The 'Tonight's The Night' Experience

After managing to sit on my hands for the past few weeks, I'm allowed to go public with something I've been itching to write!

 

Three weeks ago every member of our choir received a message asking us to attend an ‘Urgent’ short meeting. The jungle drums started to beat: what on earth could be going on? Maybe the choir had been asked to support Take That (well, we do sing Greatest Day and Angels), maybe Sting wanted to meet up with us (we do sing Every Breath You Take) or maybe The Louis Armstrong Appreciation Society had got wind of us and wanted us to sing at their annual get-together (we do sing Wonderful World)?

What actually unfolded at the meeting was so much better and so much more exciting than all of those things – Yes, even better than meeting Sting! We’d gathered in the church, where we rehearse, and Annie’s excitement was almost tangible – she couldn’t wait to spill the beans - and we couldn’t wait to find out what was going on.

First she explained that Jane, her sister, had asked her to join her for a coffee a few days previously. Nothing unusual so far; Annie found herself sitting in a booth in a local restaurant, opposite Jane, lending a sympathetic ear and offering some good advice on a pressing work issue. Then, the usual was about to become very unusual. A frantic man ran in to the restaurant and hurriedly plonked himself down in the booth behind the girls. He sat with his back to Annie, but she’d already clocked – with some first class acting by Jane - that it was John Barrowman! Do you know the guy? Torchwood, Any Dream Will Do, multiple West End Shows and that Saturday night TV programme where he surprises folk, 'Tonight’s the Night'? Anyway, Annie was fair excited, but that soon switched to concern when she realised that the celebrity was being harassed by a load of paparazzi that were waiting outside the restaurant. Annie, being Annie, turned round and offered to help! She told him he could use their car to get away if he wanted! Next thing, he moves round to sit beside her – stealing some of her garlic mushrooms – before a bunch of photographers burst in to the restaurant to harass the Torchwood star. Except, they weren’t there to harass John Barrowman, they were there as part of a set-up for Annie. And she’d been caught hook, line and sinker!

It turned out that Jane had contacted the BBC after she’d watched the Christmas special of Tonight’s the Night last year. Jane had been babysitting for Annie and she’d been chatting to Annie’s son. She’d asked him; if he could wish for anything, what would it be? He said he’d wish for his mum to appear on the TV. The family all knew that this was a bit of a secret ambition of Annie’s and Jane was touched that - of all the things he could’ve asked for - it was something for his mum that he’d picked. So, at the end of the Christmas special, the voice over had done that thing of ‘Do you know anyone who deserves to have their dreams come true?’ and I guess the voice over was a bit of a coincidental invitation that Jane just couldn’t ignore. She contacted the BBC, told them all about the hard work and dedication that Annie puts in to her choir, about the hard work and dedication she puts in to supporting her family and about how talented a singer she is.

A few months later, Jane couldn’t believe it when the BBC contacted her – and so it was that she found herself, after having kept the biggest secret of the life, sitting opposite John Barrowman with a very shocked little sister! John Barrowman pulled out a microphone, told Annie that he was there for her, and told her she was going to be flying off for a trip to Nashville where she would not only meet, but would also have a masterclass with, Dolly Parton! He then told her that she’d be recorded singing in front of a live audience at the BBC studios, for his programme ‘Tonight’s the Night’ (which is shown on BBC1 at prime time on a Saturday night) and that the choir would be coming along to support her!

By this point in Annie’s story at the meeting, many of the gathered women in the choir were crying. I think I was more affected by the pure, sheer excitement in Annie’s voice and her facial expressions than the actual fact of what had just unfolded. She was just chuffed to bits, and it was absolutely brilliant to see. Then, Jane took the floor. I wish I could remember what she said word for word; it was such a poignant and touching explanation of the reasons that she wanted to do this thing for Annie. In a simple, but so meaningful, few sentences, she explained what it was all about. About how much Annie does for her family and about how strong Annie has been during her Dad’s on-going battle with cancer, about how much she does for her community – many of whom had or have problems of their own, but have found a valuable tool for helping them cope in the form of the choir – and about how much she’d been Jane’s ‘guiding light’ in the face of much adversity over the past few years.

By this point I reckon almost everyone in the hall - men included - was crying openly. It was such a poignant, incredible moment. And it was more about one person’s love for another than the finer detail of the surprise. I’ll never forget how privileged I felt to be there.

