Sunday Express - Behind the Scenes at Songs of Praise

It is a cold, wet Friday evening in February and the congregation of St John the Baptist Church in Knaresborough are out in force, raising the roof with the popular hymn 'All Glory Laud and Honour'. But a couple of verses in they're abruptly halted by the conductor, Paul Leddington Wright. 'We're going to do that for the third time, and this time we're going to do it better,' he instructs them. 'I'm hearing a nice tune, but I'm not hearing the words. I need clear diction.'
He pauses, listening to instructions from the producer through his earpiece, then signals that he's ready to start again, 'Heads up everyone, happy faces!'.

One of the first things that anyone who has ever been involved in a TV programme discovers is that a lot more work goes on behind the scenes than the viewer ever realises. And Songs of Praise is no exception. During 2010 two editions of the show are scheduled to be broadcast from the North Yorkshire town of Knaresborough – one of which is due to be shown on Palm Sunday and the other during the summer. The filming for both sets of hymns is taking place this evening followed by an all-day session on Saturday – 10 hours filming for less than an hour of screen time.

Paul is the former musical director for Coventry Cathedral and one of the regular conductors for Songs of Praise. His role is to coach the congregation and choir through the hymns whilst liaising with the production team. The choir will have got the music about a fortnight in advance and will have been rehearsing the descants, but many of the congregation won't have been on the receiving end of musical tuition since school. The mood is upbeat and positive however, and the standard of singing is better than anything I've heard in church for a very long time.

It's amazing to think that Songs of Praise has now been going for almost 50 years. The very first episode was broadcast from the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cardiff in October 1961. Since then it has visited over 1,800 churches and featured over 12,500 hymns and has an average of 3 million viewers weekly. Originally it was just hymns but now it includes interviews in which members of the congregation discuss their faith. The current main presenters include Sally Magnusson, Pam Rhodes, Diane-Louise Jordan and Eamonn Holmes. This episode will feature Aled Jones, who will be arriving tomorrow to be filmed both as part of the congregation and doing some short pieces to camera.

Chatting to the series editor, David Taviner, I ask how Knaresborough came to be chosen to appear on Songs of Praise. 'Across the year we need to have a balance,' he explains. 'Covering everything from cathedrals to chapels, rural and urban settings and of course with a geographical spread. Linking in with significant times of year such as Christmas, Easter and Remembrance Sunday is also important. Knaresborough has a special association with Maundy Thursday, which takes place just before Easter, so it seemed an ideal venue to film for an episode that could be shown on Palm Sunday.
The link is that the tradition of Maundy Money, silver coins given to deserving poor people by the monarch on Maundy Thursday is one that started in Knaresborough back in 1210 when King John was the first to distribute it. This year is the 800th anniversary of that event, and the Knaresborough celebrations will include a specially minted coin being given out to all the primary school children in the town, some of whom will be interviewed by Aled for the programme. The family of the late Arnold Kellett, who discovered the link between Knaresborough and the Maundy Money tradition are also due to be interviewed.

The following morning is bright and crisp and St John's, much of which dates from the C14th looks beautiful. The congregation arrives, dressed smartly but warmly against the wintry chill. Outfits that will look perfectly suitable for the programme to be shown in March, but could strike an incongruous note for the second one in high summer. I speculate as to whether they'll get round it by only showing footage of people who've taken their coats off.

Paul Leddington Wright soon gets everyone in full voice. He combines his passion for the music with the rallying qualities of a holiday camp rep. One moment pulling singers into line, 'I saw one or two people take a breath when they shouldn't have', the next encouraging them 'You're doing very well, my dears. It's hard work, but it's going to be worth it.'

I had hoped to interview some members of the congregation in the tea break but gradually it dawns on me that there isn't going to be one. So I hang out in the vestry which is full of cables and unidentifiable bits of technical equipment. The producer is watching the filming on three monitors, each one linked to a camera in the main church. It's explained to me that sometimes they do retakes for sound reasons, and other times it's more a technical issue – maybe someone in shot will have fidgeted or blown their nose. Then the whole section has to be filmed again.

