After Halloween, Bonfire Night and Remembrance Sunday services, November usually sees the switching on of Christmas lights across Bucks to kick off the festive season.

Various celebrities are roped in every year to flick the switch on the lights in Bucks towns, including High Wycombe, Marlow, Amersham, Princes Risborough and Beaconsfield.

But with coronavirus drawing the line under traditional Christmas lights switch-ons this year, we take a look at some of the biggest (and most obscure) stars who have turned on the lights around the south of the county in the past decade.

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Former EastEnders star Shane Richie and X-Factor contestant Daniel Pearce pressed the plunger to bathe Frogmoor, in High Wycombe, in the bright glow of thousands of fairylights in 2009, while TV star Dominique Jackson flicked the switch on in 2010.

The former Hollyoaks actress was joined by London Wasps heroes Joe Simpson and Charlie Beech on the Frogmoor stage to light up the town to cheers from the crowd.

Birds of a Feather actress Lesley Joseph did the honours in 2011. She told revellers she was “delighted to be back in Wycombe”, having performed at the Swan earlier in the year.

Also in 2011, entertainer and panto star Jonathan Wilkes drew a crowd of hundreds to Princes Risborough, while Good Morning Britain’s Kate Garraway, whose husband Derek Draper is in hospital with coronavirus, made an appearance to light up Stokenchurch in the same year.

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November 2012 saw actor Gary Wilmot press the plunger at the High Wycombe lights switch-on.

The West End legend and former Beaconsfield resident was joined by the stars of Wycombe Swan’s Snow White panto to officially start the countdown to Christmas.

Celebrity chef and Marlovian Tom Kerridge, who runs three pubs in the town, turned on the lights with then-mayor Suzanne Brown in 2014.

At the time, he told the BFP: “There’s such a wonderful community spirit and a really special place to be a part of.”

And former Hear’Say star Suzanne Shaw made an appearance in Princes Risborough in the same year to light up the town ahead of Christmas.

Princes Risborough had its third celebrity, Girls Aloud singer and then-resident Sarah Harding, in 2015.

She wowed the crowds when she switched on the town’s Christmas lights, taking to Twitter afterwards to thank residents for coming out to support the event.

The year also saw Olympic legend Sir Steve Redgrave do the honours in his hometown of Marlow, while baking queen Mary Berry pressed the plunger in the town in 2016.

The Bake Off star and national treasure then helped to illuminate Amersham in 2017, a year which also saw controversial star Russell Brand turn on the lights in Marlow.

The comedian spoke of his love for Marlow and Marlovians as he joined then mayor Jocelyn Towns atop the double decker bus in the High Street, after news of his appearance was met with fury and delight alike by residents.

Also in 2017, Wycombe Wanderers star Adebayo Akinfenwa – aka The ‘Beast’ – flicked the switch on in High Wycombe, taking part in a book signing before the switch-on.

Finally, 2019 saw Love Island star light up High Wycombe ahead of the festive season, while former Eastenders actor and journalist Ross Kemp kicked off Christmas by turning on the lights in Marlow.