Endemol Shine North has produced a one-off ITV special that will attempt a world record live singalong to celebrate the 70th birthday of the NHS.
The 90-minute programme, The NHS Big Singalong Live, will put together a choir mixing unsung NHS heroes with popstars and celebrities for a performance of iconic Beatles classic With a Little Help from My Friends.
Presented by Ashley Banjo and Sara Cox, the show will also hear exceptional stories from across the NHS and meet patients and staff.
The live singalong will be recorded at Abbey Road Studios, where With a Little Help From My Friends was originally recorded. The singalong will also be recorded for a single in aid of NHS charities.
The track is being produced by Brit Award-winning and Grammy nominated Jon Cohen and Timbaland.
NHS Choirmaster Dr Katie Rogerson said: “We wanted to do something which the public could really get behind. We don’t have long to pull this off and we will be scouring the NHS for singers and musicians and hopefully we’ll persuade a few famous faces to join us.”
Cox said: “It is so exciting to be part of this challenge to break a world record and celebrate the amazing work of the NHS. We’ll be travelling the length and breadth of the UK recruiting people to join in to make sure we smash that record and show everyone working in our NHS how much we appreciate them.”
The NHS Big Singalong Live is commissioned for ITV by Priya Singh, Commissioning Editor and Sue Murphy, Head of Factual Entertainment.
The executive producers for Manchester-based Endemol Shine North will be Rick Murray, Kevin Mundye and Sarah Thomson-Wooley.