Over at the Church Hall, Shona Bostwick, the Verger of St John's is working hard making the final preparations to the lunch that the ladies have put on for Aled and the production crew. The tables are groaning under the weight of the impressive spread - sandwiches, sausage rolls, pork pies and hot cross buns. The cakes were baked by Reverend Sewell herself.

I ask Shona how she feels about Songs of Praise being filmed here, 'Oh, I think it's lovely,' she says, topping up the urn. 'We've got a wonderful congregation and the church building is magnificent – we're very proud of it.' Shona is a regular Songs of Praise viewer. 'I enjoy the hymns and it's interesting to look round other churches - it's a bit like property programmes where you get to look round other people's houses. We're all a bit nosy at heart, aren't we?' She's not so keen about appearing on screen herself however, 'I'd rather stay away from the camera if I can. I've been hiding behind a pillar all morning.'

Finally it's the lunch break. Some of the congregation go into town for lunch whilst others stay in their pew with flask and sandwiches. The local schoolchildren pass round bags of sweets and fiddle with their mobile phones but remain as astonishingly well-behaved as they have been all morning. Knaresborough clearly rears its young with a firm hand.

I take the chance to catch up with Reverend Elizabeth Sewell, 54, the Rector of St John's. Rev Sewell, has been in Knaresborough for the past two and a half years and was approached about getting involved with the program last autumn. 'My first response was, yes, let's go for it.' she says. 'I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to show off St John's and to bring Knaresborough together as a community. And there's no doubt that Knaresborough is chuffed to bits to be part of it – it's one of the main topics of conversation round here at the moment.

Tentatively, I raise the somewhat delicate issue of congregation size. Do they normally have this sort of turn-out or does she think there are some who are here because they fancy the idea of being on TV? 'Well, there are 400 people here today and our usual Sunday congregation is about 140,' says Elizabeth. 'But in one of the initial meetings with the producer she said it was really important to pack the church. However, Knaresborough has a strong sense of community and I was sure that they would come. So we provided the production team with contact details for the other churches in Knaresborough and I believe they also got in touch with the local choral societies and our local newspaper helped. But if anyone has come just to be on the telly I really don't have a problem with that. I see it as an chance to get people here who might not have been to church for a while – and maybe the experience will encourage them to visit us again.'
Reverend Sewell is also keen to be part of a programme that she feels is especially important for housebound people. 'I know many people who can't get to church for health reasons, so Songs of Praise offers a way they can enjoy a service in their own home. I'm hoping that we can reach out to them through the cameras and help them feel part of a worshipping community.'
At the end of our chat I can't resist asking if she ever finds herself on the receiving end of Vicar of Dibley jokes. Rev Sewell laughs. 'Not really. I think we're more mainstream these days so fewer people think to comment. But when I was at Theological College I shared a house with 4 other trainee women vicars it was absolutely required viewing for us!'

Next I seize the opportunity to talk to Aled for a few minutes. He's warm, unaffected and far more handsome in real life than on screen. I ask him why he thinks Songs of Praise holds such an enduring appeal. 'It's like the world's largest karaoke,' he replies. 'People have grown up singing these hymns and they're much-loved. And because the show goes round the country it's got a travelogue element so it can also appeal to people who don't see themselves as religious. Some say it should be modernised, but many of the issues it tackles during the interviews are challenging ones and very relevant to modern life.'

As the break draws to a close the ladies of the choir re-apply their lipstick, powder their noses and prepare their vocal chords for another demanding session. The afternoon is filled with more rehearsals and filming, but no-one's energy shows signs of flagging. Whilst some lighting is being adjusted, I ask a group of children from St James' school in Knaresborough what they've thought of the experience. 'It's tiring but good fun,' says Kitty West, 13. 'We're all looking forward to watching it with our family and friends – it'll be cool to see ourselves on TV rather than just famous people. And I'm sure we'll all be talking about it at school afterwards. It's something we'll look back on and remember all our lives.'