Gethin Jones has admitted to feeling nervous as he and his Morning Live co-star Michelle Ackerley prepare to perform live for BBC Children in Need, with a surprise twist revealed during Thursday's show.
The pair have been learning to play the electric and bass guitar ahead of a live performance on the morning of Children in Need on November 13. They were told they would be performing Little Bit of Love by Tom Grennan and have been rehearsing ever since.
However, during Thursday's (November 5) instalment of Morning Live, Gethin and Michelle discovered they would not actually be performing on the show itself, but instead in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.
A Surprising Twist in the Challenge
Ahead of the show, Gethin admitted he was concerned about what was in store for him and Michelle. "Every time we do anything, there's a new surprise. I still don't think we know the half of it," the presenter exclusively told the Daily Express. "I just wonder what else they're hiding from us."
Explaining a little more about the challenge, Gethin said: "What I know at the moment is that both of us have to learn a brand new instrument that we've never played before. We have to build a band with the Morning Live experts on the show, and perform that live on the day of Children in Need on Morning Live."
Building the Band
Their band is made up of Hear'Say singer and Morning Live host Kym Marsh, who will lead the vocals, and BBC Radio Manchester's Mike Sweeney on guitar. Iona Bain, Morning Live's finance expert, will play the keyboard, while Scam Interceptors star Nick Stapleton is on the drums.
Performing backing vocals are Morning Live's resident health expert Dr Ranj and DIY expert Wayne Perrey, as well as Morning Live's deaf cook Yvonne Cobb.
Gethin explained that he will initially start out on the piano, an instrument he is already familiar with, before moving onto the electric guitar. Meanwhile, Michelle has been getting to grips with the bass guitar.
Rehearsals and Nerves
It seems Gethin's co-star was less familiar with her new instrument than he was, as she had an important question to ask Gethin during their first day of rehearsals. "Michelle messaged me, I think the first day, and said, 'Do I plug this in?' I'm like, 'Michelle, I think you're on a very difficult musical journey for me, but I fully support you in all of this'," Gethin laughed.
Despite her initial uncertainty, Gethin was quick to point out that Michelle definitely looks the part. "She looks so cool when she plays! She looks like she's been playing bass guitar all her life," he declared.
The pair have continued to plough through rehearsals, with one of their practice clips even being shown on Morning Live last week. However, things didn't sound quite as good as they had hoped, with Gethin revealing that Michelle thought they sounded much better than they actually did when they watched the footage back.
Despite having never played the electric guitar, Gethin admitted he initially expected to pick it up more quickly than he has. He likened the experience to his time on Strictly Come Dancing, when you begin to pick up the moves and convince yourself you've got the hang of them. However, the reality soon proved slightly different.
"Electric guitar is so different because you don't really learn it through music. You sort of have to feel it more than you learn it," he explained. "And the rhythm through it is a bit different as well. If you get it wrong, it does sound odd."
While Gethin is more than accustomed to presenting live television, he admitted that taking on this musical challenge is "worlds apart" from his day job. "It's one thing doing the day job. I love it and we work really hard to make sure we're prepped, and we enjoy it," Gethin said. "It'll be the same thing when we're going into work as normal, the difference is I'll be carrying an electric guitar, wondering if I'm going to remember the notes at the start, and the words. We're both quite nervous about doing it."
A Cause at the Heart
Despite their nerves, Gethin was keen to stress that the challenge is about much more than learning a new instrument, with raising money for Children in Need being at the heart of it all. "It's for a brilliant cause and that's why we're doing it," he stated.
Reflecting on what the charity means to him, Gethin added: "For me, Children in Need has always been about putting the fun into fundraising. And while it's very much out of our comfort zones, that's why you do. Someone watching could just give a few quid and that could change the life of a child through fundraising in an entertaining way."
Gethin and Michelle's challenge forms part of BBC Children in Need's wider fundraising campaign, helping to raise vital funds for children and young people facing challenges across the UK.
