The feel-good power list

The people making a difference during the pandemic.

Two months ago the world changed and the people we took notice of changed, too. A new gravity gripped the nation. Almost overnight headlines pronounced ‘the death of celebrity’. Pampered individuals living in bubbles with carefully crafted Instagram fantasies quickly felt off-key.

We suddenly wanted to witness great acts of altruism. We wanted to read about people rolling up their sleeves and pitching in. Ordinary people suddenly became the new stars – who knew that a 100-year-old veteran called Captain (now Colonel) Tom would become such a national treasure?

Conversely, some people in the public eye came in for criticism for reading the mood wrongly. Like singer Sam Smith, who posted a ‘quarantine meltdown’ picture crying on the steps of their £12 million mansion. (Smith later insisted the video had been a joke that backfired.) Or Victoria Beckham, whose fashion label sought £150,000 in taxpayer funds to place 30 staff on furlough. (Following a backlash about the Beckhams’ personal wealth, the brand later reversed its decision.) And like Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish, who was caught breaking lock

down rules 24 hours after imploring his 297,000 Twitter followers to ‘Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives’.

Stephanie Alice Baker, senior lecturer in sociology at City University London, who is currently studying influencer marketing during the pandemic, observes, ‘Most of those who have been publicly criticised are ones who have flaunted their privilege, appeared greedy by using taxpayer money to furlough staff or been accused of acting irresponsibly by ignoring social distancing rules and relocating to their second homes.’

‘Right now, we’re looking for sincerity in people to leave us with that warm glow, like Colonel Tom,’ says Ellis Cashmore, honorary professor of sociology at Aston University, and author of the book Kardashian Kulture.

He says that the lockdown has highlighted the people who are not in it for themselves: ‘Over the years our culture has progressively become more cynical – we are always looking at celebrities wondering what they stand to gain from their actions, so when these extraordinary times throw up some genuine characters, it’s a hugely pleasant and unexpected surprise.’

People like Damian Lewis and Helen Mccrory, who set up a Justgiving page and raised over £1 million, Sophie Wessex who has been volunteering cooking meals for front-line staff, or ex-mclaren boss Ron Dennis, who was inspired by his doctor daughter to found Salutethenhs.org, a venture delivering food packs to hospital staff.

So what do these new feel-good power players have in common? Cashmore believes they are contributing something collectively. ‘The figures that have become resonant lately are those who have appeared to have adjusted their lifestyle in a way that reflects ours exactly,’ he continues. ‘People like celebrity trainer Joe Wicks, who went online early and seemed to understand the predicament in a way that celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger, reclining in a hot tub with a cigar telling the world to “stay home”, did not.’

So will it last? Both Baker and Cashmore are sceptical. ‘I believe we’re in a period of cultural remission, meaning the prominence of celebrities has receded and their importance has been re-evaluated: when it comes to life-and-death situations, do they actually matter?’ says Cashmore. ‘That’s the kind of question we assume people are asking. But my suspicion is that this is a question we only assume people are asking. After all, look at the story about Meghan in court with the Mail on Sunday. In a properly run world, this shouldn’t interest us. But it still does.’

Whether our new focus is permanent or not, there is a long list of inspiring names who have won our respect during this pandemic. No doubt there will be more acts of goodwill in weeks to come and more people who will come to the fore, but for now, here are the 47 names to watch out for and maybe even add to your Thursday-night claps.