implemented this since, a spokesperson pointed to a joint statement with four Black medical student organisations on the importance of diversifying the medical school curriculum to reflect the diversity of the UK’s population.
In addition, BMA Giving has provided grant funding to projects to support the mental wellbeing of Black doctors and medical students to establish the Melanin Medics’ Mind Us project to provide mentorship, clinically led training, and expert support to Black African and Caribbean medical students and doctors who have been adversely affected by Covid-19.
English Heritage
Peter Summers via Getty Images
In a statement from June, the organisation voiced its desire to “tell the story of England in full”. This statement referenced a “strong list” of plaques commemorating Black, Asian and minority ethnic figures awaiting installation. Since then, one new plaque honouring a Black person has been unveiled: 18th century abolitionist Ottobah Cugoano.
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Also, a series of portraits of historical Black figures associated with English Heritage sites has been planned, forming part of a wider programme of work that includes in-depth research into the links between historical sites and the slave trade. The first was unveiled in October: a painting of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, Queen Victoria’s African goddaughter, by Hannah Uzor, displayed at the Queen’s family home, Osborne, on the Isle of Wight.
Natural History Museum
In a Tweet posted on June 1, the National History Museum acknowledged that its collections are “rooted in colonialism and racism” and made a promise to engage with these issues to move forward.
Since then, a spokesperson confirmed, it has begun a “naming review” to “better understand the history of the institution”. The review is still going on, they said, with no findings available as of yet.
Elsewhere, the museum created a senior role within its HR team to lead on diversity and inclusion. The position is yet to be filled.
Oriel College, Oxford
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Following a resurgence of student activism against the existence of a statue of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes outside the University of Oxford’s Oriel College, the governing body of the college expressed a wish to remove it in June.
When asked about any recent developments, a spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “This work is ongoing and we don’t have any further updates at this time.”
The statue is still in place.
The Science Museum
In June, as some former and current members called for the museum to commit to being actively anti-racist, chief executive Sir Ian Blatchford launched a “regular blog series”, determined to chart an inclusive way forward.
But no further posts have been published about BLM or race since.
UK businesses
In June, Microsoft UK was among dozens of companies promising to back up its words of solidarity for BLM with action for change by diversifying its organisation, investigating the specific challenges and barriers faced by Black talent, and elevating Black voices.
When asked about its actions since chief executive officer Clare Barclay signed the letter, HuffPost UK was given a link to a US blog published in October. When asked about anything implemented in the UK, we received no response.
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The UK CEO of Deloitte, a leading global corporation, also signed the letter but the firm did not reply to our enquiries.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said that, since CEO Simon Roberts signed the letter, the company has trained 1,000 senior leaders and its board in understanding and fluently talking about race and ethnicity and taking this further across the business.
The spokesperson continued: “We are also tripling our investment in the development of our ethnically diverse colleagues and completing an ethnicity pay gap review and publishing the results and actions this year.”
When Tesco was asked what measures it has implemented since its chief signed the letter, a spokesperson said: “We have been holding dedicated focus groups with our BAME network to better listen to our colleagues, help identify areas where we need to improve and make more informed and inclusive decisions.
“We have started rolling out new diversity and inclusion training to all our colleagues, with specific content for managers and leaders to drive a more inclusive culture.”
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An ITV spokesperson detailed the interventions that the organisation had put in place since June. “Efforts have been made to increase diversity seen on screen, with examples including running a series of short films under the banner Black Voices, broadcasting drama series Unsaid Stories, marking Black History Month with a range of newly commissioned programmes and broadcasting Loose Women with an all-Black panel for the first time,” they said.
Another example given was the showing of a performance by dance group Diversity on Britain’s Got Talent, which touched on the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement; the performance received the backing of ITV as well as a media campaign expressing this support.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--I'm A Celebrity's Hollie Arnold 'Devastated' At Being First To Leave The Show

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I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! has said goodbye to its first campmate, with Hollie Arnold leaving the show on Friday night.
The Paralympian admitted she was “devastated” at being the first person to leave, but said taking part in the show was the “best experience she’s ever had”.
