Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jackie Weaver wins celebrity fans after chaotic Handforth Parish Council meeting goes viral

'The best British comedy in decades,' wrote Greg James

Jacob Stolworthy
Friday 05 February 2021 08:53 EST
Comments
Handforth Parish Council Zoom meeting descends into chaos

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Jackie Weaver has won many celebrity fans thanks to the Handforth Parish Council meeting that went viral.

Weaver became an overnight sensation after the Zoom town council meeting she was leading circulated on social media on Thursday (4 February).

The clip shows the virtual gathering descending into chaos as councillors are shown to insult one another due to buried tensions coming to the fore. 

As several meeting members shout abuse at Weaver, she brilliantly ejects them from the Zoom video call, which took place in December 2020.

Weaver, who has been trending on Twitter since the viral video and was interviewed on Woman's Hour on Friday (5 February), has since been referenced by numerous celebrities, including Dara Ó Briain, Sue Perkins and Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan.

RELATED: Handforth parish council: The history of a feud

"I will not sleep tonight until I have gone through every Jackie Weaver related tweet on the internet," Perkins wrote.

Ó Briain added: “I THINK that last night was the last of this series of Mock the Week, but if I tune in next week and it’s being hosted by Jackie Weaver, I will have strong words to say on the Zoom.”

Meanwhile, Paul Chahidi, who plays the Vicar in BBC Three sitcom This Country, wrote: “I can neither confirm nor deny whether Handforth Parish council have been influenced by #ThisCountry. But Jackie Weaver is giving off very strong Vicar vibes. Rev Francis stands with her.”

DJ Greg James called the video “the best British comedy in decades”.

Find tweets referencing Weaver below.

The clips and YouTube video quickly became a hit, with tens of thousand of retweets and likes on Twitter.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in