Oldham Council Paid Jay From The Inbetweeners For A 'Stay Safe' Cameo Video Message

When you have a crucially important message to get out to the general public, it pays to think outside the box. Or in Oldham Council's case, they paid Jay from The Inbetweeners to make a 'stay safe' video. Watch it below:

In the video, actor James Buckley - who played Jay on the successful TV series - reminds people that the coronavirus pandemic isn't over and it's still incredibly important to abide by a few simple rules to reduce the risk of spreading it.

"Hello residents of Oldham," he says. "How's it going? Oldham Council, for some reason, have decided to trust me in giving you this quite serious message.

"Here's a coronavirus guidelines reminder to Oldham residents: no visitors at home, don't meet anyone you don't live with in indoor venues, no care home visits, take extra care if you have shielded, maintain social distancing.

"It is tricky, it is complicated, we do keep getting told different things a lot of the time - just stay safe. Just isolate, stay safe, wait for this thing to blow over, and maybe we can all head down the caravan club when the time is right.

"Sending you all lots of love. Bye!"

Cameo/Oldham Council

When a follower described the video as a waste of money, Oldham Council responded: "This cost us £34 and is a small part of a much wider campaign to ensure people are complying with coronavirus guidance."

In these dire times, James is one of many celebrities of all levels have been turning to Cameo to make a few extra pounds. If you haven't heard of it, it's an online personalised message service where you can order a personal video message from an actor or athlete or reality TV star or the like for a special occasion.

It's proved insanely popular. In fact, it was recently revealed that Buckley has made over £100,000 in three months from his Cameo videos. The 32-year-old actor has filmed more than 3,500 videos, for which he charges £41.50 each. All he has to do is record a profanity-laced video and boom! Nice work if you can get it!

Let's hope people take this message - which the council shared on Twitter - a bit more seriously than anything Jay would come out with on The Inbetweeners.

Topics: UK News, Coronavirus

Mischa Pearlmen

Mischa is a freelance journalist usually based in either New York or London. He has written for Kerrang!, Record Collector, NME, the New York Observer and FLOOD magazine, among others. Contact him at [email protected]