Whatever plans you had made for this weekend (that don’t involve leaving your home, of course), cancel them.

In these strange times where we all have to practise social distancing and limit social gatherings, we’ve had to become creative with how we interact with friends and family and look for distractions away from the grave business of the Covid-19 pandemic. Virtual pints have become a thing, communal quizzes via video messaging apps are suddenly in vogue and some people are just watching a lot more TV, but those of you on the lookout for something a little bit different may be about to find it this coming Saturday night (28 March). Many of you will be familiar with the Bingo Loco craze that has swept the nation in recent times (if you’re not, we suggest you read this and acquaint yourself) and while Bingo Loco events usually feed off the crazy energy of a whole lot of people in the one place at the one time, organisers are going to try and recreate the vibe in a virtual setting this weekend. The Late Late Loco will be streamed live this Saturday at 8pm and will be MCed by comedian Andrew Stanley and Bingo Loco DJ Jaz Keane. The event promises special TV celebrity guest phone-ins, confetti showers, CO2 canons and well, obviously, bingo. “Just because it’s at home, doesn't mean the Bingo Loco team will be holding back. Expect full SFX and all the classic bangers you know and love,” reads a blurb for the event, so if you are interested in taking part, better warn your fellow family members/housemates in advance. Anyone who wants to play can simply sign up here, and before the show, they will be given a Bingo Loco book to print out at home or they can play by editing on their phone. Players can submit their Bingo win through a WhatsApp channel directly to the Bingo Loco team in the studio to verify. Commenting on the event, William O’Meara of Bingo Loco said he will gauge the reaction from this weekend’s livestream and look into potentially running more of them for as long as we’re obliged to remain indoors. "Bingo Loco has grown into a global sensation and we owe it to everyone who has bought a ticket to our show or helped us get to where we are, to help them through these moments of boredom and isolation during this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic,” O’Meara said. “Just because we can't do events, doesn't mean we have to stop entertaining people. If the reaction goes well, this might be something we look at doing more regularly.”