Getting Ready for Another BIG Christmas Show

It's that time of the year again – the time when The Sound of Sunday puts together its biggest show of the year.

The "Big Christmas Show" as it is called has been running in one form or another since 1996 although it was 1997 when we believe the Christmas Cracker Dash was first part of the show.  It has definitely been there every Christmas since 2001 and is now the traditional start of the HRB Christmas schedules.

The first local panto guest was Keith Chegwin in 1998, and our connection to The Anvil in Basingstoke continues to this day with at least one member of the Sleeping Beauty cast joining us on the show this year.

Back in 1997, the crackers were taken round by just one person (then HRB presenter Katheryn Evans).  This year we have a team of 5 and it is the centrepiece of what will be a five and a half hour show.  This year for the first time, we have requests for the residents of Basingfield Court Care Home in Old Basing during the final hour of the show.

Something else that has been part opf the show for many years is the competition where a member of staff can win a family ticket to see the Anvil's Christmas panto – and that will be no different this year.

The number of special guests in each show has increased enourmously over the years and the show has taken on an identity of its own over the last few years.  The 2013 show was 6 hours of the most intsense live radio I have ever done but it was also some of the most fun radio I've ever done because it involved so many factors that all came together at the right time and in the right way.  We never know quite how many crackers we're going to pull because that depends on the number of people in hospital.  One year I'm sure it will be very quiet!

So at 12pm on 11 December, with special guests, competitions and loads of crackers, we will once again present the ASound of Sunday Big Christmas Show, for the 19th time, and officially launch the Christmas schedule on HRB.