Jackie Weaver: Viral star enjoying her celebrity 'adventure'

Jackie Weaver started 2021 as the chief officer of an association supporting local councils, a role she never expected would lead her to a celebrity life of premieres, guest appearances and Christmas lights switch-ons.

But on the evening of 4 February, she got an excited text message from a colleague.

"I can't believe it - you're trending on Twitter at number one," it read.

Unbeknownst to her, an edited version of a Handforth Parish Council meeting had been circulated on the social media site and her name was being widely shared.

"This meant absolutely nothing to me whatsoever," she said.

"I made some pleasant comment back and thanked her for letting me know."

At the time, she did not have a Twitter account and had no idea what it meant to be trending, so she messaged her son, who she said told her not to worry, as "it will be a mistake".

"Off I went to bed and never gave it another thought and then - in a nice way - all hell broke loose the following day," she said.

Two months earlier, Ms Weaver, from Whitchurch in Shropshire, had been called in to support the council's planning and environment meeting as part of her role at the Cheshire Association of Local Councils.

Unexpectedly, the meeting, which was held remotely over Zoom, spiralled out of control with shouting, a disruptive phone call and parish councillors being ejected and it saw chairman Brian Tolver telling her, in a phrase that has since become infamous: "You have no authority here, Jackie Weaver."

Ten months on, Ms Weaver said she feels "surprisingly positive" about the clip being watched by millions of people.

"When it first went viral, I guess my concern was that it would show local councils in a poor light, but actually it hasn't," she said.

"It has a shown a generation of people that there are local councils and they do fabulous things behind the scenes and we need to get more involved in them."

After the clip went viral, Ms Weaver, who has been involved with local councils for 25 years, was doing about 20 interviews a week.

And her calendar has been full ever since, as her new-found fame has meant she now juggles her time between her day job and a number of unexpected opportunities.

"It's a strange juxtaposition of one moment being about to step out on stage in front of a live audience doing The Big Fat Quiz of the Year with Jimmy Carr and the next one doing a training session for parish councillors," she said.

Ms Weaver will also appear on the BBC's Celebrity Mastermind in the new year, but admits she does not have the authority to share her specialist subject.

Alongside a host of radio interviews and TV appearances, including a sketch at the Brit Awards which saw her appear alongside host Jack Whitehall and Line of Duty actors Vicky McClure and Martin Compston, Ms Weaver has switched on the Christmas lights in Northwich, been immortalised in a cake and had a goat named after her.

She has also found time to write a book, titled You Do Have the Authority Here!, which is described as a guide for getting things done without fuss, keeping cool in the face of adversity and pressing mute on the noise.

But despite the many new opportunities, Ms Weaver said she counts shining a light on local democracy as one of her favourite moments of 2021.

She has been invited to speak to groups and organisations up and down the country about how local democracy operates.

"Getting the publicity for [local councils] is a real highlight," she said.

"But at the same time, I have had this really privileged adventure."

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