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Hollie was eliminated from the show after receiving the fewest votes to remain from the public.
She told presenters Ant and Dec: “I’m devastated… but one of us has to go, right? Honestly, that was the best experience I’ve ever had.
“I never really knew what to expect, so it was just like, ‘Go in there, and enjoy single minute of it’. It’s a crazy opportunity for me, and to meet those 11 amazing people … I can’t thank them enough, I love them. I miss them already, I really really do.”
Hollie Arnold poses outside the I'm A Celebrity castle Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock
“I kind of had a feeling it might have been me [to go],” Hollie added.
“I feel like I’m slightly superstitious, and I thought when you guys were saying the names, I was like, ‘It’s gonna be me, it’s gonna be me’.
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“I love everybody in there and I love what their values are and their friendships and what they mean to me. I will never ever forget this experience, ever.”
Hollie ended her interview by naming Radio 1 presenter Jordan North as her top pick to be crowned I’m A Celebrity’s first ever King of the Castle.
The original 10 I'm A Celebrity campmates in 2020 ITV
As sad as we are to say goodbye to I’m A Celebrity’s first contestant, viewers should probably start getting used to eliminations, as there’s less than a week left on the current series.
The final is set to take place on Friday 4 December, before which the 11 remaining contestants will have to be whittled down to just a select few.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--The UK Has Stopped Talking About All The People Dying Of Covid

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With almost 700 Covid deaths recorded on Wednesday and thousands more throughout the week, this looks set to be the UK’s deadliest seven days since early May.
And yet, as Christmas plans and tiered lockdowns dominate the discourse, the daily death tolls have begun to slip out of the government’s discussion of the situation, leaving many frustrated and uncertain about their future plans.
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To investigate how the narrative has changed since May, HuffPost UK has compared coverage from this week to that week in May, highlighting how the way we – and those in charge – talk about Covid deaths has changed.
While the figures have since been adjusted, the following death tolls from May have been stated in this article as they were reported at the time.
Monday
May 4, 288 deaths
US university John Hopkins became a leading source of case numbers and the death toll in the first months of the pandemic, and on May 4 it was widely reported that global cases had surpassed 3.5m, with deaths topping 250,000.
Immunity passports, vaccines and a trial of the NHS app on the Isle of Wight dominated the front pages, with the death toll explicitly referred to in the lead story of both The Times and the FT.
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GUARDIAN: Ministers in talks over immunity passports to get UK back to work #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/pkkRnRRgBI — Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) May 3, 2020
INDEPENDENT DIGITAL: NHS app trial starts as No10 plans next phase #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/Ao99O0Ept1 — Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) May 3, 2020
In non-UK news, Trump also said he was “very confident” of a vaccine before the end of 2020, and predicted up to 100,000 Covid deaths in the US. Almost 270,000 Americans have now died with the virus.
Meanwhile, optimistic reports about what society could look like after lockdown began to emerge – with staggered office shifts and increased public transport timetables all apparently to be expected.
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The UK’s death toll was reported as 288 on May 4, a total which was touted by health secretary Matt Hancock at the time as “lower than at any point since the end of March” during that day’s Downing Street press conference.
He did however state that numbers were artificially lower than they otherwise would be due to reduced reporting over the weekend. This figure has since been revised to 272 by the DHSC.
Hancock announced the death toll within two minutes of the start of the press conference, adding “this is not just a number but it is a constant, insistent reminder that we must go further and faster in our national effort in dealing with this virus.”
November 23, 206 deaths
With the weekend lag in reporting, Monday’s death toll was much lower than the rest of the week – but this time their announcement was barely noticed amid the frenzy around Christmas plans.
Almost every front page anticipated the relaxation of the lockdown post-December 2 ahead of Christmas, with The Times announcing: “PM to ease lockdown with Christmas shopping spree”.
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TIMES: PM to ease lockdown with Xmas shopping spree #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/L1uTWXHSpR — Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) November 22, 2020
Despite the death toll continuing to climb, the Daily Express lead their front page on Johnson’s five-day festive plan with the line “Christmas is saved”, while The Mirror announced “Xmas gets go-ahead”.
