Play It Again facts for kids

Play It Again was a fun reality TV show on BBC One. It featured famous people who took on a big challenge: learning to play a musical instrument from scratch! The show was made by Diverse Production and first aired on March 25, 2007. The stories were told by Tamsin Greig.

Meet the Celebrities and Their Musical Journeys

This TV series had six episodes. Each one followed a different celebrity as they tried to master a new instrument. It showed their struggles, their triumphs, and all the hard work it took.

Jo Brand Learns the Organ

Jo Brand, a well-known comedian, decided to learn the organ. She started by playing for a church service. Then, she even tried the huge Mighty Wurlitzer Organ at the famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom! She got tips from the resident organist, Phil Kelsall. Jo also played "Ave Maria" for a wedding. Her biggest goal was to play Bach's "Toccata" in D minor. She had to perform it in front of 8,000 people at the Royal Albert Hall! After a tricky start, she finished the piece without any more mistakes. Jo had a tutor and even met musician Jools Holland for advice. She quickly learned that playing the organ needed a lot more practice than she thought!

Frank Skinner Takes on the Banjo

Comedian Frank Skinner chose to learn the banjo. He started with a tutor named Pete Stanley. Frank learned enough to play with a banjo group in Birmingham. He also entertained some older people, mostly with his jokes! Frank even took his banjo to the World Cup in Germany. He played it for one of his podcasts and even busked (played music in public for money) in Munich. He also joined the band Hayseed Dixie on stage to play "Dueling Banjos". Frank found it hard to get along with his first tutor. He then met John Dowling, a banjo champion, who helped him prepare for a bluegrass competition in America. Frank was nervous and didn't play as well as he hoped in the competition.

Aled Jones Drums It Up

Singer Aled Jones decided to learn the drums. His tutor was Erik Stams from Drumtech college. Aled played "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz for an early test. Erik was a big fan of Led Zeppelin, so Aled's next challenge was to play with a Led Zeppelin tribute band. He learned from their drummer and tried to play "Rock and Roll" and "Whole Lotta Love". "Whole Lotta Love" was too hard, so he focused on "Rock and Roll". After only two practices, he played for a lively audience in a pub. He played slowly but well, and the audience was impressed. For his final test, Aled arranged to play with Chris de Burgh in front of 15,000 people. It was less demanding than his earlier performance, and he did great!

Robert Winston and the Saxophone

Professor Robert Winston, a famous scientist, took on the challenge of learning the saxophone.

Diane Abbott and the Piano

Diane Abbott, a politician, decided to learn the piano.

Bill Oddie Rocks the Electric Guitar

Bill Oddie, a well-known TV presenter and birdwatcher, wanted to become a rock guitarist. His first teacher, Bridget Mermikides, tried traditional methods. But Bill preferred to learn his own way! He got advice from old friends like Albert Lee, Dave Davies, and Mark Knopfler. Bill achieved his goal of playing lead guitar for his daughter Rosie's band at her 21st birthday party. He even impressed his former teacher!

Play It Again Events

The show also wanted to get more people excited about playing music. The BBC organized several free events across the UK from April to July 2007. These events were led by British composer Tim Steiner. Anyone could join in and perform with one of the BBC orchestras and the BBC Singers.

• People could sign up to play an instrument.
• They could also sing or play a percussion instrument.

Each event lasted for a morning or afternoon. The focus was on a special arrangement of "Tonight" from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, called "Not Tonight." The music was divided into four difficulty levels, from easiest to hardest. This made sure everyone, even complete beginners, could take part. Each group had a "BBC Friend" from the orchestra to help them.

First, the public performers enjoyed a mini-concert by the BBC Orchestra. Tim Steiner then used the orchestra to explain the music. After that, people split into groups based on their instruments. These groups included:

• Instrumental (like violins, flutes)
• Saxophone
• Singers
• Percussion
• Others (like electric, acoustic, classical guitars, banjo, or mandolin)

In the second part, each group practiced separately. The "instrumental" group rehearsed with the BBC Orchestra. Everyone had a lot of fun, and Tim Steiner kept things light and humorous.

There was a break for snacks, where everyone could chat and learn about different instruments.

Finally, all the groups came together to form a "super orchestra." This orchestra could have almost 300 people, including the 70-member BBC Orchestra! They rehearsed as one big group. The event ended with a short public performance of the "Not Tonight" song. You can hear how these events worked in the HUMS Aloud podcast.

The Book

A book that went along with the TV series was released on March 7, 2007. It was written by Chris Horrie.