Rick Wakeman’s Christmas Eve Performance on Local BBC Radio

A prominent rock musician presented a festive performance to listeners during a visit to a BBC local radio station’s studio on Christmas Eve. Keyboardist Rick Wakeman, a former member of the progressive rock band Yes who has also contributed to tracks by David Bowie and Elton John, appeared on Sarah Lilley’s Daytime Show on BBC Radio Suffolk. The 75-year-old artist performed several songs on his piano, including “In The Bleak Midwinter,” “Away In A Manger,” and “Welcome A Star.” “I love coming in [to BBC Radio Suffolk] at Christmas. It is just lovely and it is part of my Christmas, it is really nice,” he said. Wakeman also commented, “I like a lot of Christmas songs but it is interesting that since the glory days of Slade and Roy Wood, there’s not really been anything quite like that.” He further added, “The classic pieces are the ones I love to hear on the radio, like the Bing Crosby classics – I do love all of that stuff.” Throughout much of 2024, Wakeman performed concerts globally, and more recently, he commenced his Yuletide Christmas Tour. He remarked, “Over the years I’ve done between 30 or 40 different Christmas shows and this has been the most enjoyable and the best one ever.” He elaborated, “This time I had my son Adam and he was wonderfully insulting throughout the whole thing, which was great, and the lovely Mollie Marriot, who has such a great voice.” “It was just hilarious from start to finish and it was a real mixture of music,” he concluded regarding the tour. Wakeman, who supports charitable organizations including Animals Asia and Saving Strays, also discussed his lasting dedication to musical performance. He stated, “If I didn’t still love it, I wouldn’t do it, but I do love sitting down and playing the piano.” He added, “I have three rescued pianos in the house and I am never more than 30 seconds away from a piano and I play every day.” Updates on Suffolk news are available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding their external linking policy is available.