Downing Street no longer holds a daily press conference, but Boris Johnson did appear on Monday evening to confirm the winter plan to return to a tiered lockdown and hint at Christmas plans.
This time around, the PM did not mention the words “death” or “died” once, and the total toll, now well over 55,000 people, was left out of the conference completely.
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Tuesday
May 5, 693 deaths
Following a lag in reporting over the weekend, the largest death toll is usually announced on Tuesday. On May 5, the DHSC and media reported this as 693 – though this has now been adjusted to 726.
The UK also became the country with the highest Covid-19 death toll in Europe on the same day, overtaking Italy.
Deaths from Covid topped one national paper, the Daily Mail, which ran the headline “Urgent Probe Into Obesity Link To Covid Deaths”, focusing on an urgent review which had then been launched into the links between obesity, gender and ethnicity and coronavirus fatalities.
Meanwhile, The Independent ran a front page on the potential rollout of an antibody test, The Times concentrated on calls for the public to download the contact tracing app (which would not exist for several more months) and “get [the] UK back to work”, and The Telegraph warned of concerns around the fact that more than six million UK workers were, at that point, furloughed.
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Foreign secretary Dominic Raab gave the press conference on May 5, leading again with the daily figures – as was standard during the daily briefings that took place through much of the first wave.
He did not announce the day’s total, instead stating only the cumulative total (29,427 at that point in the pandemic), adding: “Our hearts go out to everyone who has lost a loved one throughout the coronavirus challenge”.
He also did not mention the fact that the UK had the highest death toll in Europe, but that didn’t mean the nation wasn’t talking about it. Thousands of people tweeted about the death toll, or interacted with tweets that referenced it, on May 5.
Appalling. The UK now has the highest official covid-19 death rate in Europe.
We were not fast enough at entering lockdown, or to act on testing and PPE.
It is vital we do not make the same mistakes again. We must not be as unprepared for the next stage of this crisis. https://t.co/HplPBx9XVg — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) May 5, 2020
Over 30k dead from COVID-19 in the UK. Highest death rate in Europe and second highest in the world. Our PM has been missing through most of this pandemic, and after a brief appearance last week, is missing again! 😡😡 #WhereisBoris? pic.twitter.com/O3Zoa3NCq0 — G E M M A | 🐝 (@Gemma_90x) May 5, 2020
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It was also the day one of the government’s top scientific advisers, Professor Neil Ferguson, resigned after it emerged he had broken lockdown rules despite advocating for social distancing to limit the spread of the virus.
But while Ferguson was widely criticised at the time for breaching the rules he helped create, the real backlash didn’t arrive until news of Dominic Cummings’ trip to Durham emerged several weeks later – a move that went on to actively undermine public confidence in Covid measures.
November 24, 608 deaths
Johnson’s warnings of a harsh winter to come during the press conference led the front pages of several national newspapers on Tuesday, but almost all reference to the climbing death toll was absent from the top stories.
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There was no press conference, but many on social media began to question the government’s approach to easing lockdown restrictions as more than 600 deaths were announced on Tuesday afternoon.
608 dead in the UK today & the gov approves 3 families gathering for 5 days with unrestricted travel for Xmas. That’s with just 10-20% of people here following self isolation rules & track & trace only reaching about 40-50% of contacts. Nearly 56000 dead. Wait for the vaccine — Bruce Atkinson (@bruceatkinson17) November 24, 2020
..Throwing fuel on the covid fire
..Likely to lead to a third wave
..With hospitals overrun
..And more unnecessary deaths
Prof Andrew Hayward #SAGE talking about Boris Johnson relaxing social distancing rules for Christmas #Newsnight pic.twitter.com/PiSmF2F11Q — UK is with EU (@ukiswitheu) November 24, 2020
Wednesday
May 6, 649 deaths
The fact that the UK now had the highest death toll in Europe made it’s way onto the front pages of just one national newspaper, The Guardian,
GUARDIAN: UK coronavirus death toll is now the worst in Europe #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/VpPbL8te2S — Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) May 5, 2020
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Other headlines focused on Professor Ferguson (The Telegraph), while the Financial Times led on Virgin Atlantic axing a third of its workforce.
