Our 30th birthday year got under way in February with an event which was nothing to do with dancing, as a BB team went off to Television Centre in Shepherds Bush for the day, to take part in the TV general knowledge quiz programme ‘Eggheads’ which when transmitted runs on BBC2 on weekdays around 6.00 pm, and for which they had blagged their way through an audition before Christmas. Introduced by Dermot Murnaghan, the programme features a team of 5 challengers taking on the resident ‘Eggheads’, all general knowledge experts and quiz champions in their own right, including former winners of Mastermind, Brain of Britain, 15 to 1, and Judith Keppel, the first person to win a million on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. After 4 short individual head to head contests on specialist subjects drawn at random, whoever is left on either team joins the final member for a general knowledge round. The challenging team is playing for prize money which increases by £1,000 for every programme that the Eggheads win (which not surprisingly is most of them), and the money keeps increasing until it is won, after which it reverts to £1,000.
The BB programme was eventually transmitted on BBC2 in September 2007, and suffice it to say we lost out on the £59,000 on offer – but only narrowly, thanks to the heroic efforts of our stars Andy and Jameson – and at one point there was a hiatus while one of the critical Egghead team answers was checked, during which we allowed ourselves to consider the possibility that we might have won. But their answer was OK, and eventually we duly lost. However those who went had a great day out, and enjoyed the brief chance to be luvvies once again. During the filming there were some chances to talk a little about Morris Dancing and what BB are all about, some of which made it to the final cut including the key words gusto and spirit, though sadly not Paul’s interesting on camera explanation of how Morris Dancing is to be found around the world, “including in former Commonwealth countries such as Australia and America”?
Our dance season proper got under way on 24th February with another appearance at the Berkshire Schools Folk Day, a very worthwhile day organised and run by various volunteers to provide primary school children across Berkshire with the opportunity to learn something of and take part in various folk music and dance activities. As we have done previously, BB were asked to provide some lunchtime entertainment while the children (and their teachers) took a break. A full turnout of BBs went through their stuff in fine style, and Tim led the audience participation versions of Shepherds Hey and Knees Up, by the end of which most of the children were considerably better at them than certain members of BB. Especially at Knees Up, which still seems to remain as complicated to some as Einstein’s Relativity Theory, Schrodinger’s Cat Theory, or Schrodinger’s Hat Dance.
Then on 14th April we were off to Birmingham for the third joint Morris Organisations Day of Dance, designed to promote and raise awareness of the Morris following successful events in Trafalgar Square in London in 2005, and in Newcastle in 2006. On a bright and pleasantly warm day, with over 40 teams attending altogether, BB found themselves with Windsor and Eryri, performing at different venues around the city, starting at the Bullring Centre, and moving on later to Victoria Square and the Cathedral. We had a successful day, particularly outside the cathedral where we attracted much interest from the large crowds enjoying the sunshine, and where at one point Tim, Jerry and Lee persuaded several of the livelier younger people congregated around the square to join in a potentially pear shaped but ultimately successful version of Coconuts, though with hand clapping rather than anything with public liability potential.
Overall the whole day was well organised and seemed to achieve its aims of spreading awareness, putting on good shows, and letting people enjoy themselves. Can’t ask for much more …….
On 20th April we were asked to perform at a St. George’s Day military dinner at a military establishment at Hermitage, near Newbury. A fine evening, with lots of patriotic St. George’s flags around the room, and an evening programme celebrating Englishness in various ways, culminating in a splendid fireworks display to stirring classical music. Our part was to provide some traditional entertainment during the meal, and the audience were very appreciative and supportive from the start, clapping along to our first dance ‘Wheel of Fortune’, done of course to a stirring version of ‘British Grenadiers’. They also tolerated our final dance, a not very successful version of Jolly Jockey Sticks, for which we blame the atmospheric (i.e. extremely dark) lighting conditions. Its been a while since we dropped quite so many sticks during that dance – and goodness knows how many it might have been if we hadn’t practised it endlessly a few days before ….