Songs of Praise

Last updated June 2005
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The programme

The programme was originally going to be called Sing His Praises.

It was the brainchild of Donald Baverstock, the Assistant Controller of Programmes for BBC TV.

It was first broadcast in October 1961 and is now seen by an international audience of millions. It is one of the longest- running television programmes in the world.

The first episode came from Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cardiff, introduced by Reverend Dr Gwilym ap Robert.

The oldest programme existing on tape in the BBC archive is the episode broadcast from Harrow School on the death of Winston Churchill in 1965.

It is believed to be the most-watched religious television programme in the world.

Songs of Praise has visited more than 1,800 different churches, chapels and cathedrals.

Four Songs of Praise producers have become bishops. Nearly 100 producers have worked on the programme.

Christmas 1988 brought the programme's biggest audience of 11.4 million viewers, broadcast from All Souls, Langham Place, London.

The show's biggest congregation was 65,000 at the Millennium Stadium Cardiff on 2 January 2000, while Music Live in Leeds in 2001 was celebrated with a choir of 5,000 and a brass band with 600 instrumentalists.

Over 30 microphones are used to capture the bands, choirs, interviews and atmosphere of Songs of Praise and up to 50 lamps with 100 kilowatts of power and four miles of cabling can be needed to illuminate large buildings like cathedrals.

 

The presenters

Songs of Praise has had 183 presenters in its 44 year history.

The programme currently has six regular presenters: Pam Rhodes, Aled Jones, Diane Louise Jordan, Eamonn Holmes, Sally Magnusson and Jonathan Edwards.

Pam Rhodes has presented Songs of Praise for almost 18 years, but she originally trained as a dancer.

Jonathan Edwards became the newest addition to the team when he joined in 2003 after a glittering athletic career as a champion triple jumper.

Diane Louise Jordan was a previously a well-known face to viewers of children's television, as part of the Blue Peter team for over six years.

Eamonn Holmes was the youngest ever news anchorman in the ITV regions when, at just 21, he became the host of Ulster Television's early evening programme, Good Evening Ulster.

Sally Magnusson started her career as a journalist on The Scotsman.

Since his success as a choirboy singing The Snowman's theme tune, Walking in the Air, Aled Jones has gone on to make nearly 20 recordings in the UK, several of which have gone silver, gold and platinum. In 2004, BBC ONE viewers followed Aled's progress in Strictly Come Dancing.

 

The guests

High-profile interviewees include the late Pope John Paul II, the Hon Frances Shand Kydd, Sir Alan Ayckbourn, William Hague and members of the Royal Family.

World-class performers include James Galway, Placido Domingo, Lesley Garrett, Bryn Terfel and Charlotte Church.

 

An international perspective

Songs of Praise is regularly shown in the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and South Africa.

In the last 15 years, Songs of Praise has visited more than 20 different countries including Brazil, the Holy Land, Norway and Romania.

 

And finally...

A 50 year search for a brother's missing grave ended when a Songs of Praise special showed a photograph of the memorial stone in a remote area of Japan. Bill Griffen had been trying to discover where his brother Sgt Henry Griffen - held as a prisoner of war in Japan - had been buried.

Songs of Praise viewers have reported seeing 'miracles' on the show including the Virgin Mary in a stained glass window bowing her head, and statues of apostles and prophets raising their hands.

A burglar was jailed after being spotted on Songs of Praise. A hotel porter who had witnessed an attempted break-in contacted police and the burglar was imprisoned for a string of offences.

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