A quick look at Google Trends reveals that searches for “Covid-19 deaths” remained high around this time, though were gradually starting to drop away in the UK as the nation moved away from the peak of the first wave.
Google Trends graph showing UK searches for Covid-19 deaths. Google Trends
While this figure has since been adjusted to 647, housing minister Robert Jenrick announced 649 deaths during the daily Downing Street press conference.
The cabinet minister described the death toll as “a heart-breaking loss for the loved ones of all those who have died”, but did not comment on the fact that the UK had become the country with the highest death toll in Europe.
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November 25, 696 deaths
On Wednesday the UK saw its highest death toll so far during the second wave of Covid-19, with almost 700 deaths.
Despite the previous day also recording the highest number of deaths since May, the front pages on Wednesday largely avoided any mention of the death toll – again fixating on Christmas plans agreed on Tuesday by UK leaders.
I: ‘Bubbles’ for Christmas in UK deal for families #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/ubEcgjy2im — Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) November 24, 2020
Some national papers such as The Guardian did make references to the death toll on their front pages, but apart from The Telegraph – which featured an infographic on cases and deaths on their front page – there were few mentions of the escalating fatalities.
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Despite soaring death figures, provisional Google Trends data tells us that searches for the UK death toll have plummeted to a record low.
The Google Trends graph shows how searches for UK Covid-19 deaths are approaching record lows, despite escalating death tolls. Google Trends
Meanwhile, searches for Christmas rules have soared as festive plans dominate the conversation.
This provisional graph shows a huge increase in the number of people searching for "Covid Christmas" in the UK. Google Trends
Thursday
May 7, 539 deaths
On a day where it emerged that a further 539 people had died from Covid-19, it was also revealed that Black people were four times more likely to die of the virus than white people.
The morning papers hailed the arrival of loosening restrictions the following week, with The Sun headlining the lead article “HAPPY MONDAY” and The Telegraph also highlighting the fact that “stay home” advice was to be scrapped.
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The FT referred to the UK’s death toll being the highest in Europe in its lead story, while the Metro made perhaps the week’s clearest front page reference to the growing death toll – highlighting that more than 30,000 people had been killed by the virus.
METRO: 30,076 killed by virus as tests fall to only 69k a day #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/ke8aL3hKNQ — Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) May 6, 2020
Raab led Thursday’s press conference, which referred to the death toll more than any other briefing throughout the week.
The word “deaths” was used four times, with each of them used within a section of the conference which applauded the government for preventing an even larger number of fatalities.
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“I know the tragic death toll in this country and around the world has been sobering for all of us, and there have been real challenges in this country – with PPE, and with care homes,” he admitted.
Seconds later, the foreign secretary added: “We’ve prevented the number of deaths rising to even higher levels, and we’ve ensured critically that the NHS had the capacity to cope.”
November 26, 496 deaths
Despite two days of extremely high death tolls, the PM once again made no reference to fatalities in his statement to parliament on Thursday, during which the PM confirmed that lockdown would end on December 2 – giving way to the three-tier system.
Johnson also avoided mentioning the death toll during his appearance in front of the nation during the Downing Street press briefing later on Thursday afternoon.
The front pages of nation papers were dominated by Rishi Sunak’s spending review, the details of which were announced on Wednesday and included pay freezes for public sector workers and a cut to foreign aid spending.
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The Times made no reference to the death toll in its lead story, which was headlined “Covid costs ‘three years of growth to economy’”, while the Daily Express proclaimed: “Rishi’s pledge to deliver on your priorities.”
THE TIMES: Covid costs ‘three years of growth to economy’ #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/wkYLcu1tMB — Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) November 25, 2020
Replies to official tweets as lockdown tiers were announced on Thursday morning also revealed mounting scepticism to the government’s plans, with conspiracy theories and rejection of the rules dominating the narrative far more than they had done in May.
