Covid guru Sir Jonathan Van-Tam invited friend Sir Chris Whitty to watch his beloved Boston United play a match as his leaving do with the deputy chief medical officer set to step down in a fortnight.
Some of the former deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van Tam s best moments include comparing the Government s relationship with coronavirus to a football game.
Britain s chief medical officer has inspired thousands more school leavers to apply for careers in medicine during the pandemic, a new report says.
A surge dubbed the Chris Whitty effect saw a record-breaking number of teenagers apply for university courses in the medical field for 2021 entry.
Applicant numbers jumped by a fifth compared to the previous year for medicine and a quarter for nursing, data from the Medical Schools Council (MSC) and UCAS shows.
This will drive up competition for limited places, despite Matt Hancock last year pledging to lift the cap on medical school spaces available in England.
A report by UCAS noted that the arrival of Covid-19 had an immediate impact on applicant behaviour , adding this continues to unfold as we move into the 2021 cycle.
Star of the No10 briefings Jonathan Van Tam swaps jabs for a spring jog near his home dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
He s become a household name in Britain over the past year, regularly appearing at Downing Street briefings to issue updates on the coronavirus pandemic.
And Chris Whitty has developed something of a fan following among the public for his straight-talking, trustworthy and unflappable nature at the press conferences.
Now, a range of merchandise has been brought out in appreciation of England s chief medical officer - from mugs to T-shirts, and birthday cards to cardboard masks.
Among them is a £10 mug referencing Dub Be Good to Me, saying: Hands, face, space, walk jam nitty-gritty; You re listening to advice from Professor Chris Whitty.