As we were putting the December edition together, Kerry had the honour of chatting over the telephone with the one and only Basil Brush. They discussed the new Christmas single that Basil and his friend from Sleaford, Chris Clark, have released this year, and much, much more that we simply couldn’t fit onto the pages of our magazine. How does Basil rate his chances of getting the Christmas number one spot? Who would he like to meet under the mistletoe? Find out in our video that includes some exclusive behind-the-scenes material from the film shoot that took place right here in Lincolnshire:
We met up with local musician and filmmaker Chris Clark who kindly took time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about the epic video project he’s been working on this year. Boom! Boom! It’s Christmas Again is a festive song written and produced by Chris and sung by his foxy pal, legend of stage and screen Basil Brush. It’s something that has already been making waves in the media world. You may have even seen it in the national newspapers, or Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid talking about it on Good Morning Britain, and we hear there are further spots lined up. We at Your Local Lincs have had an inside look at the production of the music video throughout the year. Here’s an extended version of our chat with Chris, the ‘director’s cut’…
You’ve released Christmas music videos for a number of years now. Can you tell me what this year’s tune is and how did it all come about? This year’s is the biggest, most ambitious one yet (and that’s saying something!). I’ve enlisted the vocal talents of Basil Brush to release a brand new song called Boom! Boom! It’s Christmas Again.
Basil and I both share a love for Christmas music, and we’ve talked about the possibility of doing something like this for a number of years. We first worked together in 2014, and instantly hit it off.
I’ve been desperate for a new, decent quality “proper” Christmas song to get into the charts for ages, and so I thought ‘Why not try to write one myself, and get an awesome celebrity to sing it?!!!’ And here we are!
Can you tell us about your past Christmas song releases? In 2011 I recorded a song called Christmas Number One. I took all the sickly sweet Christmas clichés, and bunged them into one song! A quick video of me harassing unsuspecting Sleafordian shoppers (with the help of Rich on camera), and we’d made a local hit! I felt like a celebrity that Christmas! Every time I went out in Sleaford, people would talk to me about the song or sing it at me (or call me rude names!).
I’ve also worked with local children, which is incredibly gratifying. Most notably, with William Alvey Christmas, which made the Amazon top ten, and then the special lockdown song Christmas Bubble, which really seemed to lift everyone’s spirits and gave local children the chance to get involved in something creative, despite the restrictions. That song actually spent one day at the number one spot in the iTunes Christmas chart!
What are your favourite Christmas songs and have any of them influenced your own songs? There are so many I adore; I love the bittersweet magic of songs like I Believe in Father Christmas and Fairytale of New York, and of course all the obvious favourites. I’m a huge fan of some of the beautiful carols, like Coventry Carol and Gabriel’s Message. The first Christmas song that I actually remember going to number one is Do They Know it’s Christmas, so that holds a special place in my heart. I also really enjoy the crooners, like Bing and Nat King Cole. There are so many good Christmas songs!!
What’s it like working with Basil Brush? Basil is the very best! He’s such a star and yet still so down to earth, even after 60 years in the business. We always bounce ideas off each other and our shared enthusiasm creates a magic atmosphere whenever we are working on a project together. We are very much on the same page, creatively. That really helps us to get the best out of our work, I think. We also laugh a heck of a lot, when we are working together.
What’s the chances this one can get to Christmas number 1? Realistically, the number one spot is incredibly difficult to achieve for anyone, ten times more difficult at Christmas, and a million times more difficult without a big record company, or a huge marketing team, or any real budget to speak of. So on paper, the odds are stacked against us! However, I do believe that if you aim high enough, there’s always a chance of doing something magical. Ultimately, if enough people hear about the song and like it enough, the public will decide. Fingers crossed, eh?!!!
How can our readers help the cause? Download the song! It’s as simple as that. Streaming it is also okay, but for a tiny 70p (or thereabouts) the chances of it charting are so much greater. I think 100 streams is equal to 1 download to the official charts!
We understand Basil is joined by a lot of his pals in this video. Can you give us an idea of who to expect? I’ve spent a long time phoning up icons of British telly this year! The effort has paid off though, as we now have over 30 special guests in the video, including Mr Blobby, Zippy George and Bungle, Hacker T dog, and many, many more.