Coronavirus press conference slides (26 November 2020)
🔵 Estimated number of people testing positive (England)
🔵 Number of patients in hospital with COVID-19 (UK)
🔵 Number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test (UK)
🔵 Local restriction tiers from 2 Dec (England) pic.twitter.com/bzbbTYszdC — UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) November 26, 2020
With the vast majority of England’s population plunged into the toughest lockdown restrictions in tier 2 and 3, even amid cases falling in some areas, concerns about how the government had selected areas to fall under different rules began to dominate the narrative.
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#Eastleigh has been put into Tier 2 restrictions when the national lockdown lifts. I am disappointed with this decision and it will be reviewed in 14 days. Rules are set out below 👇 pic.twitter.com/NtjpqpD5bb — Paul Holmes MP (@pauljholmes) November 26, 2020
Even Tory MPs began to speak out about why they were rejecting their own government’s plans, despite the mounting death toll.
𝗜 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝟮.𝟬
It was only 2nd time I’d voted against my own Gov in my 15 years as an MP.
Gov had made unsubstantiated claims and I wasn’t persuaded.
If it’s proposing what are draconian measures from 2 Dec, Gov must now supply evidence. pic.twitter.com/fDoGSZ9dmo — Mark Harper (@Mark_J_Harper) November 26, 2020
The authoritarianism at work today is truly appalling. But is it necessary and proportionate to the threat from this disease?
The Government must publish their analysis#Road2Recovery https://t.co/08XdREoN9k — Steve Baker MP (@SteveBakerHW) November 26, 2020
Friday
May 8, 626 deaths
A six-week old baby was among the latest victims of Covid-19, prompting a significant response on social media with hundreds of people replying to tweets from news organisations with condolences – as well as backlash to upcoming plans to loosen lockdown.
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Coronavirus: Six-week-old baby among latest to die with COVID-19 https://t.co/ImcacXTHvE — Sky News (@SkyNews) May 8, 2020
Six-week-old baby among latest UK coronavirus deaths https://t.co/otdnn72Jn7 — The Independent (@Independent) May 8, 2020
May 8 was also VE Day, an occasion the British public were cautiously encouraged to celebrate in a socially distanced manner. So there was a fierce backlash when pictures emerged on social media of people celebrating in other ways.
England is the only country in the world where you’ll see people remembering the dead with a social distancing conga line. pic.twitter.com/up9aTPTY5D — Angry Scotland Podcast🎙 (@AngryScotland) May 8, 2020
Look at these morons. 2 meters is a guide to maintain distance from someone in a shop for a second, or sit a safe distance at away work. Not to literally dance through droplets in the air exhaled by all those in front of you while they do do do the conga #streetparty #COVIDIOTS https://t.co/p8nOd0pksw — Ian Hyde (@IanHyde1) May 8, 2020
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Friday morning’s front pages largely revolved around lockdowns and VE Day, with The Mirror describing it as a “day of hope” as the Daily Express urged the UK to “keep smiling through”.
Environment secretary George Eustice delivered the daily press briefing, referring to the death toll just once close to the beginning of the broadcast, which was itself mainly focused on VE day and getting food to the most vulnerable people.
November 27, 521 deaths
Friday’s front pages were dominated by frustrations over the tier system.
“Tiers of rage and disbelief” stated the Daily Mail, while The Daily Mirror ran with “tiers of despair”. Neither front page featured details of the death toll.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--Exclusive: NHS Trust Apologises After Maternity Worker Racially Abuses Black Woman

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An NHS Trust has apologised after allegations its staff member racially abused a Black woman in the public – but refuses to say whether it has taken disciplinary action.
Natalie Worgs, 44, says she was repeatedly called a “Black bitch” by a white woman in Waterloo Station who complained she was obstructing her path.
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The mum-of-three was standing on a flat escalator and had stopped to take a photograph of a nearby billboard when the worker launched a tirade against her.
Worgs, who was standing to one side of the escalators, explained to the woman that she was not in the way but was met with more hostility, told to “fuck off” and body-shamed about being “too wide” to get past.
“I heard a woman behind me, who was mumbling and then I heard her say: ‘Black bitch, move out of the way!’ I was so shocked when I learned she works at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, because that is where I gave birth to my son 21 years ago,” Worgs told HuffPost UK.
“I was minding my own Blackness when, all of a sudden this went off on this sickening rant. I was shocked and completely shaken by what happened”.
