Joe Wicks: Thousands of children join live YouTube PE lesson following UK school closures

More than 790,000 households tuned in to the live session

Thousands of children have joined Joe Wicks for a live PE lesson following the closure of schools in the UK amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, the 33-year-old fitness instructor held his first virtual PE class on YouTube to ensure children are still keeping fit from home.

Children from across the world joined the 30-minute session, which was aimed at everyone from toddlers to secondary school pupils.

More than 790,000 households tune in to the live session, which was held on Wicks’ YouTube channel, The Body Coach TV, while the published video has since been viewed more than 255,000 times.

Wicks encouraged parents to share photos and videos of their children taking part in the lesson on Twitter using the hashtag #PEwithJoe.

The hashtag quickly started trending on social media as thousands of people praised Wicks for helping to keep their children fit and healthy while posting images and clips from the session.

“Loads of respect to Joe Wicks. Single-handedly saving the nation from hyperactive kids,” one person wrote alongside a video of their daughter joining in on the class.

Another added: “Day 1 of home schooling starts with some PE, kids loved it!!”

A third person commented: “A morning workout session with @thebodycoach I’ve never seen my step daughter volunteer for exercise before today. Great work Joe!”

Wicks announced the launch of the live sessions last week on Twitter, writing: “Hello everybody, I’m Joe Wicks The Body Coach and I’ve got an exciting announcement to make,” he said.

“Starting Monday, every single day from Monday to Friday I’m going to do a live workout called PE with Joe on my Youtube Channel, TheBodyCoachTV.

“It’s a workout specifically designed for kids because when the schools are closed there is no PE. Don’t worry, I’ve got you – I’m going to take this over.”

Wicks added that the sessions will help get children moving and feeling more energised, positive and optimistic during this uncertain time.

“We’re going to be doing loads of basic exercises, you don’t need a lot of room,” he explained before asking people to share the video far and wide.

“This is happening, I am going to be the nation’s PE teacher.”

The live lessons follow the announcements that all schools, nurseries and colleges in England, Wales and Scotland have been closed to help curb the spread of coronavirus and will not re-open until further notice.

While most pupils will no longer attend lessons, the government has stated that children of key workers, including NHS and public transport staff, and vulnerable children will still be catered for.

The closures mean that all exams due to be sat in May and June have been cancelled, including GCSEs, A-levels and Sats.