Line Of Duty star Vicky McClure and her Dementia Choir are making a bid for a Christmas number one as they team up with social media stars, SpudBros
It sounds like a Christmas movie – two brothers, who sell potatoes on the market, capture the hearts of the nation, make a song with beloved actress Vicky McClure and now have a shot at being the number one artists this festive period. But this isn’t a film plot; it’s exactly what happened to Jacob and Harley Nelson.
The brothers – known as viral stars SpudBros – sell jacket potatoes and have become one of the UK’s most popular food content creators online, attracting over 4.8 million followers on TikTok. One such follower is Vicky, 42. And from there, Christmas single, Brighter Than The Night, was born.
Neither Jacob nor Harley could believe it when they got the notification that she had followed them. Jacob, 30, tells The Mirror, “We messaged her to ask, ‘Have you done this by mistake? And she was like, ‘No, I’m a fan of you’.”
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The brothers got talking to Vicky and her team, and they agreed they should collaborate on something together and they . The brothers have previously teamed up with Mr Beast and the YouTube group, Sidemen.
Vicky is no stranger to making music having founded Our Dementia Choir, a charity supporting people living with Dementia and helping them to meet regularly to share their love of music.
Meanwhile, Jacob and Harley, 22, made headlines after they shared a touching video of them interacting with an elderly couple, one of whom had Alzheimer’s, whilst working on their stall in Flag Market in their home town of Preston. But there’s also another personal connection.
“We just had this idea, can we do something together?” Jacob continued. “She does Our Dementia Choir. It’s like a match made in heaven with us as well, because Alzheimer’s is close to us, with our grandma having it.”
And thus Brighter Than The Night was born. The brothers helped sing it, taking part in the background of the chorus. “To be honest, we’re not very good at singing, so we were just buzzing to be there, chilling with them, it’s just amazing,” Harley said. “It was an honour to work with them.
“Obviously, it’s a bit emotional, seeing your family member go through dementia, but I feel like we knew how to interact with the choir. We knew how to from personal experience, so it made it much easier for us. It’s just amazing to see that music, when it comes alive and they’re all dancing around and cheering.”
The friendship with Vicky goes way beyond making music and when the boys turned on the Christmas lights in Preston, they FaceTimed her to share in the fun. Jacob said, “We’ve got a little Christmas party going on, so, it’ll be good to see her there.”
But the duo stayed tight lipped when asked about spoilers for season seven of Line of Duty – which was announced last month and will see Vicky reprise her iconic role of DC Kate Flemming.
Their song, which is accompanied by an animated music video, has already been named a contender for number one by the Official Charts Company. But this is not the main goal for SpudBros. “It would feel amazing,” Harley said. “But I think the most important thing for us is spreading that awareness of dementia and Alzheimer’s and raising money for the charities.”
“We always wanted to give back to our community,” Jacob added. As such, they will also be selling Christmas jacket potatoes – with a three cheese blend, chicken, cranberry gravy, stuffing crumb and cranberry Wensleydale cheese on top – and for every spud sold, £1 will be donated to Our Dementia Choir.
And what about 2026, do the brothers have grand plans following what is sure to be a chart topper? Jacob said, “We’re just going to try and maintain in Preston, look after Preston and keep the people of Preston fed.”
SpudBros & Vicky McClure’s Our Dementia Choir’s Brighter Than The Night is released Friday December 12. Remember – spread joy with every spud!
Source: Mirror
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