After much sniffing and hugging, we were brought back down to earth with a wee bit of a bang when Annie told us that the BBC didn’t have space in the studio for the whole choir. At that point, she didn’t know how many members were allowed to take part, but she assured us that whoever did get to go would be representing everyone - the whole Heart of Scotland Choir. We all knew how difficult Annie and Jane would find it to split the group up – our choir’s all about community, and communities stick together. But, circumstances often do arise where communities have to nominate representative groups and a sure sign of a well-nurtured community, with a strong spirit and heart, is one that can come back together as one after such a separation. I never had any doubt that, no matter who was lucky enough to be Annie’s backing singers, we would all be back together again soon after, doing what we all do best, new and old members alike.

We waited to hear from Annie and Jane the following morning, while they sifted through the members’ names and made the final decision. Gordon and I paced around at home until we received the message that we were lucky enough to be amongst the forty choir members that would accompany Annie to the BBC. We jumped around and shared the first of many big hugs that would follow over the course of the next couple of weeks – we were so chuffed and I was so happy that I’d be sharing this experience with my son.

We sang at Scribbler's Picnic, a local music festival, the day before Jane and Annie set off for the States. I loved that gig as it was the first for me on home ground, but it was also a difficult one in many ways. There was excitement and anticipation from some of the forty who’d been selected, disappointment and sorrow from some of those who hadn’t. As a newer member, I couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty and so sorry for some of the lovely people who wouldn’t be going along – but I kept reminding myself of Annie and Jane’s plea for the choir to trust their judgement on as fair a selection as they could possibly manage, and Jane’s plea for us all to show Annie that none of this should get in the way of spoiling the whole amazing experience she was about to embark on.

So, Annie and Jane jumped on a jet plane the following morning and, after eighteen hours of travelling, arrived in Nashville, Tennessee. They were knackered and hungry but, on arrival, they were immediately thrown in to it when Annie was handed a sheet of lyrics for the song she had to sing in front of Dolly Parton the next morning! Now, Annie is a gifted musician and singer – but she just about freaked out when she looked at the lyrics; she didn’t know the song! Of all the songs that Annie could’ve been asked to perform, she was being asked to sit in front of Dolly Parton and sing – without musical accompaniment – one of Dolly’s hits that she’d never heard in her life before. A call to her husband, on the other side of the Atlantic, saved the day. He emailed her the music and, incredibly, by the morning she’d learned the tune and most of the lyrics off by heart.

I cannot imagine how nervous Annie must have been walking in to a room, surrounded by TV production people, to be met by a smiling Dolly Parton sitting in front of a fake piano! (“No point in hittin' that Darlin’, it’s just a prop”, Dolly drawled when Annie tried to find her opening note!) But, she did it – she sat and sang “Here You Come Again” and was rewarded by a massive seal of approval from the legend that made the song famous (...OK, so not everyone’s heard of it...!). With hugs and good wishes, Annie was sent on her way to enjoy a few days of sightseeing with Jane. They were thoroughly spoiled and got a real insight into the celebrity lifestyle (which, by the way, they decided was nice for a few days, but definitely not how they’d like to live their lives!) before heading back home.

After a couple of rehearsals, squeezed in to fit around Annie and Jane’s already-planned and much-needed week’s holiday with the rest of their family, we were all set to spend the weekend at the BBC! We’d been told that the Saturday was for some vocal coaching, to rehearse in the studio, meet the musical director, have our outfits checked and such like and that the Sunday was for the dress rehearsal then the full blown live audience performance and recording. ‘Excited’ doesn’t even begin to describe how we were all feeling.

We’d been instructed to go casual on the Saturday, but still stick to the choir’s signature red tops - some of the girls had taken that quite literally and appeared with lovely new red hair-do’s for the occasion - so a bubbling red sea topped with excited and nervous smiley faces greeted Gordon and I when we arrived at the coach pick-up point early that first morning.

