Cameo role’s a winner for Ricky
TV star Ricky Tomlinson is raking in thousands of pounds a month making videos for fans using his “my a**e” catchphrase.
The Royle Family actor – famous for playing Jim Royle – is recording video messages for fans on Cameo.
In the cl ips, Ricky is wearing Jim’s trademark grubby T-shirt and sitting in an armchair, just like his couch-potato character.
Ricky charges £ 60 a pop and has 607 five-star reviews on the site for his videos, meaning he has made more than £36,000 since last year.
Fans have been lef t delighted. One said: “You went above and beyond, my dad and everyone who’s seen it just love it.”
Another added: “Very funny, personalised and really genuine.”
It comes after the First Minister last week indicated he did not believe it was the most effective way to tackle child poverty.
He’d said: “I don’t think that’s the right way to use that money”.
But Yousaf appeared to U-turn after furious criticism from cross- party supporters of the proposal, which is the focus of a Sunday Mail campaign.
They argued means testing free meals creates a stigma for pupils attending class hungr y and pointed too huge administration savings fromm a universal approach.
Yousaf has now insisted a secondary school pilot will go ahead as promised.
A Scottish Government spokeman said : “It is important that we carry out the necessar y planning g work required to deliver our ur free school meal expansion sion programme. In due course we will consider which areas will be included in any pilot of free meals in secondary schools.”
Opposition politicians had reacted furiously to the suggestion the government could be backpedal l ing on the commitment. Labour’s Monica Lennon said: “It would be mean and cruel to put the brakes on the rollout of universal free school meals. Hunger knows no age limits and the First Minister must fulfil the rights of all children and young people.” Scottish Conservative education spokesman Stephen Kerr said: “Humza Yousaf was elected on a pledge to bring forward this pilot.
“Those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis need to know if this pilot is still planned to go ahead – or whether this was just a ploy to get voters on side.”
Lib Dem MSP Wil lie Rennie said: “Children learn better when they are well fed.fed. Just eight weeks in, Humza YousaYousaf has been forced into U-tuturn after U-turn.”
AAlex Salmond’s Alba Party hahas launched a petition demdemanding the roll out of frefree school meals for all schschool children.
ThThe Sunday Mail will cohosthost aan event in Parliament this week alongalo with the STUC who are campaigningcampaign for the urgent extension of free school meal provision. Yousaf has said he cannot attend but said he would “engage with” the STUC on the issue. A spokesman said: “The First Minister receives a large volume of requests for meetings but, unfortunately, it isn’t possible to attend them all.”