YouTuber gets his childhood Christmas wish granted
YouTuber gets his childhood Christmas wish granted
Imogen Lee - Norfolk Tue, October 20, 2026 at 8:05 AM UTC
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JaackMaate and his podcast co-hosts are the star guests for Norwich's Christmas lights switch-on.
Podcasters with over a million subscribers have said they will be ticking off a bucket list dream by switching on a city's Christmas lights.
Jack Dean, 33, best known from JaackMaate's Happy Hour podcast on YouTube, and his co-hosts Stevie White, 33, and Robbie Knox, 49, will be the star guests at Norwich's annual switch-on.
The comedy show has seen high-profile guests such as Ricky Gervais, Romesh Ranganathan and Richard Osman join the Norfolk-based trio.
White said: "I never thought it was going to happen, but I have no complaints and I'm so excited for the day."
Norwich City Council made the announcement on Friday and the lights will be turned on on Thursday, 19 November.
White and Dean met when they were pupils at Dowson First School in Mile Cross, which has since been knocked down.
Dean said the podcast trio were "massive Norwich boys", with Knox originally from Kent but studying at the University of East Anglia and falling in love with the city.
Norwich's Christmas lights are traditionally switched on outside City Hall
Speaking to Chris Goreham on BBC Radio Norfolk, Dean said: "For years on the podcast we've been singing the praises of this city.
"I want the keys to the city, but I think that's pushing my luck a little bit."
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White said the idea came from when they recorded an episode about bucket list items and that "turning on Norwich Christmas lights was the big one".
Dean joked: "It was us or Hugh Jackman."
The lights have previously been switched on by former Norwich City players Todd Cantwell and Dion Dublin, politician Ed Balls and TV presenter Jake Humphrey.
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The Lord Mayor of Norwich, Karen Davies, made the trio's wish come true by surprising them in their London studio with a formal invitation to do the honours.
Davies said: "When the Happy Hour team put themselves forward for the job, they did so with real affection for Norwich and the people who live here.
"We loved their enthusiasm and we want Norwich to be a city that listens and embraces opportunities, especially when they help unite our communities."
Davies joins the trio on their latest podcast episode. Dean said he had had lots of messages from people from places as far away as Grimsby, York and Carlisle who said they were going to "come down and check it out".
Next month's event includes live performances as people gather outside City Hall for the big moment at 19:00 GMT.
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Related internet links
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Norwich City Council
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
