In fact though that wasn’t quite the end of the anniversary story. While the teams had been dancing in Reading on Sunday, they were seen by one of the BBC Radio Berkshire presenters on the Andrew Peach morning show, newsreader Sarah Walker, who reported on air on the Monday morning that she had seen “an obscene amount of morris dancers in Reading on Sunday”, including “some women dancing with what looked like pallet knives…”. This was latched on during the show, and people were asked to phone in if they had any idea what it was about. Eventually Brian from Kennet phoned in, and explained it was to do with Berkshire Bedlam’s 40th birthday celebrations. He was asked about us, and somehow in the ensuing dialogue we were described first as ‘cabaret morris’, and then somehow as ‘almost burlesque dancers’. As a result of this, we were immediately invited to go on the show the next day (Tuesday 25 July) to show what ‘burlesque cabaret morris’ was all about (gulp). Anyway, as a result, Alun, Mark, Charles, and Malcolm all went along to the studio next morning and were featured on the show from about 9.15 to 9.45, including a short demonstration done to the music of an iPhone held to a microphone – not ideal but just about worked. And after doing it the 3 presenters also had a go – Andrew Peach, Sarah, and sports guy Ady Williams, a Welsh football international and former captain of Reading FC. Not sure what they all made of it, especially Ady, but they seemed impressed, especially by the fact that (apart from Malcolm) the dancers were all young!
Anyway, after that it was on to Sidmouth for Folk Week, starting on Saturday 5th August. On the Sunday, yet again BB were able to field a team on the Esplanade, with several members who were there for the week, plus Sue, just there for a couple of days, David, also just there for a couple of days to be a Tommy for Silver Flame, and Florent, who drove down just for the day for his first Sidmouth experience – merci beaucoup! On the Sunday afternoon was the jig competition, with several participants from BB, though sadly none in BB kit. In the solo jig competition, Will did a fabulous Hammersmith Longborough jig, accompanied by the excellent Jim Sawyer, while the double jig competition featured Mark and Alun at the start, reprising their winning Fools Gambit jig from 2016, though accompanied by Jerry this time in Tom’s absence. It also featured Jameson dancing an Oyster jig along with Colin Pigden, a BB member in the mid 1990s, and finally Will again, dancing a jig in a piratical type outfit along with Kynan Parker-Roth and accompanied by Jerry, all 3 wearing matching piratical bandanas. When the prizes were awarded, it was a double success for Will – first place in the solo jig and first place in the double! Both very well deserved, and a great pleasure also for all of the BB members watching.
And BB members continued to feature during the week with booked teams – as mentioned David was down for the weekend to Tommy with Silver Flame, while Jameson was with Oyster all week and Tylers Men on his Oyster day off. Will was also with Tylers Men, and later in the week Mark joined in some of the dances of the excellent young American team formed just for the festival, Great Circle. Great to see so many of BB playing a full part in the week!