The relatively new building that houses the BBC headquarters at Pacific Quay in Glasgow is pretty awesome. It’s huge, and it sits on a lovely spot on the regenerated south side of the River Clyde, opposite the SECC. It was a lovely sunny morning when we arrived, and I felt quite emotional when I stepped off the coach. Glasgow’s my old stomping ground and I simply love it – and I love the fact that what used to be a pretty dingy, run-down and neglected site has been transformed by some nifty landscaping work and the likes of the Science Centre, the IMAX, the BBC and the STV headquarters. Anyway, back to more important matters. We all filed in to the massive reception area and waited patiently for our passes. I make absolutely no apologies for being really excited about wearing a bit of see-through plastic with a wee card in it that had ‘BBC security pass. Jane Milne’ printed on it. We were then introduced to Claire; one of a wee merry band of staff whose job it was to keep all 40 of us in check over the course of the weekend – and when I say keep us in check, I really mean keep us in check. We weren’t allowed to go anywhere in the building without an escort – so the little team of young staff, time and again, were grateful that our dress theme was red! Especially for keeping track of our naughty bunch of choir smokers, who had their knuckles wrapped on several occasions for nipping out behind the bike sheds!

Claire escorted us to the ‘annexe’ which was to be our home for most of that day. It was a lovely big room, with an electric piano in the corner, tables and chairs, clothes rails, a table full of goodies and lots of fans. The lots of fans were there because there was lots of heat, with nowhere really for it to go! And, I’m afraid, there lies one of the drawbacks of red outfits; sweaty armpits have nowhere to hide! However, we had plenty of deodorant amongst us (some of us even had an emergency supply of red tee-shirts in our bags!) and plenty of water in the cooler in the corner.

I have to digress here for a moment. I was saying that there were bucket-loads of goodies to sustain us throughout the course of the day. Well, one of those goodies was chocolate Freddos – box loads of them. Remember them? Wee chocolate frogs with runny caramel inside. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Just how much better could this day get?

After settling in, we had a session with one of the BBC’s vocal coaches before being escorted down to the studio where the programme would be filmed. Aw man, it was just so exciting. I’ve never been in a TV studio in my life, not even in a studio audience, so I was a wee bit over-awed when we walked in. It was just so cool! Lots of men and women with headsets and microphones scurrying around , hunners and hunners of lights, cameras and wires all over the place, the set of ‘Tonight’s the Night’, and John Barrowman floating around in amongst it all. Now, before I go any further, I’ve got a bit of a confession to make. I never used to watch Saturday evening telly programmes like 'Tonight’s the Night' as I always thought they were a bit contrived and a bit slushy and false. Within a very short time of arriving at the BBC, I’d become the programme’s biggest fan! I was pretty bowled over by the fact that we were reminded constantly that this was all very much about Annie – the vocal coach had made that clear, Claire had made that clear, the director of the show made it clear and, most importantly, John Barrowman made it very clear. There was nothing false about the sentiment, and at no time during the course of the whole weekend did I feel that the programme makers weren’t doing their very best to capture the very essence of Annie and why she deserved this special treat – that’s what it was all about. It completely changed my opinion of the show.

John Barrowman couldn’t have been more welcoming. He co-owns the company that makes the programme, so he plays a big part in the overall production, not just what you see on the telly. He seemed to be fully involved in every aspect and he seemed to have the final say on everything, but he did it in such a nice way. He became a bit of an Honorary Choir Member, sealed by some good fun banter – especially with one of our lads, Scott; they could’ve been two blokes down the pub bouncing off each other’s one-liners. No airs and graces, just a lot of good fun.

Anyway, I’m digressing again. It’s amazing how small the studio was – it looks so much bigger when it’s on the telly (OK, so the cameras do work some magic on the physical stuff and how it all appears, but the emotions, the voices and the story is very much for real). We soon realised why Annie was only allowed to bring forty of us; there simply wasn’t enough space for any more. Before we were asked to take to the stage, John Barrowman came over and had a chat with us – he picked out Jane and gave her the biggest hug and a friendly pat on the butt. Who would’ve thought she’d end up with a pat on the ass from one of her heroes – and it was so well-deserved for making all of this amazing experience possible!

Initially, the production team had Annie playing the piano while she sang. Annie’s a gifted and talented pianist, but I think we were all a wee bit disappointed; Annie stands behind the piano all the time at choir, and we’d really hoped that she’d be right out front with the spotlight very much on her while she sang her solo. Fortunately, John Barrowman stepped in. He just seemed to get it, without anyone having to make a fuss (not that any of us would dream of making a fuss about not being placed where we’d like, or not being seen, or anything like that – we were all just so chuffed to be involved and would be doing exactly as we were told by the professionals..!). I just thought it was great that he got it, and he really did do his best to do the best for Annie.