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During the exchange, Worgs noticed the woman was wearing a name badge identifying her as a Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust employee. She took a photograph of the woman and her identification and lodged a complaint with the trust.
After confirming the woman was a trust employee, the hospital said internal investigations would be carried out and the complaints department would be in touch. However, the department failed to make contact and later decided against undertaking a separate review, a trust spokesperson confirmed.
Nigel Jarvis via Getty Images
Having chased details of the review’s outcome weeks later, Worgs was told that it could not be shared with her “due to confidentiality reasons” which she described as an “unsatisfactory response”. She said the trust made no effort to support her.
Following enquiries from HuffPost UK, the trust eventually issued a written apology to the victim on November 20, after a series of evasive responses to her enquiries about its investigation.
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“We are sorry that an employee of the service used offensive language towards you. We expect a high standard of professional behaviour to be displayed by our staff whether this is during work or in their personal life,” the letter reads.
“The service ensured a formal process was undertaken and the case managed by the NHS HR process and this process has now been concluded.”
However, Worgs has criticised this statement, calling it a “blanket response” which fails to acknowledge the racist element of the incident. She also said the outcome of the trust’s investigation is not clear and fears it is “protecting” its staff member.
“The trust’s response has been extremely poor and, to be honest, I feel like because I’m Black this isn’t seen as important,” she said.
Worg says being subjected to this abuse has left her feeling hurt and anxious about travelling on the Tube again but is determined to get answers and justice
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A Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “The trust is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and believes that everyone is entitled to be treated with respect. The trust cannot comment on current internal proceedings involving its staff.”
Jose Luis Pelaez Inc via Getty Images
Responding to Black Lives Matter protests, NHS chief executive Simon Stevens published a statement in June acknowledging the need to tackle racism within the institution.
Worgs, who works as a content community builder, also reported the incident to the police immediately after it happened and an investigation is underway.
A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “Inquiries into the incident remain ongoing. BTP takes allegations of racial abuse very seriously and will investigate all incidents.”
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Transport for London are supporting BTP with its investigation.
Siwan Hayward, security director at TfL, said: “Any form of hate crime will not be tolerated on our network. Everyone has the right to work or travel without fear of abuse or intimidation and if anyone witnesses or is victim to hate crime they should report it to the police immediately so it can be investigated.”
This incident comes amid widespread concerns about the Black maternal mortality rate in Britain. According to the 2019 report published by MBRRACE-UK, Black women in the UK are five times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth complications in comparison to their white counterparts.
Thousands of Black women revealed the shocking racism they faced in the UK’s healthcare system during pregnancy and childbirth, a recent investigation between HuffPost UK and lifestyle publication Black Ballad revealed.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--These Kids' Drawings Of Covid Are Genuinely Hilarious

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Young kids have been channelling their creative sides as a way to show what they think Covid-19 looks like. And in one child’s imagination, it bears an eerie similarity to a dog with three eyes.
The project aims to help parents and carers begin conversations about the pandemic with their kids.
“There will be thousands of kids across the UK that are just becoming aware of what’s happening and are probably asking difficult questions,” said Patrick Tonks, creative director at Great Bean Bags, who started the project. “They might even be scared and confused.
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“There’s no denying 2020 has been a terrible year for many of us. In an attempt to embrace the situation we are all in, we wanted to see the pandemic through the eyes of children and get an insight to how they view what’s going on.”
One drawing came with the caption: “No rainbow, no touching people, no touching flowers, no touching birds and no touching leaves”. We relate.
Great Bean Bags This is what coronavirus looks like.
Great Bean Bags
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It’s a good idea, in general, to get your child to draw or paint whatever they’re worried about. Child clinical psychologist Lucy Russell said it can help them find the words for something they find hard to describe, or ask about.
“Often a child’s reactions to such an event will mirror the parent(s),” she told HuffPost UK. “So, if parents are able to stay calm and continue with life in as normal a way as possible, then the child will (very likely) pick up on all the verbal and non-verbal signs of containment and be able to do the same.
“Adults should communicate the implications of the virus in the context of ensuring the child feels safe and contained.”
