0:00:02 > 0:00:04It's Christmas Eve and we're here at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
0:00:04 > 0:00:095,000 voices are going to raise the roof with a feast of festive music.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13Welcome to the Songs Of Praise Christmas Big Sing.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24In today's special programme,
0:00:24 > 0:00:27I'll be taking a Christmas carriage ride around London.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37JB Gill will be discovering the beautiful story behind
0:00:37 > 0:00:41the 70-year-old tradition of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50And we'll both be joining 5,000 Songs Of Praise viewers
0:00:50 > 0:00:53to sing festive favourites for you at the Royal Albert Hall.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Tomorrow morning, church bells up and down the country
0:01:11 > 0:01:14will be ringing to celebrate that the big day is here
0:01:14 > 0:01:16and to rejoice in the birth of baby Jesus.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Our first carol celebrates a love of bell-ringing,
0:01:21 > 0:01:22and it certainly does that.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25It's Ding Dong! Merrily On High.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08APPLAUSE
0:04:24 > 0:04:29Well, this really is the way to see London in all its festive splendour.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Now, whilst I take in the view, JB Gill is in Trafalgar Square,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35looking at the Christmas celebrations there.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Trafalgar Square is right in the heart of London.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47In fact, this very spot marks the centre of the city
0:04:47 > 0:04:50and all distances to the capital are measured from here.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59St Martin-In-The-Fields church is in the north-east corner of the square.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02And always has lots of special services and events at Christmas.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Reverend Doctor Sam Wells is vicar of St Martins.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Sam, Trafalgar Square's such an iconic tourist attraction.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- What's it like being a church here? - It's wonderful.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20I go around the world, I give talks in America and Hong Kong and Sweden
0:05:20 > 0:05:23and places and always ask people to put their hands up
0:05:23 > 0:05:24if they've been Trafalgar Square,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27and always 90% of the room have been here
0:05:27 > 0:05:29so I always come back and tell my team, you know,
0:05:29 > 0:05:30"This is what we're dealing with."
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Everybody I speak to around the world comes through Trafalgar Square
0:05:33 > 0:05:35at some stage, maybe only once -
0:05:35 > 0:05:37we've got to make the most of that chance.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39And how does it change at Christmas time?
0:05:39 > 0:05:40We have a carol service
0:05:40 > 0:05:43or carol concert pretty much every night through December,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46sometimes through the day as well, so we're kind of all full up.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49It's like eating a lot of mince pies.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50And when it comes to Christmas,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52obviously it's a lot more commercial these days,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55but how do you ensure people get a real sense
0:05:55 > 0:05:57of the real meaning of Christmas?
0:05:57 > 0:05:59I always disagree with people who say it's too materialistic
0:05:59 > 0:06:01because actually Christmas is about materialism -
0:06:01 > 0:06:03it's about God being a human being.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06So Christmas is about the way God is with us
0:06:06 > 0:06:08and about the way we are with one another.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14Every Christmas, St Martins puts on a special crib service.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Wake up, wake up, turn on the lights.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21The saviour is born tonight, tonight!
0:06:21 > 0:06:25The crib service is very special because 10 or 15 years ago
0:06:25 > 0:06:28an artist made sculptures of real people,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30including members of our congregation here -
0:06:30 > 0:06:32we take them out to the square
0:06:32 > 0:06:36and then we have a wonderful blessing of the crib service.
0:06:36 > 0:06:42Bless now this crib where outcast and sage, humanity and creation,
0:06:42 > 0:06:47old and young, divine and human are united.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51To be a place of encounter with you and your Grace.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Most churches have their crib services inside the church
0:06:55 > 0:06:57but you have yours outside. Why?
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Trafalgar Square is a focal place in London now,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04it's a place where we have all sorts of protests and campaigns and things
0:07:04 > 0:07:08and a few times a year we from the church go out into the square
0:07:08 > 0:07:11and perform the story that's at the heart of our faith.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14And there shouldn't be anything pious about church.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16You know, the Christmas story and the Easter story -
0:07:16 > 0:07:17they're right in the thick of the city,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20they're right in the thick of the realities of human life.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24So it's particularly special when we go out from the beautiful building
0:07:24 > 0:07:27and go in to the realities of the square and the noise
0:07:27 > 0:07:29and the dirt and the realities of life.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38A prince born for us in a stable. Wow, that's so cool!
0:07:38 > 0:07:42We went to the stable where baby Jesus lay
0:07:42 > 0:07:43In a manger built of hay
0:07:43 > 0:07:46He didn't have any Christmas presents -
0:07:46 > 0:07:47I thought that was quite shocking
0:07:47 > 0:07:50So I gave him my lamb to put in his stocking.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55It's time now for a special performance from Katherine
0:07:55 > 0:07:57and our Big Sing orchestra.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02On Christmas Eve back in 1816, a Yorkshire-based poet wrote
0:08:02 > 0:08:04the next carol after suddenly being inspired
0:08:04 > 0:08:06whilst reading Luke chapter 2.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08It's Angels From The Realms Of Glory.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30# Angels from the realms of glory
0:08:30 > 0:08:33# Wing your flight o'er all the earth
0:08:34 > 0:08:39# Ye who sang creation's story
0:08:39 > 0:08:43# Now proclaim Messiah's birth
0:08:43 > 0:08:51# Gloria
0:08:52 > 0:08:57# In excelsis Deo
0:08:57 > 0:09:05# Gloria
0:09:06 > 0:09:12# In excelsis Deo
0:09:20 > 0:09:25# Shepherds in the fields abiding
0:09:25 > 0:09:29# Watching o'er your flocks by night
0:09:29 > 0:09:34# God with man is now residing
0:09:34 > 0:09:39# Yonder shines the infant light
0:09:39 > 0:09:47# Gloria
0:09:48 > 0:09:52# In excelsis Deo
0:09:52 > 0:10:00# Gloria
0:10:02 > 0:10:07# In excelsis Deo
0:10:20 > 0:10:25# Though an infant now we view him
0:10:25 > 0:10:29# He shall fill his Father's throne
0:10:29 > 0:10:34# Gather all nations to him
0:10:34 > 0:10:39# Every knee shall then bow down
0:10:39 > 0:10:46# Gloria
0:10:48 > 0:10:52# In excelsis Deo
0:10:52 > 0:11:00# Gloria
0:11:01 > 0:11:09# In excelsis Deo. #
0:11:31 > 0:11:33We're currently crossing Hyde Park
0:11:33 > 0:11:36and it's looking absolutely beautiful.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38But it's time to head back to the Royal Albert Hall,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41where 5,000 voices will be raising the roof
0:11:41 > 0:11:43with their beautiful singing.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46It's Charles Wesley's most popular carol and it tells the story
0:11:46 > 0:11:49of how the angels announced the birth of baby Jesus.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16There are so many traditions around Christmas -
0:15:16 > 0:15:19carols, turkeys, presents and, of course, Christmas trees -
0:15:19 > 0:15:21and there are some pretty festive
0:15:21 > 0:15:23and spectacular trees here in London.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26But it's the one in Trafalgar Square that has
0:15:26 > 0:15:29a very special story behind it and JB Gill has been finding out more.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35A couple of weeks ago in the early hours of the morning,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38a huge spruce tree arrived in Trafalgar Square,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40all the way from Norway,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43to be the focal point of Christmas celebrations.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47Lord Mayor, tell me about the tree here in Trafalgar Square.
0:15:47 > 0:15:48Why is it here?
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Well, it's a really significant national symbol.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55It's a gift from the city of Oslo to Great Britain
0:15:55 > 0:15:58and it really kind of reflects the close relationship
0:15:58 > 0:16:01between Norway and Great Britain.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05This tradition began because Britain gave sanctuary to Norway's leaders
0:16:05 > 0:16:06during the Second World War.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09The Norwegian government and the King of Norway brought
0:16:09 > 0:16:13themselves to safe haven here in the heart of London and Westminster.
0:16:13 > 0:16:20The tree is a symbol of peace and friendship and for us
0:16:20 > 0:16:24this is very important in Norway to have a Christmas tree that
0:16:24 > 0:16:27gives light in a time of the year where there is a lot of darkness,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31so it gives us hope for the future and also a symbol of friendship.
0:16:35 > 0:16:402017 marks the 70th anniversary of the first Norwegian Christmas tree
0:16:40 > 0:16:43arriving and being lit here in Trafalgar Square.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47This is a real Oslo tree and is also special
0:16:47 > 0:16:49because it is 70 years old,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52so when this tree was a little baby tree 70 years ago,
0:16:52 > 0:16:57now it has grown to be a beautiful 21-metre-high tree.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00It's quite special, so the tree has an anniversary
0:17:00 > 0:17:03and also the tradition is also 70 years.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07In the kind of world we are living in,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09with so much unpredictability with...
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Some will say we live in the middle of a chaotic world,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16I think exactly this kind of tradition
0:17:16 > 0:17:21which symbolises all the good things in life - friendship, peace,
0:17:21 > 0:17:26co-operation across borders - is so incredibly important.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28MUSIC: O Come, All Ye Faithful
0:17:37 > 0:17:40And just like back in 1947,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43thousands have turned out tonight to see the lights being switched on.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45So I have bought my wife, Chloe,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47and son, Ace, along to share the moment with me.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02It is important to look back but also take history into the future.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06So I'm very happy that this year we have two children,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10one from London and one from Oslo, that can light the tree
0:18:10 > 0:18:13because that symbolises the importance
0:18:13 > 0:18:16of also looking into the future.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21And to keep the friendship and the dialogue
0:18:21 > 0:18:25and contact between our two nations and our two cities.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27So this year is very special because it shows us
0:18:27 > 0:18:30that this tradition is going to last.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33And we have to have new generations to follow that tradition
0:18:33 > 0:18:35in the years to come.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40So I invite the two representatives of the future
0:18:40 > 0:18:46to step forward and to do the job. So please press the button.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:19:04 > 0:19:06What a special treat.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Well, our next carol was sung on this very night
0:19:09 > 0:19:13over 100 years ago in the trenches of World War I.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15It's considered the carol of peace
0:19:15 > 0:19:18and has been translated into over 300 languages.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Here's JB Gill performing Silent Night.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31# Silent night
0:19:31 > 0:19:35# Holy night
0:19:35 > 0:19:39# All is calm
0:19:39 > 0:19:44# All is bright
0:19:44 > 0:19:49# Round yon virgin
0:19:49 > 0:19:54# Mother and child
0:19:54 > 0:19:57# Holy infant
0:19:57 > 0:20:03# So tender and mild
0:20:03 > 0:20:11# Sleep in heavenly peace
0:20:12 > 0:20:20# Sleep in heavenly peace... #
0:22:42 > 0:22:44My journey is nearly over
0:22:44 > 0:22:48and it's been such a lovely way to see London at Christmas time.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Next week, Claire McCollum is celebrating
0:22:53 > 0:22:57New Year's Eve on a special journey along the Thames.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00And we'll be back at the Royal Albert Hall
0:23:00 > 0:23:04for more wonderful singing from our 5,000-strong congregation.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07With special performances from Mary Jess,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10the boys choir Libera,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12and Westlife's Shane Filan
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Well, we've got time for just one more
0:23:17 > 0:23:19from here at the Royal Albert Hall in London
0:23:19 > 0:23:23and it's a carol that you may think could have started as a memory game
0:23:23 > 0:23:25but if you added up every single thing on this list
0:23:25 > 0:23:29in today's money, it would total a very expensive shopping trip.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Probably about £25,000.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35What carol is it? Of course, it's the 12 Days Of Christmas.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Wishing you and your family a peaceful
0:23:37 > 0:23:41and blessed Christmas from everyone here at Songs Of Praise.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58APPLAUSE
0:28:11 > 0:28:17THEY PLAY FESTIVE VERSION OF SONGS OF PRAISE THEME