The first time we sang in the studio, it was a bit wonky. We were all so tense and over-awed I think – but it didn’t faze us – we had plenty of time to get it right. I was just loving every minute – wonky or not! Later on, when we were back in our room, we had an amazing session with the musical director of the show. He’s worked on such things as The X Factor and it was such an interesting and enjoyable session. Within a few short minutes, he had us harmonising on a raise-the-hairs-on-the-back-of-your-neck version of the Ave Maria chorus. I think it was at this point that I had to change my tee-shirt – not sure whether it was the heat or just sheer jubilation, but I definitely needed freshening up a bit!

To be honest, the rest of that day’s a bit fuzzy. I remember there were some tetchy moments with folk getting a wee bit stressed – nerves, heat and tension can do funny things sometimes, but there was also a group determination to make sure that nothing spoiled this occasion for Annie. We had another trip back to the studio, after a visit to the back-lot to stand on the new tiered platform that the production crew had organised. After it was decided that Annie wasn’t going to be playing the piano, it was decided that the choir would stand as one unit behind her, instead of split into two groups, as was originally planned. This was so much better. We were there representing the whole of the Heart of Scotland Choir, and it just seemed much more fitting to have one big group blending in to the background, rather than two smaller ones where individual faces would strongly feature. From a personal point of view, it was great to be back singing shoulder to shoulder with some of my best buddies from the choir, rather than looking at them across the stage!

During our visits to the studio that first day, we were given some really tricky choreography; we had to sway. Yup, that was it, sway. It’s a lot more bloody difficult than you think you know, starting at the same time then swaying in unison! We were also shown our new position on the stage. The tiered stand was behind a massive set of doors that would open half way through Annie’s song to reveal her choir. A lovely moment was when the director made some minor adjustments to our positions, and, unwittingly, put Annie’s two sisters - Jane and Alexis - and her mum together. Although I was placed on the front row, I was right at the end, so I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be seen on the TV. It was kind of weird that that was so unimportant. My overriding feelings were of being extremely lucky to be part of the experience, of doing the choir proud, of hoping that you’d be able to see Gordon on the telly (even just for a moment) and of desperately wanting it all to go brilliantly for Annie.

Lunch was had on the top floor of the building in the BBC canteen. What a view! Some of us sat out on the open deck, soaking up both the sun and the stunning surroundings. I ate my lasagne while looking out over the Clyde, over the top of the wobbly bridge to the spires of the University. During lunch on the second day, the sea-plane came in to land and it felt like we could’ve reached out and touched it. Simply awesome.

Time allowed us, both days, to relax outside at the front of the building for short spells. Great laughs, great surroundings and great fun trying to dodge Claire with her instruction to ‘stay out of the sun’ ensued. (Continuity darlings, we can’t have any red faces on set, or anyone collapsing with sun-stroke! She smiled along with our banter, but still made sure that we did as we were told!)

We went home that night; happy, knackered and excited about our next big day at the beeb.

Another, even earlier, start in the morning saw us all standing at the pick-up-point in all our red finery. We’d been told to wear the outfits that we’d be wearing for the live show as we’d be going straight to dress rehearsal when we arrived. The red sea this morning seemed calmer, still with waves of excitement and anticipation, but just a whole lot more settled – and very finely turned out!

We were shown to a different hospitality room on the Sunday – one with air conditioning and big windows that we could open. Bliss! More importantly, it was also well-stocked with box-loads of Freddo’s. Perfect! We shared the room that day with a lovely group of people who were there to surprise a lady in the studio audience. A special moment was when the vocal coach arrived to teach this other group the song they would be singing along with their friend. They all had the same look about them as we’d had the day before (rabbits..spotlights..), so it was lovely to be asked to join them while they were learning their song – and give them a bit of moral support. We were old hands, you see! Later on in the day, some members of the choir were asked to provide a bit of back-up on this group’s backing vocals. Gordon was lucky enough to be one of them – so him and a few others from the choir got to spend a wee bit longer on the studio floor, and have some more banter with John Barrowman. Gordon’s a great Torchwood fan, so he’s really chuffed to have been able to meet, and chat to, one of his TV heroes!

After the dress rehearsal, we changed out of our glad rags and relaxed in our casual - though still, of course, red - gear. Lounging, lunch and lots of laughs filled the time till we were told to get ready to go live. Us girlies were in our element; doing each other’s make-up, straightening our hair, sharing tips on such vital things as the best way to curl our eyelashes or how to find the colour of lippy that suits us best. I learned a lot, but I laughed lots more.

