Celebs tape video urging take-up of Covid jab

Romesh Ranganathan, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Adil Ray are among the celebrities fronting a new video campaign to encourage minority groups to take up the Covid vaccine.

Their message will air simultaneously on  ITV, Channel 4, STV, Channel 5 and Sky at 9.56pm tonight.

Also taking part are London mayor Sadiq Khan, Olympian Denise Lewis, singer Beverley Knight and cricketer Moeen Ali, among others.

ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall said Thursday's simultaneous broadcast would ensure the campaign's message reached ‘the most people at the same time’.

The film will not be shown on the BBC because the corporation's charter prevents it from taking part in campaigns, but has vowed to cover the issue widely today.

Citizen Khan creator Ray first posted the five-minute video online last month. In it, the stars emphasising the role of Muslim scientists in developing vaccines and debunked disinformation about inoculations.

In his segment, Ranganathan says: ‘There is no chip or tracker in the vaccine to keep watching where you go. Your mobile phone actually does a much better job of that.’

He appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning to talke more about the campaign, saying: ’It just feels so heart-breaking to me that people from ethnic minorities are inflicting a degree of separation upon themselves from not trusting in this.

‘I understand all the reasons why - I've heard all the arguments - but I just feel so strongly that we need to make sure we dispel some of these myths, so that people are getting involved and we can get ourselves out of this pandemic.’

We all have to do something to help one another during these difficult times. Here's a message we have recorded for members of our Ethnic Minority communities. Please share and retweet. #covid19 #vaccine pic.twitter.com/16YUvgxxse

— Adil Ray OBE 💙 (@adilray) January 25, 2021

Ray said: ’We are in unprecedented times and the fact remains this pandemic disproportionately affects people from ethnic minority communities. The message is simple: take the vaccine, save lives.’

Published: 18 Feb 2021