Funny man Ricky Tomlinson is among a line-up of entertainers broadcasting live on a new TV channel launched in Wales to help beat the coronavirus blues.
The Royle Family star was one of the first guests on “Clarach Bay TV – The Isolation Station” which has been set up by Aberystwyth businessman Thomas Scarrott.
Screening for two hours every night, it is available across the UK and features professional entertainers performing from the safety of their own homes while they sit out the crisis.
Also on the menu each evening from 7.00pm are quizzes, chat, and slots especially for children.
Thomas is one of the three hosts of the CBTV station, and he co-presents the show from a spare bedroom at his home in Aberystwyth, near to Clarach Bay Holiday Village.
The park is one of nine in Wales owned by Vale Holiday Parks, operated by Thomas’s family for over 50 years and which has started providing accommodation for front-line NHS staff.
Now Thomas is issuing a plea to other entertainers, sports personalities and TV and film celebs to come forward and help lift the spirits of people stuck indoors:
“We’ve had brilliant support from our guests so far, and I am determined that CBTV should stay on a roll and do its part in fighting the gloom,” he said.
“Our parks employ many freelance entertainers each year to appear in our shows, and we have been paying them a small fee to take part to help offset their loss of income.
“Others, like Ricky Tomlinson who owns a holiday caravan on one of our parks, have appeared for free, and we are all extremely grateful to them.
“We can loan any guest the equipment they need to make a professional quality broadcast from their home, and we’ve already aired some amazing singing and dancing acts!
“I know we’re hardly a mainstream TV station, but viewers seem to love our lighthearted approach and the enthusiasm of everyone involved each night,” added Thomas.
The show’s co-hosts are the park group’s entertainment manager Jem Brent who lives at Clarach Bay Holiday Village, and employee of 30 years Ian Holmes who lives in the West Midlands.
CBTV has a Facebook page created by Thomas at https://m.facebook.com/groups/clarachbaytv
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