Is this video aimed at younger or older audiences would you say? The whole project was very specifically crafted to appeal to EVERYONE. It’s not often a good idea to go too broad with an artistic project’s appeal, but with a Christmas song/video, I think it’s the one time that those rules don’t apply. We want everyone to get a little bit of joy from the project, whether it’s that warm nostalgia of seeing Muffin the Mule appear, or that cosy Christmas feeling the song conjures up, or the big laughs that the likes of Basil and Hacker T dog always provide.
If you were a puppet, who would you be? And who would be your puppeteer? If I were a puppet, I think it would have to be Kermit. What a journey he has been on throughout the years. And his creator and original puppeteer, Jim Henson, has to be one of my biggest inspirations/influences of all time. I’m not sure I like the idea of where his hand would be, though.
What’s your plans for the future? Would you ever consider writing a Christmas song in conjunction with Your Local Lincs? I have so many potential projects in my head. I’m not sure which will happen, but I’m keen to delve further into the world of Kids’ TV. My dream would be to have my own puppet-based show, made for television. I never tire of Christmas songs and will most likely write more in the future, so who knows? Chris and YLL may well be the next collaboration! I certainly know you share the same sense of fun as me, so I bet it’d be great!
You can watch the final music video here:
Check back to the Articles page soon to see more of our chat with Basil Brush!
“I love the Christmas-tide, and yet, I notice this, each year Ilive; I always like the gifts I get, but how I love the gifts I give!”
The words of Carolyn Wells most certainly resonate with us here at Your Local Lincs and if the donations to our charitable requests from our treasured friends of the magazine and valued customers are anything to go by, it is far from outrageous of me to think that they quite possibly reflect a piece of your heart too. We love Christmas – I certainly love it now I have removed the stress and simply embrace the finer flavours of her; hot chocolates, cosy slippers and eating my body weight in candy canes whilst alternating the watching of It’s a Wonderful Life and Elf!
One thing I do struggle with is the fact that I love buying Barbies and colouring books and now my children are getting older they don’t seem to wish for these. Whilst sharing this with my YLL colleagues, we realised this was a shared feeling even down to discovering pretty bottles of bath salts and not knowing who to buy them for! And that is how this YLL Christmas Cheer idea was born… once again we are opening the YLL HQ doors with a donations for Christmas appeal and turning to you to support us. We are all too aware of the current financial and economic climate and the varying levels of impact for people, particularly families. So, we reached out to a local secondary school with a track record of supporting families that could all too easily be forgotten. We aim to help alleviate some of the pressures that Christmas can bring to families within our readership area, replacing Christmas stress with Christmas cheer! We are proud to be supporting our local families through a school that is able to identify who will benefit the most from a helping hand and are delighted to invite you, our friends of the magazine, to join us.
By serving as a drop-off point, we will happily be receiving donations of anything from novelty slippers to cosy pyjamas, blankets to bedding, Barbies to board games, books, bath-time treats and toiletries (yes to the rubber ducks!) and of course food items are welcomed too. We will make use of the unwanted gifts you may have received, unopened underwear, BOGOFs on toothpaste and 2 for £7 books; one for you, one for donation! As this is about helping families, we are covering all sexes and ages so there are no limits! Our doors are open Monday-Thursday from 9am-3pm and we look forward to greeting you when popping in to deliver your own droplets of Christmas magic.
It’s that time of year when pumpkins start appearing in living room windows, you go clothes shopping in town and come out dressed as a blood-sucking vampire, and you go to the supermarket for cakes and walk away with Fiendish Fancies or Chocolate and Slime Slices. Yes, there’s no escaping it; Halloween is just around the corner.
In the spirit of sitting around the fire and telling ghost stories, we thought we’d delve into the spookier nooks of our local area to see what tales we could find. So let’s dim the lights, play Bach’s Fugue in D minor, and explore haunted Lincolnshire.