Great Bean Bags Coronavirus, by Dylan Buckland, age 5
Good Bean Bags By Evan, age 8
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Russell also recommends drawing with your child. “Try drawing a picture of a human body and asking your child to draw what they feel when they are worried or anxious,” she said.
“Physical symptoms of anxiety are normal when the brain perceives danger. The danger is not always as big as the brain thinks it is. It reacts in a similar way whether it is a tiny danger or a major danger. You can help your child notice these signs, and explain how normal they are.
“This will help your child feel less frightened.”
Russell also gave six tips for helping your child deal with their feelings about Covid-19.
Shift focus to what can be controlled
You can’t control which tier your area has been placed in, but there are things you can control. Russell suggests making a list of things to do, which includes simple pleasures like when to decorate the Christmas tree together, family film nights and prioritising a good night’s sleep.
Limit access to the news
This doesn’t mean avoiding telling your child the truth when they ask you, Russell says, but try not to swamp them with bad news and scary headlines. Limit your child’s access to the news – young children’s brains won’t have developed the ability to balance fears with rational thoughts. Try listening to music, or watch age-appropriate bulletins together, such as CBBC Newsround.
Work on breathing
Deep, slow breathing helps stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, says Russell – the part of the nervous system that calms and soothes us. Try breathing in for three and out for five, three times; three times a day. You could also try free meditations with your children at bedtime.
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Soothe the senses
Try concentrating on each of the five senses, and creating activities to nourish them, as a family. Russell recommends: Taste: Make soothing hot chocolate or a comforting casserole. Touch: Have a sensual bubble bath. Wrap your child tightly in a blanket. Smell: Go outside and explore the smells of the plants and flowers you can see. Hearing: Focus on using a calming tone of voice in your family, play calming music. Vision: Spend time making at least one room into a calm, uncluttered space where your mind (and your child’s) can rest if you need to spend a lot of time at home.
Keep up routines
Children thrive on structure and routine, Russell says, just like adults. “Routine and predictability are especially important in times of uncertainty such as these. They make us feel a little more in control, and enhance feelings of safety. Preserve as many routines at home as you can. If you have movie nights with your child on a Friday, and you go for a walk on a Saturday, then make extra effort to keep these going.”
Find the positives
This can be really hard if you’re feeling overwhelmed yourself, Russell admits, but she says you could try and focus on the fact you’re able to spend more quality time as a family. You could also try praising your children every time they demonstrate resilience – and if all else fails, look for an example of good news amongst the bad.
For more support


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-28--‘People Are Starting To Listen To Themselves’: The Awakening Of We Are Who We Are Star Jack Dylan Gr

‘People Are Starting To Listen To Themselves’: The Awakening Of We Are Who We Are Star Jack Dylan Grazer

“I like your nails!”
Jack Dylan Grazer is complimenting my chipped black nail polish, although it’s not half as neat as his own. We waggle our hands in front of our respective laptop screens, showing off our digits from either sides of the pond.
His are impressive, though not as artfully designed as the nails of Frazer, the central character Jack plays in We Are Who We Are, the new BBC Three series by Luca Guadagnino, the director who also helmed Call Me By Your Name.
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Two men talking about their nails: so far, so progressive. And in this sense, Jack Dylan Grazer, pegged to be ‘the next’ Timothée Chalamet and already Gen-Z-famous for roles in IT and Beautiful Boy, is by his own admission startlingly similar to his character in the show.
Like Frazer, 17-year-old Jack is also still going through education. We talk politics in light of the US Election, and much like everything else we speak about, he is explosively passionate - but also frank about what he still has to learn.
“When it was Mitt Romney versus Barack Obama there was a line between principle and morality and politics,” he says. “And now it’s like these two things have moulded and it’s like who you stand for politically. It’s also a principle thing and moral thing, which is weird, I don’t like that, it creates more division.
“I wish I could’ve voted but there’s so much controversy about whether it even matters or something. Honestly, I don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about, but yes Biden would be my choice, yes.”
