BBC Songs of Praise
When we heard the news that the BBC wanted to visit Spalding Parish Church to record their famous 'Songs of Praise' TV programme for broadcast in April 1986 we were all very excited.
This excitement was somewhat sort-lived when we learned that the producers were not keen on having robed choirs, and that we would not really be required as part of the programme.
After much negotiation it was agreed that the choir boys could sit in the front pews and wear just blue cassocks, but the men would have to sit in the congregation with the correct voice parts with other singers - alto, tenor or bass.
The organisation to seat everyone in the church was somewhat disorganised and very tedious.
There was to be a three-hour rehearsal session - on Wednesday 1st May 1985; and one three-hour recording session on Thursday 2nd May 1985. (Both from 7pm to 10pm.)
For the rehearsal and the recording session everyone was asked to sit in the same places - and to wear the same clothes each time.. Eric Wayman was the organist, and I conducted from the pulpit. The recordings took place in May 1985 - a whole year before the broadcast would be shown - which was a really long time for the boys to wait to see themselves on TV....
As the music was chosen by people across the community and different denominations we did not get a say in what music was to be sung. Eric had arranged the hymns, and everyone was given a rather basic pink booklet with the words and music inside.
The church was full of high-level floodlights, and the control room was a BBC van outside the west end of the church, in The Vista.
At one point in a rehearsal, one of the spotlights high above the pulpit exploded, showering glass down from above.
Luckily no-one was in the line of fire, and thankfully most of the glass landed on top of the 'tester' or 'sounding board' above the pulpit ...
Although the choir was not invited to sing an item, our Head Chorister - James Quinton - sang a verse of the hymn 'Praise we The Lord', and the boys were allowed to sing a descant to the final hymn 'For the Beauty of the earth'.
Afterwards we had a complaint from Carol Burton to say that we had only used one verse of her chosen hymn - 'This is the Day'. As this was an unfamiliar hymn to us (at that time), we had not realised there were actually more verses, otherwise we would have used them!
Videos of the programme exist on VHS format, and are also available on DVD. I have a copy if anyone is interested in borrowing it ... I look a LOT younger and have considerably more hair .... Click below to watch.
Although overall an interesting experience, it is not something which I found to be all that inspiring - with too many 'outsiders' trying to organise things. I know that Rex, my dad, found this aspect very frustrating - using the phrase - 'Who do they think they are? ....' at being told where to sit in 'his' own church!