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Basingstoke Ladies' Choir take a break from rehearsals in Jubilee Hall, Council Road, Basingstoke

SINGING ladies from Basingstoke will perform before the nation in a prime-time TV talent show on Saturday.

Basingstoke Ladies' Choir will feature in the BBC TV's much-heralded Last Choir Standing talent competition, which will be aired at 7.45pm on BBC1.

Presented by Nick Knowles and Myleene Klass, the show will search for the UK's favourite choir. The styles range from handbag-wielding Cheshire divas performing Britney Spears, to our very own singing ladies from Basingstoke performing Broadway hits.

Viewers will also be able to see how the Basingstoke contingent come armed with a secret weapon - a tasty chicken pie.

On Saturday, the 46-strong choir will feature in auditions and be seen in nail-biting moments waiting to find out if they will be called back to take part in the rest of the competition.

Choir secretary Margaret Allen, of Roman Road, Basingstoke, said: "We were all as high as a kite with excitement because we were on prime-time TV.

"But, on the other hand, we have been in existence for 40 years, so it was just like another concert for us - although we did have a camera up our noses the whole time."

Basingstoke Ladies' Choir was one of 60 chosen for the auditions out of 1,000 that entered. Their audition took place at Cadogan Hall, in London.

The choir were put through their paces to impress judges with their version of Gonna Build a Mountain from the Broadway hit Stop the World I Want to Get Off.

Mrs Allen said: "We rehearsed extremely hard and took it seriously."

But at the producers' prompting, the ladies came to the auditions with a tasty chicken pie, baked by member Rosie Brown.

Instead of four-and-twenty blackbirds, the pie contained the meat from two chickens and was presented for the enjoyment of the judges, along with the singing.

Mrs Allen said: "Rosie rose to the occasion and made the most delicious pie and they ate it all."

After making it through the audition stage, the 15 best choirs will return to sing for the judges over nine weeks, with the public voting by telephone on the last six.

If Basingstoke Ladies' Choir make it through, they will have the added pressure of singing under the lights and cameras in front of a studio audience - including some famous faces.

Reflecting on the experience so far, Mrs Allen said she hopes the show will boost the image of choirs.

She said: "These days, we are competing against all different types of entertainment and leisure activities - but we have all age groups and we sing modern songs.

"People should give it a try before knocking it."

In 2006, the choir won the Basingstoke Ambassador category in the Gazette-backed Basingstoke - A Place to be Proud of Awards.

10:51am Friday 4th July 2008

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