In his television programme How Videogames Changed The World, Charlie Brookerranked Twitter number one in the list. The social media platform was, in his eyes, the ultimate video game: Software that offers digital rewards in return for savvy sentences.
He was right, of course. Twitter is indeed a platform where you ‘play’ for likes and shares. The higher the numbers, the bigger the satisfaction.
At least, that was the case until this week – when Tesco decided to flip the whole concept of Twitter on its head.
On Monday (9 November), Britain’s biggest supermarket gleefully tossed a spanner in the social network by offering a reward for users who didn’t get any responses from their tweets.
Tesco promised a free meal deal to anyone who managed to quote their tweet and survive until 1pm the next day with no likes, no retweets and no comments.
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So, social media did what it does best: It descended into chaos.
Quote tweet this tweet and get 0 likes, 0 RT’s and 0 comments by 1pm tomorrow, winner gets a free #TescoMealDeal on us!
As soon as Tesco’s tweet started trending, users began sabotaging one another’s attempts to save a few quid on a sandwich, bag of crisps, and bottle of coke.
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Some people have tried their best to quietly fly under the radar, whereas others have issued threats to block fellow users.
So far, very few tweets have made it through unscathed.
Will anybody be unpopular enough on Twitter to be able to claim a free lunch? There may be a few who manage to slip through the cracks.
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But what Tesco’s little competition has revealed is that if Twitter is indeed a video game, it’s very much a single-player.
The Wild West-like world of social media has been laid bare.
Head over to Twitter to watch the turmoil unravel.
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Peter Kay adds MORE hometown charity gigs in aid of Bolton Hospice
Danny Jones
Local comedy icon Peter Kay has added even more homecoming charity gigs, adding some extra shows at the historic Albert Halls.
You can guarantee these tickets will be snapped up quicker than you can say garlic bread.
Performing on behalf of his hometown’s Bolton Hospice, the Lancashire legend and stand-up veteran might be winding down his hugely successful career on stage, but not before raising as much money for charity as possible.
Confirmed on Monday, 13 July, a further four ‘Peter Kay: Better Late Than Never (Again!)’ dates have been tacked on the regional tour run – but there’s a catch.
Yes, in case you missed the initial announcement back in April, the 53-year-old from Farnworth is only catering to his native Boltonians.
With seats being made exclusive to those with specific postcodes only – after all, his previous record-breaking tour saw people all over the country treated to plenty of dates – this latest update gives them even more of a chance of getting tickets.
Speaking ahead of the sets scheduled for early next year, Peter says, “There was such a big demand for tickets for the shows that I really want to do more and give the people who missed out the chance to come along.”
If you want to check if you’re eligible to grab one, you can read more down below.
The Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy creator goes on to add: “I’m putting on four more shows in the New Year and playing at the weekend means I can also perform matinees, as well as evening shows and increase funds for the hospice, which is what it’s all about.”
Kay has already raised huge sums for various charities throughout his career, and with all proceeds from these upcoming performances going to the organisation, these funds can make such a difference in so many lives.
Adding matinee and evening slots on Saturday and Sunday, 9-10 January 2027 (3:30 and 7:30pm), respectively, the quartet of additional comedy shows go on sale at 10am this Friday, 17 July.
A Wigan dad is searching for the ‘hero’ who helped calm his son’s panic attack while on a busy train
Emily Sergeant
A former rugby player from Wigan is searching for the ‘hero’ who came to his son’s aid when he was having a panic attack on a busy train.
Shaun Ainscough – a former rugby player who played for Wigan Warriors at the start of his career from 2009-10 – was on a packed train home from the match between his former team and St Helens at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday 5 July when his son started having a panic attack.
The 11-year-old boy was crying, screaming, shaking, taking his clothes off, and begging to get off the hot train carriage that was full of people travelling home from the match.
“All the fans [on the train] were singing and we were having a laugh, although because we were all stood up, we literally couldn’t sit anywhere,” Shaun explained to the BBC in an interview.
Shaun says he then became overwhelmed with emotion himself as he saw his son in distress, to the point where he also started crying.
But then, a woman – whose name is still unknown – came to the rescue and spent the entire rest of the journey trying to calm the boy, reassuring him with words and using a handheld fan to calm him down.
Shaun has since put out a post on social media – which has been seen by thousands of people – asking for the woman to come forward, as the pair are desperate to thank her in person and ‘give her some flowers’.
“It might not have seemed like a big deal to her but the small act was massive and we just want to say thank you,” Shaun explained.
“She could read something over text, but in person means so much more, and maybe we could give her some flowers just to show how much we appreciated her that day.”
He concluded: “This hero came over and ended up being the strongest person on the train.”
The Manc -
10th November 2020 
