How the Beleaguered BBC Became ‘Comfort Food’ in a Pandemic

It may seem unlikely that a country known for being buttoned-up would turn to a man dancing in a multicolored unitard for reassurance and inspiration. Yet each morning recently, about 1.6 million people in Britain have been tuning in to watch Mr. Motivator, real name Derrick Evans, on a BBC program called “Healthcheck U.K. Live.”

Mr. Motivator, who gained fame here in the 1990s encouraging people to flex and thrust with him on morning television, is a part of the BBC’s current efforts to cater to a population under lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic.

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