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“The hardest thing I think I’ve ever had to do is step away from Frazer”: Jack Dylan. Grazer on his role in We Are Who We Are Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP
Politics isn’t the thrust of We Are Who We Are, at least not in the purest sense. Instead, the show is about identity politics: what makes us who we are in terms of gender and sexuality. In the show, angsty teenager Frazer has moved with his two lesbian mums from the USA to Northern Italy.
There, he meets Caitlin, played by newcomer Jordan Kristine Seamón, and against the poetic backdrop of coastal Italy, but confined within a Christian conservative military base, the two begin to question their own gender expressions.
“I don’t like that people put brackets on people, like the label of ‘you’re this generation,’” Jack says. “Yeah, I mean mathematically, literally, I guess so. But there’s more layers to it than that.
“I would say that if Gen Z was to be translated into an action, I feel like it’s this new enlightenment or something, the introduction of this new awakening of ideas and lifestyles. I think it’s breaking down the concrete initial barrier that humans have built since forever, since there were people saying men should be with women and that’s it.”
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He’s on a roll. “And now people are saying ’what about our primal instincts? What about our intuitions which tell me that I’m not attracted to women. What do I do then?′ People are starting to listen to themselves and other people are starting to listen to people listening to themselves and empathise with that because why would you ignore your conscience?”
We Are Who We Are also stars Jordan Kristine Seamon as Caitlin Supplied
Surmising his thought, he says: “I think people are becoming more in tune with their conscious, their subconscious and really peeling back the layers of themselves and being proud to display that.”
Jack gained much of his insight on gender and identity from playing Frazer. After the shoot, he had to divorce himself from what felt like an alternative version of himself.
“The hardest thing I think I’ve ever had to do is step away from Frazer,” he laments. “I really had to delve deep into his intonalities and his motives for the things that he did and said. I couldn’t just say these things.
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“There’s more scenes of him not having dialogue than having dialogue which means it all relies on the face and that I have to feel these things, and there’s no other way for me to feel these things than to convince myself that I believed in feeling these things. So I would go home and it’s hard to shake that off.
“I’d look at myself in the mirror and be like, ‘Jack, I don’t see any Jack. I see no Jack!’ Jack doesn’t dye his hair, Jack doesn’t do these things.
“And that’s the disturbing thing: to walk away from that is kinda hard… I mean people could say, ’Oh my god, playing Frazer really messed Jack up. No. I think it really opened my eyes to the possibility of life and understanding.”
Jack Dylan Grazer posing at an event in Westwood, California Getty Images
He describes the show as like a stir of self-enquiry.
“What do I stand for? Who Am I? All these stirring questions. And all these people, whether they find the answer to their questions or not, it doesn’t matter,” he says. “We are who we are because during this journey, we’re discovering things about ourselves.”
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He says We Are Who We Are is the acting work he’s most proud of. So, primed from Luca’s stewardship, what next? He isn’t interested in the obvious Timothee comparisons.
“I love Timothee don’t get me wrong, but I don’t like comparing myself to other people really,” he states.
“I want to play every single character. Even when I was little I wanted to play a pirate, I wanted to play Indiana Jones, I wanted to play a spy, I wanted to do all these things. I want to play a sceptic, I want to play someone who isn’t open minded, I want to play it all! I just wanna play pretend, that’s what I wanna do.”
He has an endearing habit of asserting just how passionate he is about experiencing life in the broadest terms. “I want to do everything, I want to do everything,” he repeats.
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One of the things he’s learning more about at the moment is fashion. He shows me his new jumper - “it’s like a German thing. It’s cool, it’s vintage” - and has a stylist called Tiffany.
He hasn’t been styled for a red carpet event since February - but tailored clothing or otherwise, Jack looks in good shape for Hollywood: he can’t tell me more about upcoming projects, but the confidence he exudes suggests finding work isn’t a struggle.
First he has to finish school. But right now, nothing will beat a day out skating with his friends - although sadly lockdown has prohibited that. “It’d be really fun to mob again but it hasn’t happened in a while,” he reflects.
“To mob again with all my friends and skate downhill and yell and throw things and be fun like that. I miss that. I miss that a lot.”
We Are Who We Are is on BBC Three and iPlayer now. Watch the trailer below: