0:00:03 > 0:00:04For the fourth Sunday in Advent,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07we're processing back in time to the Middle Ages.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13Welcome to Songs Of Praise where, tonight,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16I'm in the Somerset village where, instead of electricity,
0:00:16 > 0:00:19candles light the high street as thousands of visitors come to
0:00:19 > 0:00:22experience Dunster by candlelight.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27I hear how the Dunster carollers are inspiring the younger
0:00:27 > 0:00:30generation to carry on this age-old tradition.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34THEY SING
0:00:34 > 0:00:38Singer Katie Melua explains how her Eastern European roots have
0:00:38 > 0:00:43- inspired her music. - Take Carol Of The Bells.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45The original is in Ukrainian.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48And I'm helping hand out Christmas presents with hundreds of
0:00:48 > 0:00:49Santas on motorbikes!
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Merry Christmas!
0:01:01 > 0:01:04For our singing tonight, we have some seasonal favourites,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07including O Holy Night, we have the latest Christmas song from
0:01:07 > 0:01:11Russell Watson, plus some great carols that you can join in with.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14So let's start with The First Nowell from Romsey Abbey.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Around 10,000 people have converged on this usually quiet
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Somerset village to experience Dunster by candlelight,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32and I tell you what - you can see why.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34- It's great, isn't it?- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45This year is the 30th anniversary of the festival,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48which celebrates the medieval origins of the village.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51There's been a castle here since the 11th century,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55and it's one of the best examples of a settlement from the Middle Ages.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00But back then, not all was as harmonious as it is today, as
0:05:00 > 0:05:04I found out earlier on when I popped into Dunster's medieval church.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08- Hello, Caroline.- David, hello. Welcome to St George's.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09It's lovely to be here.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11This is an amazing place,
0:05:11 > 0:05:16and particularly this beautiful partition. What exactly is it?
0:05:16 > 0:05:18This is a rood screen.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21It was put up many hundreds of years ago by the monks, who were
0:05:21 > 0:05:23established here in the 12th century.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25They were Benedictines,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28so the people in the town resented the fact there were
0:05:28 > 0:05:32a few monks who were rich and living on them and used to do
0:05:32 > 0:05:35practical jokes to annoy them.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37They tied the clappers of the bells together,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39they came in and caused trouble.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42And eventually, it got so bad that the bishop decided
0:05:42 > 0:05:44he needed to do something formally about it,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48so he came down in all his pomp and glory and decided to divide
0:05:48 > 0:05:50the church, and this is the division.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53So the monks were on one side and the parishioners were on the other?
0:05:53 > 0:05:55And never the twain shall meet.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04Lovely to see all the candles. What do the candles mean to you?
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Candles are very important.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09They're a focus for prayer and we use it in all sorts of ways
0:06:09 > 0:06:12to remind us that Jesus is the light of the world and we are
0:06:12 > 0:06:16called to be lights on a hilltop and show that we can be hopeful,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19and that's helped by the meaning of Christmas and John's Gospel -
0:06:19 > 0:06:24a light coming into the world, which is Jesus, to go out and
0:06:24 > 0:06:27to make people understand what Christians can do and can be.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Round the corner from the church is the primary school,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35where they're busy preparing for the procession.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37- Hi, guys.- Hello.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40- Hello.- How you doing? Oh, this looks great!
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- This is all for later, yeah? CHILDREN:- Yeah.- Fantastic!
0:06:44 > 0:06:46What do you think of the procession?
0:06:46 > 0:06:49I like seeing all the lanterns and lights in the dark sky.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51- It always looks amazing.- Yeah?
0:06:51 > 0:06:54It feels like you're doing something really important.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57At Christmas, what do you learn in school about Jesus?
0:06:57 > 0:07:00In the Nativity Play, we found out that he was known as the Good
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Shepherd, and they were sent out to look after everyone.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06We learnt that he was born in a stable in Bethlehem and we
0:07:06 > 0:07:11learnt that he was a very special boy, and that he was God's son.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17- This one's for you.- Oh, thank you! So, we've got our lanterns.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- Are we ready for the procession? CHILDREN:- Yes!
0:07:27 > 0:07:29And here we are to light up Dunster.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Our next hymn is dedicated to Pope Francis,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36who celebrates his 80th birthday this weekend.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39It's written by the Catholic composer Bernadette Farrell
0:07:39 > 0:07:42and is appropriately called Christ, Be Our Light.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44# This is the closest thing to crazy
0:09:44 > 0:09:48I have ever been... #
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Katie Melua's one of Britain's most successful recording artists
0:09:51 > 0:09:52of the millennium,
0:09:52 > 0:09:57selling more than 11 million albums and receiving 56 Platinum awards.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02# If all your dreams were on fire.... #
0:10:02 > 0:10:05For her latest album, she's gone back to her Eastern European
0:10:05 > 0:10:09roots and has teamed up with a choir from her homeland of Georgia.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12# Should I be afraid?
0:10:12 > 0:10:15# Should I ... #
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Katie, thank you for coming on Songs Of Praise.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21What was it that prompted you to return to your birthplace
0:10:21 > 0:10:22in Georgia?
0:10:22 > 0:10:26The biggest thing that triggered it was discovering this choir,
0:10:26 > 0:10:30the Gori Women's Choir, that I heard on Spotify,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and their sound was unlike anything I'd ever heard before.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36# All your dreams were on fire
0:10:38 > 0:10:42# Which one would you save? #
0:10:42 > 0:10:47The choir unites 24 female voices into sounding like one
0:10:47 > 0:10:48incredible creature.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53They just want the music to be the best that it possibly can,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55'and that's so inspiring.'
0:10:56 > 0:11:00And did cultural and spiritual connections
0:11:00 > 0:11:04- with your heritage mean a lot to you?- Well, they mean a great deal.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08The discovery that a lot of Christmas carols
0:11:08 > 0:11:12- originate from Eastern Europe was phenomenal.- Really?- Yeah.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16So, take Carol of the Bells, which is a great, you know,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18joyous choral piece.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20The original is in Ukrainian.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23SHE SINGS IN UKRAINIAN
0:11:25 > 0:11:30The first song I sang when I moved over to the UK,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33I was nine years old and so that was the first time
0:11:33 > 0:11:36I had my first Western Christmas
0:11:36 > 0:11:39and I didn't speak a word of English,
0:11:39 > 0:11:44but I got to be really welcomed into the society
0:11:44 > 0:11:48and to learn to speak English by joining the choir
0:11:48 > 0:11:50and so when we sang O Holy Night,
0:11:50 > 0:11:56it was one of those incredible musical moments.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59There was a moment where it goes into the refrain section,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01where the chord changes, and it blew my mind and I was nine
0:12:01 > 0:12:05and I was like, "How can something that you can't see
0:12:05 > 0:12:08"and you can't touch affect you so much?"
0:12:08 > 0:12:11And since doing it at the age of nine,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13this is the first time I've covered it.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20# O holy night
0:12:20 > 0:12:25# The stars are brightly shining
0:12:25 > 0:12:33# It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth
0:12:35 > 0:12:38# Long lay the world
0:12:38 > 0:12:44# In sin and error pining
0:12:44 > 0:12:52# Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth
0:12:52 > 0:12:56# A thrill of hope
0:12:56 > 0:13:01# The weary world rejoices
0:13:01 > 0:13:05# For yonder breaks
0:13:05 > 0:13:10# A new and glorious morn
0:13:10 > 0:13:18# Fall on your knees
0:13:18 > 0:13:24# O hear the angel voices
0:13:24 > 0:13:33# O night divine
0:13:33 > 0:13:44# O night divine
0:13:46 > 0:13:50# Led by the light
0:13:50 > 0:13:55# Of faith serenely beaming
0:13:55 > 0:13:58# With glowing hearts
0:13:58 > 0:14:04# By His cradle, we stand
0:14:04 > 0:14:09# So, led by a light
0:14:09 > 0:14:14# Of a star sweetly gleaming
0:14:14 > 0:14:22# Here come the men from the Orient land
0:14:22 > 0:14:27# The king of kings
0:14:27 > 0:14:32# Lay thus in lowly manger
0:14:32 > 0:14:35# In all our trials
0:14:35 > 0:14:39# Born to be our friend
0:14:39 > 0:14:47# Fall on your knees
0:14:47 > 0:14:55# O hear the angel voices
0:14:55 > 0:15:03# O night divine
0:15:03 > 0:15:06# O night
0:15:06 > 0:15:17# Night divine
0:15:19 > 0:15:25# Oooooh
0:15:25 > 0:15:31# Ooooooh
0:15:31 > 0:15:35# Ooooh-oooh-oooh-oooh
0:15:35 > 0:15:46# O night divine. #
0:15:51 > 0:15:54The beautiful voice of Katie Melua there.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55Now, young or old,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58we all like a gift or two at Christmas
0:15:58 > 0:16:01and Kate Bottley joined an unusual team of Santas
0:16:01 > 0:16:04on their delivery round, but it's not on a sleigh.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Morning! Morning, all right?
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Every year, just before Christmas,
0:16:08 > 0:16:132,000 bikers descend on a car park on the outskirts of Reading.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16This is the Reading Toy Run.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17It delivers thousands of presents
0:16:17 > 0:16:21to the children's charity Barnardos for those most in need.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26Ben Spiller and Sean Stillman first organised this event 31 years ago
0:16:26 > 0:16:29with only a handful of other Christian bikers.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31So, this started with just a few bikes
0:16:31 > 0:16:37in a pub car park and now it's 1,700 bikes and 2,000 people.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39You could never have imagined it would go like this.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Well, you couldn't imagine it, but it's not me who's doing it.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46- Who's doing it, then? - God. You know, He's doing it.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49They come every year - He's making them come.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52It's to the glory of God, all the time.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Quick, cos Rudolph's coming, look.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Tell me about your parrot outfit.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04- They said, "What's a parrot got to do with Christmas?"- Well, exactly!
0:17:04 > 0:17:07- And I said, "I'm a Christmas parrot!"- A Christmas parrot!
0:17:09 > 0:17:13This is an event organised by Christians, but everyone is welcome.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17So, why not just hire a big van and deliver them like that?
0:17:17 > 0:17:20- Wouldn't that be a lot easier? - It'd be a lot warmer!
0:17:20 > 0:17:24But we're bikers and this is the tribe gathering together
0:17:24 > 0:17:26to celebrate Christmas and sharing gifts
0:17:26 > 0:17:27with our friends in the community.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Some people taking part,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32some of them may not have families or children in their families
0:17:32 > 0:17:36that they buy gifts for so this is their big Christmas moment.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39For the girls, I've brought some scarves
0:17:39 > 0:17:43and some little bubbly things with a nice little presentation box
0:17:43 > 0:17:44- and all of that sort of stuff. - Oh, nice!
0:17:44 > 0:17:47- What presents have you brought? - Yeah, I've got a little police car.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Oh, fantastic!
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Well, you might want to avoid those today!
0:17:52 > 0:17:56You know, it's not unusual to see a guitar on the back of a motorbike.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Oh, fantastic!
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Right, I've got my present and I've got my Santa so let's go!
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Just because you wear a leather jacket don't mean
0:18:09 > 0:18:12that you're an outcast or you're unruly.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15I did come from a children's home myself when I was younger
0:18:15 > 0:18:17and since I've been on the bike,
0:18:17 > 0:18:19I've given something back to where I've come from.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22In many ways, we might be the most unexpected bunch of hoodlums
0:18:22 > 0:18:26to be doing what we do, but there's very much the spirit of Jesus
0:18:26 > 0:18:29is at the heart of this particular event.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33And the people that line the route watching, it's wonderful.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Yes, it's just a big community thing that we do.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40The atmosphere, the noise, the bikes, it's just really amazing.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43- And what does today mean to you? - Erm, it means a lot.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46If you ask any of this lot, it's all for the kids.
0:18:46 > 0:18:52Any time of the year somebody talks about this, I get emotional.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55- It obviously means so much to you. - Yeah.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Bikers arrive at a Barnardos school six miles down the road.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02From here, the presents will be distributed around the country.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Wow! Look at all these toys, it's amazing!
0:19:07 > 0:19:09There's piles and piles of gifts.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15There you go! Thank you so much, that was so much fun.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20The school pupils help collect the presents.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22That all of these people have come from nowhere,
0:19:22 > 0:19:24not actually knowing us and bringing all the presents.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29It's absolutely amazing! Best people in the world!
0:19:30 > 0:19:32It seems to me you're using your passion for bikes
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- for Jesus, aren't you?- Yep. - And to serve your community.- Yep.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39There's nothing better than helping people.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12# Glory to the newborn king... #
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Back in Dunster, the carollers are singing with gusto.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Later on, we're going to be discovering
0:22:19 > 0:22:22a little bit more about the tradition of local carol singing.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26First, with a Christmas classic, here's Russell Watson.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35# Said the night wind to the little lamb
0:22:37 > 0:22:40# Do you see what I see?
0:22:40 > 0:22:42# Do you see what I see?
0:22:42 > 0:22:46# Way up in the sky, little lamb
0:22:48 > 0:22:51# Do you see what I see?
0:22:51 > 0:22:54# Do you see what I see?
0:22:54 > 0:22:57# A star, a star
0:22:57 > 0:22:59# Dancing in the night
0:22:59 > 0:23:04# With a tail as big as a kite
0:23:05 > 0:23:09# With a tail as big as a kite
0:23:13 > 0:23:18# Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy
0:23:20 > 0:23:23# Do you hear what I hear?
0:23:23 > 0:23:25# Do you hear what I hear?
0:23:25 > 0:23:29# Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy
0:23:31 > 0:23:34# Do you hear what I hear?
0:23:34 > 0:23:36# Do you hear what I hear?
0:23:36 > 0:23:40# A song, a song
0:23:40 > 0:23:42# High above the trees
0:23:42 > 0:23:46# With a voice as big as the sea
0:23:47 > 0:23:54# With a voice as big as the sea!
0:24:02 > 0:24:08# Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king
0:24:08 > 0:24:11# Do you know what I know?
0:24:11 > 0:24:14# Do you know what I know?
0:24:14 > 0:24:20# In your palace warm, mighty king
0:24:20 > 0:24:23# Do you know what I know?
0:24:23 > 0:24:25# Do you know what I know?
0:24:25 > 0:24:28# A child, a child
0:24:28 > 0:24:31# Sleeping in the night
0:24:31 > 0:24:36# He will bring us goodness and light
0:24:36 > 0:24:40# He will bring us...
0:24:40 > 0:24:52# goodness and light. #
0:24:55 > 0:24:58# Oh, tidings of comfort and joy... #
0:24:58 > 0:25:01'Carols are a big part of a traditional Christmas,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03'dating back hundreds of years.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06'We're all familiar with carollers singing in the streets,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09'but the tradition is more likely to have begun in graveyards,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11'as I discovered earlier.'
0:25:11 > 0:25:13So, what was a carol?
0:25:13 > 0:25:16It's a medieval song with dancing,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- and the dancing is just as important a part as the singing.- Right!
0:25:19 > 0:25:21- So anything like that, that's a carol?- Pretty much.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25Usually with a bit that comes round and round, a refrain.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29What is this, and what does this have to do with carolling?
0:25:29 > 0:25:31This is so exciting. This is a preaching stone,
0:25:31 > 0:25:35and it's one of the few remaining preaching stones in the country,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37and it's where people would come and do a sermon.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41So they'd go to church in the church, and then, after the service
0:25:41 > 0:25:44had finished, everyone would come out into the graveyard, and this
0:25:44 > 0:25:47is where they would have a sermon, where they would preach to people.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50But the churchyard is also the place where, after the service...
0:25:50 > 0:25:53It's a nice, big, open space, wall round it, no livestock, so people
0:25:53 > 0:25:56would have a song and a dance in the churchyard after church.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58So then you've got the preacher on the preaching stone trying to
0:25:58 > 0:26:02preach to everyone and the carollers all dancing round.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04And we had these sermons where they talk about,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07"You've got to stop the carolling!" because it's getting in the way.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10OK, so where did the carollers go when they were thrown out of
0:26:10 > 0:26:12- the churchyard?- So, then we don't know exactly,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14but they'd probably end up going down into the village,
0:26:14 > 0:26:16onto the main streets
0:26:16 > 0:26:19and continuing their carolling and their carousing down there.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22# ..comfort and joy. #
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Dunster has its own tradition of carol singing,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27and Emma and I headed up to the Tenants Hall,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31part of the castle, to catch up with the Dunster Carollers as
0:26:31 > 0:26:34they practised with their new recruits.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40# Let us by the fire, the fire... #
0:26:40 > 0:26:42This is The Dunster Carol.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Would you describe this as being a medieval-style carol?
0:26:45 > 0:26:48In some ways, it really is. They've got the refrain going on,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50where they come round and round to the same bit each time.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55# Sing until the night expires
0:26:55 > 0:26:58# Sing until the night expires. #
0:26:58 > 0:27:02They're setting it in a season, so it's clearly December.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05# In December ring... #
0:27:05 > 0:27:08And then, at the end, they bring in the God bit,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10so they do the baby in the manger with the shepherds.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13So in that sense, yeah, absolutely classic.
0:27:13 > 0:27:21# Shepherds at the grange Where the babe was born... #
0:27:21 > 0:27:24In the Middle Ages, most musical traditions were oral traditions,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26taught by ear and learned by ear,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30and there are these gentlemen of the village teaching the children
0:27:30 > 0:27:33in exactly the way that people have learned carols for hundreds
0:27:33 > 0:27:36- and hundreds of years. - What's The Dunster Carol all about?
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Well, I know it's very old and the children who went to our
0:27:40 > 0:27:42school many years ago also learnt it.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47Well, it, like, keeps a tradition going, and, like, it's really
0:27:47 > 0:27:50special to us, because it's about the village where we go to school.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55The words were written by the poet Longfellow in the middle of
0:27:55 > 0:27:58the 19th century and were set to music. We don't know by whom.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Well, I learnt it orally from my dad.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04So, that's my dad singing there in full gusto.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07I'm down there, and behind is my brother.
0:28:08 > 0:28:14- I've got here his old carol book, over 50 years old...- Wow!
0:28:14 > 0:28:17..which is the last they've got of these, actually. I love it.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21And in it, it's got all the carols that we sing.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25We hope that in future, it will carry on even after we're gone.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29# Sing until the night expires. #
0:28:29 > 0:28:32Throughout history, folk tunes have been added to sacred words
0:28:32 > 0:28:36to popularise songs, and our next Christmas carol does just that.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39I'm sure you're going to recognise the tune of Greensleeves.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43Thank you to everyone here in Dunster,
0:31:43 > 0:31:45and let me tell you that next week,
0:31:45 > 0:31:48we join Aled at the Royal Albert Hall for
0:31:48 > 0:31:52a Christmas Day celebration, where he'll be singing along with
0:31:52 > 0:31:56Gareth Malone and his choir, Laura Mvula and many others.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Let me wish you a happy, joyous and peaceful Christmas,
0:31:59 > 0:32:03and we end today's show with this festive favourite.