‘The Ruskington Horror’
If we were giving out Os-scares for Most Prolific Haunting then it seems the A15 between Sleaford and Lincoln would take that honour. Even someone in the YLL team once experienced this ghost as they drove home one night. Many witnesses have reported phantom hitch-hikers, apparitions in the middle of the road, strange glows, even faces manifesting on their dashboard. Locals’ accounts of this haunting once propelled it into the national limelight, the tabloids dubbing it the Ruskington Horror. It is something that has received in-depth research from Sleaford’s very own paranormal expert, Tom Warrington, who considers it his favourite local ghost story. He speculates the area may be a hotspot due to its close proximity to the Preceptory Tower of Temple Bruer, an ancient site that belonged to the Knights Templar who had spiritual interests and dabbled in the occult. More to come on Tom…
The Burton Pedwardine Horror
I call it this, only because it is very similar to the Ruskington Horror, in that local man Chris Tinsley was driving home towards Helpringham late one night when he saw a figure in the middle of the road. Chris slammed on his brakes and got out his car, yet there was no-one to be found on the deserted moonlit road.
Red Frighting Hood of Algarkirk
Chris told me another story from his youth when he lived in the village of Algarkirk. Hanging out with a friend near the church, both boys noticed a sudden change in the atmosphere, everything going dark and quiet, as though they were in a dome. They both peered towards the nearby church and standing in the bell tower was a figure dressed in a red hood, gazing on at them. Now, granted Chris is a horror writer, but he assures me these ghostly experiences are not fiction!
Rauceby Asylum
Ghosts or not, there’s no getting away from the creepy vibe of the derelict wards of Rauceby Asylum. Frequently visited by ghost hunters, there are numerous videos on YouTube. Many people have reported ghostly voices on their visits to these ruins, along with a groaning ghost with no facial features that vanishes into the darkness.
Haverholme Priory
This is another favourite hotspot of ghost hunter Tom Warrington. He speculates on there being a curse on the existing ruins after much of the building was dismantled, but he says there are also numerous reports of ghosts on the nearby bridge with a horse and cart often witnessed.
Book Review
With the spooky season coming up, I thought what better time to pick up Tom Warrington’s book on his paranormal experiences, Looking for Ghosts – Seeker of Truth. Tom regularly gives talks on the subject and even hosts his own award-winning radio show. Although he is based here in Sleaford, he has travelled the length of Britain researching and investigating, from haunted inns to abandoned churches. But what particularly took my interest were the local places he’s visited: the abandoned airfield tower at Coleby Grange where entities don’t like you to enter, the Boston Gliderdome where the dancefloor is reputed to be built over an ancient burial ground. His strangest incident occurred in the village of Aby in Lincolnshire where a family were experiencing haunted happenings in their home. While he was there investigating, Tom recorded a strange ghostly humming on his sound recorder, something he was unable to rationally explain. He freely admitted to me he was rather disturbed by it!
In his book, he explores what initially drew him to the world of the paranormal, and gives fascinating speculation on why some of these hauntings may be occurring, along with reflections on other phenomena that may be related, such as UFOs. The frustrating thing for ghost hunters, he told me, is that spirits only appear when we’re not looking for them. Will we ever work out the truth? Perhaps it is beyond us (no pun intended). Judging by some of the incidents he recounts in his book, perhaps we’re best off not knowing!
Looking for Ghosts is available on Amazon, so if you’re looking for a spooky read to get you in the mood for Halloween, I heartily recommend it.
One of the things the team at Your Local Lincs has in common is that we are all animal lovers, so we thought we’d bring our pets to work and introduce you to them… photographically speaking, that is! We’d hate to think what chaos might erupt if we physically brought them all into the office at once, especially seeing as we have a cat-dog divide in our collective four-legged friends! Do you have a special pet you’d like to tell us about? Do drop us a message; we might feature them in a future edition. It’s true that every pet has their own personality and their own story to tell. Granted, if we gave them the microphone they’d most likely say, “hey, human , I’m pretty sure it ’s time for me to be fed,” so allow us to do the talking for them…
Mittens – Julie’s Cat…
Mittens joined our family as a rescue cat when she was 5 months old almost 9 years ago. She’s extremely loving and is never far away from her human family. Whether we’re pottering in the garden or watching a film on Netflix, Mittens is close by and always has the best seat in the house! She likes talking to the birds and playing with butterflies and is also quite fond of bringing a mouse or two into the house – we’ve lost count of how many we’ve rescued! Mittens is a huge part of the Costa family!
