Battle of Nantwich on Celebrity Masterchef
DID YOU SEE IT??
Last January's Holly Holy Day event was featured on the BBC 1's 'Celebrity Masterchef' programme on Wednesday August 11th.
A quarter final of the competition was staged in Nantwich to coincide with the battle re-enactment celebrations, with the 4 remaining contestants being required to work from a field kitchen and prepare food for over 60 hungry Sealed Knot soldiers after the battle. TV Celebrities Lisa Faulkner, Neil Stuke, Dick Strawbridge and Christine Hamilton were fighting it out to make the semi finals of the popular TV cooking competition. The winning regiments were invited to sample the food and provide their verdict!
TV viewers saw footage of the town and the colourful parade and battle scenes. Although filmed 'live' in January, the whole series has only been screened over the summer. Elaborate security precautions were in place on the day to prevent the general public from seeing the filming, and the Holly Holy Day Society worked closely with the TV production company, attending numerous meetings, providing background information, and security stewarding on the day.
Holly Holy Day committee member Toby Banfield was responsible for TV liaison and security on the day, most of which was spent shivering on the footbridge between the makeshift kitchens on the old gasworks site and the Mill Island battlefield, ensuring that the production team had what they needed, and more importantly to prevent the filming being scene by curious eyes!
Toby explains: 'By the time the TV crew were filming at Holly Holy Day last January, the contestants were already down to the last four from an opening field of 12, but the whole series was not being screened until August. It would have spoilt things for everyone if it was known at the start of the series who was - and who wasn't - going to make the last four, so we had to keep it under wraps. It was exciting to be in on the secret and to see the celebrities in the flesh, but it's not that glamorous having to stand around for 7 hours on a freezing cold day!'
Holly Holy Day spokesman Shaun Cafferty adds: 'We were very happy to co-operate with the TV production team, and got a nice thank you card from them. We think Holly Holy Day helps put Nantwich on the map, and TV programmes like this bring great publicity for both the event and the town. Hopefully, it will encourage even more visitors to attend next year's event, which we are already working on'.
Holly Holy Day will take place on Saturday January 22nd next year.