There were many, many emotional moments over the course of the weekend, but one of the most poignant had to be the one when Annie walked into our room wearing ‘the dress’ and simply looking stunning. Jane and Alexis had gathered us all together for a sing-song. We were all dressed and raring to go, and I think Jane just thought it would be nice to do what we do best to help us relax and pass some time. So, we all were standing in a big huddle, singing ‘Lean on Me’ when Annie came in to the room. It just so happened that Colin, her husband, was standing closest to the door and I will never forget the look on his face when he spotted her walking down the corridor towards the room. Before I saw her, I knew Annie was coming, just from the totally gob-smacked and adoring look on Colin’s face. And, boy, no wonder. The dress was perfect and Annie looked gorgeous. Her mum, Ray, couldn’t hold back the tears as she hugged her amazing daughter, while we all stood around singing ‘Lean on Me’ with big salty smiles and wavering voices. I’ll never forget it.

Just when we thought things couldn’t get any more emotional, Claire asked us to gather around a wee telly to watch the lead-in recording that would be shown on the programme. We all squeezed round and watched, and cried, with Annie and her family as the story of why Jane had wanted to do this amazing thing for her sister - of her commitment to her Dad during his illness, of her commitment to the choir, of the boost she’s given to so many people in her community, of her support for Jane and of her dream of singing on the telly in front of millions of people – unfolded. We also saw the brilliant footage of Annie being surprised in Stirling by John Barrowman. If ever we needed a crystal clear reminder of why we were there – and of how lucky we were to be there – this was definitely it. I cried buckets, and most of us had to re-do our carefully applied make-up.

We all wished Annie luck as she was whisked away, then made our way nervously down to the studio for the last time. Before going in to the main studio, we waited in a wee sort of holding room off to the side. You could almost touch the tension, but there was also an air of determination to get the performance just right for Annie - and for Jane. Eventually, we were ushered quietly through to the stage and took our places behind the big screen doors. As soon as Annie started to sing I started to cry. The audience were clapping and cheering big style, aw man, she was awesome. Everything that Annie had experienced over the past couple of weeks had been surreal and incredible, from being surprised by John Barrowman to meeting Dolly Parton – but this was what it was all about; getting the opportunity to appear on the telly and sing in front of millions of people. She did Dolly, her family, her choir and herself so proud.

When the big doors opened our nerves escaped out. We all just seemed to totally relax and do what we do every Monday night at rehearsal; sing our hearts out for Annie. We even got the swaying right. I will never forget how incredibly good it felt. Annie there with the spotlight on her, a live and very appreciative audience in front of us (Annie’s kids and proud Dad included) and we stood shoulder to shoulder with our smiling and swaying choir buddies. Simply amazing.

As we were leaving the stage, John Barrowman congratulated and thanked us all for doing this thing. As I was passing, I thanked him for being so lovely and he rewarded me with a wee hug. On the scale of choir hugs, it was pretty tiny, but it was a hug all the same, and I was touched by the gesture. A better hug was to come though; I stepped to the side outside the studio and watched all my friends from the choir cry, cuddle and chat excitedly as they headed back to our room. Gordon was one of the last to appear as he’d been up on the top tier of the stage. It had been so special for me to share this incredible experience with my wee boy, and our weepy hug in the hallway is one I’ll never forget.

And that was it, all over. Except - it wasn’t all over. Four days later the choir met in its usual venue to rehearse for its next gig. It was brilliant to be there singing again with the whole choir, with the exception of a sorely missed few who were on holiday or such like. The buzz was the same as ever, the banter was as plentiful as ever, the singing was as heart-lifting as ever and the old endorphins were flowing yet again. This is what Annie and Jane’s choir is all about.

We did our wee gig yesterday, then got together last night to watch ‘Tonight’s the Night’ on BBC1. We sat in the restaurant where it had all started; Annie and Jane sat with the rest of their family at the very table where John Barrowman had sprung his surprise and the rest of us crowded round the TV screens that the restaurant had kindly set up for us. It was an incredible evening, with even more laughter, more hugs, more cheers and more tears. The BBC had done a fantastic job of capturing the very essence of Annie, and we were all so very proud.

For Jane, it was mission accomplished. For Annie, it was a dream come true. And, for the rest of us, it was a fantastic reminder of how privileged we all are to be part of the incredible Heart of Scotland Choir.

Congratulations are in order for making it to the end of my very long post! Please feel free to leave a comment - I'd love to hear from you.