During lockdown, we’re all gonna get pretty tired of looking at the same old faces every day, whether it’s your partner’s, your housemate’s, or Boris Johnson’s.

As such, the arrival of the postie is actually becoming a daily highlight for many people, but none more so than residents in the Boldon area, in the north east of England.

That’s because their postman is going the extra mile to put smiles on faces by doing his rounds in fancy dress.

Jon Matson has hit the streets in the guise of all kinds of characters, from a gladiator to Little Bo Peep, bringing both mail and laughs to the locked-down locals.

Explaining why he’d done away with his regular uniform, he told the Sunderland Echo: “Everyone is uncertain at the moment and you are the only person outside of the family that they see, so why not give them something to smile about?

“It’s really nice to see people come out to see me. Seeing everybody helps me keep my spirits up too.”

Ordinarily, rocking up to work in a different costume everyday might be a sackable offence; but in these dark times, Jon’s daft outfits are bringing a much needed serving of cheer to the housebound.

Zoe Grant, who lives on Jon’s postal route, said: “Jon is sending such a positive message to the residents that this virus is not all doom and gloom and even our key workers who are still out there doing their jobs to keep the nation running and saving lives can do it in good spirit and with a sense of pride and humour.

“I’m proud that Jon is my postman and I can’t wait to see his next costume.”

Fortunately for residents, the 39-year-old postie takes part in the Boxing Day Dip in South Shields every year for charity Cancer Connections, meaning he’s got a whole wardrobe of outfits he can call upon to keep this newfound tradition going. He won’t reveal what’s up next though, locals will just have to keep their eyes peeled.

Keep it up Jon and soon even the dogs of Boldon will be happy to see ya.