Twitter reveals UK’s most liked and retweeted topics of 2020

Rashford's free school meals campaign was among the most talked about topics on Twitter this year
PA

The coronavirus pandemic, the death of actor Chadwick Boseman and Marcus Rashford's food poverty campaign were among the most discussed topics on Twitter in the UK in 2020.

Hashtags linked to the pandemic, lockdown and protecting the NHS occupied seven places in the top 10 of the year.

The Black Lives Matter movement and the death of George Floyd were also prominent, with the subject taking up two of the remaining three most popular UK hashtag.

The hashtag #loveisland - used for discussion around the ITV dating show - completing the top 10.

But according to Twitter, the announcement of Black Panther star Boseman's death on his official Twitter page in August was the most retweeted post of the year in the UK.

It was also the most liked tweet.

The shock announcement from the actor's family revealed he had battled colon cancer for four years, working through the period while also receiving treatment.

It was followed on the most popular retweets list by former Love Island star Dr Alex George calling for hospital car parks to be made free for NHS staff and Manchester United striker Rashford's open letter to MPs about child poverty.

The England international, who has since been awarded an MBE for his campaigning, features a second time in the top five for his message celebrating the public's support for his campaign, which led to a Government U-turn over school meal vouchers.

In addition, Rashford was named the top athlete on the social platform for 2020, ahead of fellow footballers Paul Pogba and Lionel Messi, and his community spirit tweet was also the second most liked in the UK this year.

The top 10 retweet list also includes a tweet from Mark McCoy about the death of George Floyd, comedian Matt Lucas' impression of Boris Johnson and NHS staff trying to keep spirits up during the pandemic.

They are joined by a message promoting awareness of how to call 999 if you are not able to speak from CopThatCooks.

The top 10 is completed by a light-hearted video of a sock puppet eating traffic as someone fights boredom during quarantine, and the video tour of a flat for rent made by its current disgruntled tenant. 

Most retweeted tweets of 2020:

1. chadwickboseman: "It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman."

2. DrAlexGeorge: "Controversial but maybe this is a good time for hospital car parks to be free for NHS staff? Retweet if you agree."

3. MarcusRashford: "An Open Letter to all MPs in Parliament...£maketheUturn."

4. m-d-mccoy: "George Floyd and I were both arrested for allegedly spending a counterfeit 20 bill. For George Floyd, a man my age, with two kids, it was a death sentence. For me, it is a story I sometimes tell at parties. That, my friends, is White privilege."

5. MarcusRashford: "I don't even know what to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020."

6. RealMattLucas: Matt Lucas as Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the latest Covid 19 advice.

7. NHSMillion: "The spirit of NHS staff is absolutely astonishing."

8. CopThatCooks: "If you're in trouble dial 999. If you cannot speak, dial 55. We hear you. You are not alone."

9. gnuman1979: "Quarantine day 6."

10. sandybatchelor: "Our letting agent asked us to make a video of the flat we are basically being forced out of. I wish them the very best of luck." 

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in