Rudi – Mel’s Whippet…
Rudi was a shy little pup when he joined our family… trembling with nerves at the sight of another dog (or cat!). He’s grown into a confident, quirky little character, full of mischief, and excitement when anyone talks to him! His favourite pastimes are eating (anything and everything given half the chance), zoomies, seeing his Grandma and going to the garden centre (in the hope he’ll be given a treat at the checkout!). Rudi brings us a huge amount of happiness (apart from digging up the garden!!) and he’s a much loved member of our family.
Sausage & Martin – Kerry’s Sausage Dog & Hamster…
Hi! We’re Martin and Sausage. Our human is Kerry. We help her look after her ‘ginger monsters’ Minnie & Woody. Martin: I love playing hide & seek and when found, I help mom type edits for the magazine. Sausage: I love dressing up and looking pawfect. I often pop to my fave shop, Chaos, for peanut-paw cookies. Yum. I’m always sneaking cake on family pics which my Health Club, Kirks Vets, find hilarious!
I’m excited for my holiday with Wagtail this Autumn. P.S. Julie says I’m her favourite pooch. EVER. Move over Mittens, watch out Henry!
Henry – Rich’s Cat…
There was a time when Henry would not be in even the same room as me. My wife has had him from day one when he was born to Jet, another of her cats (now sadly gone). Henry was a weak kitten that Jet didn’t really bother with so my wife pretty much reared him herself, which means that he is very used to human contact, but only from the humans he knows! Since I came along, he gradually got to know me and is now more than happy to sprawl out and turn me into a human bed.
Mae West could not have put it better. Especially, when considering our local gem, The Playhouse, home to Sleaford Little Theatre Amateur Dramatic Society. Mae’s words literally envelop this building with the surprise striking as soon as you stumble upon her. Standing with an elegant boldness this Georgian built for purpose theatre sets to work her magic and with gentle courtesy invites you in.
Inside, a warm welcome from Tinkler’s Bar (more to come on Ms Tinkler) awaits. Chairwoman, Christine Malkin, played a pivotal role in the recent refurbishment paying attention to details of practicality and aesthetic – the recognition that to attend the theatre is an event and one which if mood takes, we still like to dress for but not be restricted in wearing our coats during the performance or worse, shoving them under our chairs has been noted and addressed.
The committee have done all they can to ensure the theatre works as practically as traditionally thus romantical notes of theatre remain. In truth, I was transported to times of old and could almost smell the tobacco infused with warm popcorn and sweet champagne being carried through the air on notes of Chanel perfume, chatter and laughter. That (perhaps?) says a little too much about my romantical nature but not enough to what senses this theatre provokes and nudges in one. Before one is even seated let alone performance actually commence! Imagine…
Coincidentally, another pleasant surprise with no wasted irony; during the few occasions The Playhouse took a break from housing theatre, she acted as Sleaford’s first infant school, library and emergency shelter – the qualities each of these hold, not least play, education and refuge are so evident within the Arts that it is nothing short of fate that the Sleaford Little Theatre stepped up in 1994 and purchased the home they had wished for and in-turn gifted us a theatre on our doorstep. Ran entirely by volunteers whose love of the Arts, dedication to their craft and passion for keeping theatre alive and attainable to our community is as admirable as it is essential.
Kerry x
You can see what upcoming shows are on at the Playhouse on their website.
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This year’s is the biggest, most ambitious one yet (and that’s saying something!). I’ve enlisted the vocal talents of Basil Brush to release a brand new song called Boom! Boom! It’s Christmas Again.
Rauceby Asylum
Mittens – Julie’s Cat…
Rudi – Mel’s Whippet…
Sausage & Martin – Kerry’s Sausage Dog & Hamster…
Mae West could not have put it better. Especially, when considering our local gem, The Playhouse, home to Sleaford Little Theatre Amateur Dramatic Society. Mae’s words literally envelop this building with the surprise striking as soon as you stumble upon her. Standing with an elegant boldness this Georgian built for purpose theatre sets to work her magic and with gentle courtesy invites you in.
Inside, a warm welcome from Tinkler’s Bar (more to come on Ms Tinkler) awaits. Chairwoman, Christine Malkin, played a pivotal role in the recent refurbishment paying attention to details of practicality and aesthetic – the recognition that to attend the theatre is an event and one which if mood takes, we still like to dress for but not be restricted in wearing our coats during the performance or worse, shoving them under our chairs has been noted and addressed.
