Local hairdresser and business owner Becky McClaughry is using her time lockdown to try something new by appearing as a regular contributor on the new BBC One Northern Ireland television series The People’s News. Starting last Thursday (May 28) at 7.30pm, the new six-part series follows people from around Northern Ireland who have been recording themselves giving their views on the news and what’s going on at the moment.

Speaking to The Impartial Reporter, Becky shared how her involvement in the series came about: “A client of mine, I think she may have got an email from the producers of the programme and they just asked her did she know of anyone who would be up for this role.”

The client recommended Becky and she decided to apply. “Then they rang me, must have been a few days later and asked me to do an audition tape then rang me back to say that I would be a contributor.”

“They rang me back and asked me to start straight away. I think they’ve been doing it since mid-April and they asked me to join the team,” she added.

However, when she first applied, Becky had no idea that she was going to be on television.

She revealed: “When I first heard about it I thought it was going to be just a normal blogging thing for Instagram, I didn’t realise it was going to be on the BBC at 7.30pm, that’s kind of prime time to be honest.”

Fortunately, filming herself came quite naturally to Becky due to her experience of recording stories for her Instagram page, which isn’t all too different from the filming she is required to do for the show.

She shared: “I would chat on Instagram a bit, just about general stuff so the grid is normally hair stuff and then on the stories feature I just talk about what I’m up to day to day and how work has been. Then coming into lockdown I was posting more because I was a bit bored,” said Becky.

She continued: “I usually chat to around 1,500 followers on Instagram and half the time I don’t even think they’re watching. So I suppose it’s weird because I’m still only talking to the phone but I’m not holding it portrait, I’m having to hold it landscape.”

“It’s just a bit weird to think that half the country are watching it rather than just my usual 1,500 followers,” laughed Becky, adding: “I’m kinda hoping it’ll make my Instagram blow up but who knows. It’d be nice to have 2,000 followers instead of 1,500 but a girl can dream.”

Commenting that she was a little nervous to see herself on the silver screen, Becky said: “I never ever play my Instagram stories back, I just post them so I’m going to have to sit and watch this.”

When asked what being a contributor for the show entails, Becky explained: “Basically I’m reacting to news stories about coronavirus. Kind of like Gogglebox only it’s about coronavirus. I just film anything I’m up to day to day, anything that’s fun. So for example I had to talk about what I thought about the beaches being reopened.”

“They send you over the details that you need to film and then you film it and you log it online yourself,” she added.

In last week’s episode, the first in the series, Becky is shown surprising her friend who was supposed to be getting married in May, but had to postpone her wedding due to the pandemic.

“My friend was supposed to get married on Saturday, May 23 so I got to film all of that. I videoed us surprising her and I videoed us in the garden. I was supposed to be bridesmaid for her, so that was probably the most fun thing I’ve filmed,” said Becky, adding: “Over the next few weeks I’m going to be filming as I go along I think.”

Alongside Becky, the next five weeks of the series will feature nurses, farmers, athletes, parents, business owners and many others who will be putting the world to rights.

With households spending more time in their homes, the series will see them reflecting on the challenges of the current climate as they navigate the ‘new normal’.

Be prepared to laugh, cry, agree and disagree with your neighbours as they talk about the news we are all talking about, and show us how they are living their lives in these strange times, be it at home, work or play.

Forget the usual media commentators, The People’s News is all about what’s on the minds of ordinary people who pick up their cameras and film their views and reactions to the burning issues everyone is talking about.

The People’s News is a Tern TV Production for BBC Northern Ireland. The series continues on BBC One Northern Ireland at 7.30pm tonight (Thursday).