As we reach a year of lockdown, here are some of the things that kept life bearable.
1. Must-see TV
With nowhere to go for large parts of the year cultural events were largely limited to the TV or laptop screen, and that meant a resurgence of the appointment to view, with terrestrial shows like I May Destroy You on BBC, ITV’s The Quiz and Channel 4’s It’s A Sin uniting the nation around the virtual water cooler.
Elsewhere, streaming shows like The Crown, The Queen’s Gambit and The Last Dance became big hits for Netflix
2. Gaming
For many it has been a year of gaming. The family-friendly Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a well-timed release in March of last year to keep Nintendo Switch owners amused in the early days of lockdown, while zombie sequel The Last Of Us Part II was a must-play on the PlayStation 4. In the latest lockdown, though, it has all been about next generation consoles, after the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 were released at the end of last year.
3. Delivery drivers
As grocery shopping became difficult, and all other retail completely closed, we became increasingly dependent on all our delivery drivers, who worked round the clock to keep parcels moving, and fresh food in the fridge
4. Baking
There was a period in 2020 when it was impossible to turn on Facebook or Instagram without seeing a picture of a friend or relative’s attempts at banana bread or sourdough. Such was the uptick in home baking that it caused a shortage of flour last spring.
5. Meal kits and takeaways
As restaurants and pubs hastily pivoted to takeaway operations during the first lockdown, ordering in became a method to treat yourself while supporting local business for those who could afford to do so.
As the year progressed, more and more food outlets began to produce meal kits to allow their customers to continue to experience restaurant-quality food at home.
6. Sea shanties
The close-harmony nautical folk songs proved to be the perfect genre for a TikTok trend which saw users repeatedly layer their own vocals on top of others’ videos.
And this was one social media trend to break through into the mainstream, making a star of Nathan Evans – the Scottish postal worker whose version of Wellerman started it all.