JAMES Bond actor Daniel Craig is among 70 stars from the worlds of stage, screen and sport who have joined forces to send a heartfelt 'thank you' to the hardworking NHS staff fighting coronavirus.

The Wirral-educated star appears, along with David Beckham, Anthony Joshua, Kylie Minogue, Sir Elton John, Jessica Ennis-Hill and others in two videos created, as part of a huge swell of support pouring in for NHS and social care heroes.

Beatles legend, Sir Paul McCartney, and King of Grime, Stormzy, are also among those showing solidarity with frontline staff.

The films were shared across NHS England and NHS Improvement Twitter and Facebook accounts yesterday as #ThankyouThursday begins to take hold, with Clap for our Carers introducing a weekly round of applause across the country, and Spotify rebranding its Throwback Thursday playlist.

The short films also include clips from NHS leaders, chief nurse, Ruth May, chief people officer, Prerana Issar and national clinical director of primary care, Nikki Kanani, who also express their gratitude to all those hard at work on the frontline against COVID-19.

More celebrity messages will be shared over the coming weeks to show support for healthcare workers.

Introducing the video and thanking the NHS, Ruth May, chief nursing officer for England, said: "I want to say a very big personal thank you to everyone in the NHS and social care that are working so hard right now.

"And I also wanted to say thank you to those people that are re-joining our NHS at this time in our COVID-19 response."

Praising those celebrities showing their support, Ruth said: "I know that messages of thanks and support mean a lot to our NHS staff, whenever they happen and whoever they come from – but for so many huge celebrities to go out of their way to show their appreciation will be an extra special boost, alongside the heart-warming displays of gratitude shown by the public.

"This is the biggest challenge the NHS has ever faced and celebrating those working hard to save lives every day is more important than ever, so I’m sure everyone will benefit from some uplifting music to keep spirits high right now."

The full list of celebrities is as follows:

  • Sir Elton John
  • Sir Paul McCartney
  • Daniel Craig
  • Anthony Joshua
  • David Beckham
  • Kylie Minogue
  • Bill Nighy
  • Sir Mo Farah
  • Phoebe Waller-Bridge
  • John Boyega
  • Kate Winslet
  • Piers Morgan
  • Ray Winstone 
  • Frank Lampard
  • Stormzy
  • Himesh Patel
  • Jo Konta
  • Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill
  • Ricky Gervais
  • Katie Boulter
  • Michaela Cole
  • max aarons
  • Daisy Haggard
  • Chris Moyles
  • James Norton
  • Eddie Redmayne
  • Jack Savoretti
  • Ronan Keating
  • Ralph Fiennes
  • Rhys Ifans
  • David Morrissey
  • Graham Norton
  • Gordon Ramsay
  • Claire Foy
  • Will Poulter
  • Ella Henderson
  • Chris Martin
  • Sir Bradley Wiggins
  • Jonathan Ross
  • Robbie Williams
  • Kristin Scott Thomas
  • Andrew Scott
  • Anne-Marie Duff
  • James Milner
  • Gemma Arterton 
  • Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal 
  • Miranda Hart
  • Jamie Oliver
  • José Mourinho
  • George Mackay
  • Kit Harrington 
  • Cesar Azpilicueta
  • Katie Swan
  • Henry Cavill
  • Boy George
  • Josh O'connor
  • Naomi Harris
  • Claudia Schiffer 
  • Eddie Izzard
  • Naomi Campbell
  • Benedict Cumberbatch
  • Luke Evans
  • Vinnie Jones
  • Chris Evans
  • Rosie Huntington - Whiteley
  • Jenna Coleman
  • Heston Blumenthal
  • Lara Stone
  • Robbie Fowler
  • Kiera Knightley
  • Geri Horner and Christian Horner
  • Jude Law
  • Martin Freeman
  • Chiwetel Ejiofor
  • Sir Mick Jagger
  • Sir Micheal Caine