An online Advent calendar featuring schoolchildren telling Christmas cracker jokes has been launched by a weekly newspaper.

The Doncaster Free Press is posting a daily video on its website during the season as part of its ‘Christmas countdown’.

The idea came from Phil Bramley, editor of the Free Press, who dreamt it up after seeing his own children’s enjoyment opening their Advent calendars.

The initiative launched on Tuesday, featuring a boy called Daniel who asked readers: “What do you get if you stick your head in a Christmas tree? Spiky hair.”

Said Phil: “The countdown was my idea, based mostly on how much my own kids enjoy opening their advent calendars.

“Whilst, unfortunately, we can’t provide e-chocolate treats for our website users, we thought getting some local youngsters to tell a different Christmas-cracker type joke every day throughout December would be a fun thing to do.

“We approached a local school, Hexthorpe Primary, who agreed to get involved, then videoed the different youngsters telling their gags, with a new one uploaded being every day on the countdown to Christmas.

“Hopefully it will put a smile on people’s faces and spread a bit of Christmas cheer.”