Amateur Choir Features in EastEnders Christmas Special

An amateur choir’s members featured prominently in the BBC’s EastEnders Christmas Eve special. Audiences watching the broadcast would have observed a performance by a group from Somewhere 2 Sing, singing a carol in a segment alongside Angela Wynter, known for her role as Yolande Trueman. Duncan Rutherford, the founder of the group, received a request from the BBC in August to supply a choir composed of individuals around 20 years old for the Christmas installment. He chose the vocalists from his 13 ensembles located across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Essex. Rutherford stated, “The choir welcomes adults of any age,” adding, “so it did draw a few laughs when I said we needed them to look 20 for this Christmas special.” The choir undertook a pair of rehearsals to master the carol, See Amid The Winter’s Snow, prior to their performance during filming sessions in October. Elstree Studios, the primary recording site for EastEnders, dispatched two minibuses to transport the singers to an undisclosed church location in north London. The participants noted considerable periods of waiting, yet they found amusement observing the more than 80 cast and crew members present. Following a rehearsal, the choir, dressed in purple robes, delivered their carol performance for the cameras. Multiple takes were required as filming occurred from diverse perspectives. Sophie, 24, who had no prior public singing experience before joining the choir near her Hertford, Hertfordshire, residence in April, remarked, “If you’d have told me at the start of the year that I was going to sing in public, and not only that, in front of five million people on TV, I’d have laughed my head off.” She further commented, “It was amazing to see how much work goes into recording EastEnders,” adding, “Lighting, sound, catering, costumes, props, security, directors, and, of course, the wonderful cast members were all milling about, getting ready for the next ‘take’.” Sophie, a designer and maker of greeting cards, also stated that had she “hadn’t had the courage to give the choir a go,” she would not have had this opportunity. “I just can’t wait to see what’s next,” she expressed. Since her enrollment in the choir in April, she has performed with Somewhere 2 Sing in Cardiff and participated in a Hertford concert benefiting Dementia UK. This month alone, the choir’s various groups throughout the region have collectively generated over £6,000 for the organization. Mr. Rutherford revealed ongoing discussions with Disney regarding a prospective project. He established the Somewhere 2 Sing choir almost a decade ago with a small number of participants in Hertford. The choir has since grown to 650 members attending weekly sessions across the three counties. He noted the music’s popularity and the informal nature of the classes, emphasizing that prior singing experience is not a prerequisite. The EastEnders episode aired on Christmas Eve on BBC One at 19:45 GMT and is accessible on BBC iPlayer.