VIDEO: BBC Radio Sheffield celebrates 50th birthday with remake of Pulp classic Common People

BBC Radio Sheffield is celebrating its 50th birthday today with the release of a remake of home grown Pulp's Britpop clasic hit Common People.

The South Yorkshire anthem was chosen to the spirit of local people who have been loyal listeners and the subject of the station's programming for the past five decades.

Around 300 members of the public answered a call y the station to take part in the filming of a special music video to accompany a new recording of the song by a community choir, made up of singers from across the region, led by Everly Pregnant Brothers front man Big Shaun Doane.

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VIDEO: The new BBC Radio Sheffield Common People video is now available to watch on the BBC News YouTube channel - CLICK HERE.

BBC Radio Sheffield presenters including Toby Foster, Paulette Edwards, Howard Pressman and Steve White also took part in the music video. Watch our Facebook Live video chat with Toby, during the breakfast show as BBC Radio Sheffield celebrates its 50th year, around 8am - CLICK HERE.

Jarvis Cocker, lead singer with Sheffield band Pulp, wasn’t available to take part in the project but said: “I’m very honoured and excited that a video has been made using a bit of Pulp’s music as the basis for it. I’m wishing Radio Sheffield fifty more years of broadcasting success.”

Pulp drummer, Nick Banks, added: "Radio, music and community are closely intertwined. So, it’s great to see Common People being used by Radio Sheffield to celebrate their 50th birthday in this marvellous film. I always get a thrill seeing people singing along with the song and it has obviously struck a chord with many people over the years.“

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Filming took place at various locations across South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire including Barnsley Town Hall, Doncaster Market and a sweet shop in Rotherham.

Some scenes were also filmed on a working Sheffield Supertram and people from around the BBC Radio Sheffield region got involved in the project including the Mayor of Barnsley, former MP Jeff Ennis, comedian Bernie Clifton and Michael May, a knife maker from Portland Works in Sheffield. There are also special appearances from BBC Look North's Harry Gration, Amy Garcia and Paul Hudson.

The finale to the video was a large crowd scene filmed at Sheffield's world famous Leadmill music venue and night spot, featuring more than 200 BBC Radio Sheffield listeners.

Katrina Bunker, Managing Editor for BBC Radio Sheffield, said: “It was really important to us that this film was all about local people and that it captured the unique spirit and attitude that we share in this part of the world. I think the finished product shows that beautifully.

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“I’d like to thank everyone who came along to help us make this film – from the 8 week old baby, the group of scouts and cubs, to the retired bus driver. And from the knife maker in Portland Works to the Doncaster market trader. Almost 400 people from South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire have been part of this project and we hope many thousands more will enjoy watching it online and on BBC Look North. It’s full of joy and celebration and tells a great story of people coming together. It makes you smile, feel proud, laugh and even brings a tear to the eye at the end.”

BBC Radio Sheffield went live across South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire on November 15,1967. It was the second BBC local radio station to launch following BBC Radio Leicester on November 8.

BBC Radio Sheffield’s first broadcast came from a large Victorian house on Westbourne Road in Broomhill in Sheffield. Previous famed presenters include John Motson, Ian McMillan, Emlyn Hughes, Tony Capstick and Simon Groom.

Their current studios are on Shoreham Street near the city centre and according to the last RAJAR audience figures the station now reaches more than 200,000 people every week – almost one in five of the local population

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The celebrations continue throughout the day as Radio Sheffield presenters Paulette Edwards and Rony Robinson host a special 50th birthday party at Sheffield Town Hall which will broadcast live from 10am until 2pm.

Special guests and ex-presenters will be dropping in throughout the show to chat to Paulette and Rony about their favourite memories of BBC Radio Sheffield.

At 2pm the station will play a special Steve White documentary, The Radio Sheffield Story, an hour long look at the past 50 years of the radio station and at 3pm Howard Pressman’s Golden Years will focus on 1967 the year the station began.

For BBC Radio Sheffield 50th birthday links on Twitter follow @bbcsheffield with hashtags #BBCCommonPeople and #BBCLR50

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* BBC Look North's Harry Gration and Amy Garcia are also paying tribute to the 50th birthday celebrations with a trip to the city today as part of their five days of charity challenges across Yorkshire for the BBC Children in Need Appeal

Between 11am and 1pm they will be in the stocks in the Barker's Pool arena, between Sheffield City Hall and the Town Hall. The public are invited to come along to show their support. Watch our Facebook Live chat ith them around 11.30am at www.facebook.com/sheffieldstar.

Day one saw the team - also including weathermen Paul Hudson and Owain Wyn Evans - take on The Krypton Factor assault course in Richmond, North Yorkshire. Yesterday Harry and Amy decorated nearly 1000 donuts ahead of the launch of new musical Fat Friends at The Grand Theatre in Leeds.

On the final day Harry and Paul will revisit their three-legged challenge, strapped together to walk a 15 mile journey from Huddersfield to Halifax.

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They raised £50,000 last year taking on challenges including a wing walk and abseiling down a building in Sheffield.

Across Yorkshire, BBC Children in Need currently funds 170 projects to the value of £11.5million. BBC Children in Need, which returns to BBC One on Friday, November 17, has to date raised £909million for disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

This year's Do Your Thing fundraising campaign is encouraging everyone to get involved and do their thing for the appeal. For more and a fundraising pack visit bbc.co.uk/Pudsey.

Harry said: “We are excited, if not a little scared, about taking on another series of challenges to raise money for a worthy cause. This one will see us doing some of our most daring and possibly silliest challenges yet for BBC Children in Need, so I do hope to see our wonderful viewers coming out to support along the way.”

HOW TO DONATE:

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There are lots of ways of making a donation to Children In Need. You can make a contribution In person at any bank, building society or post office

Use the BBC Children in Need Appeal paying-in slip enclosed within your fundraising pack to pay in money at your bank, or ask for one at the building society.

If you’re paying in money at the Post Office, use FREEPAY 1066.

To transfer donations to us using your bank’s phone or online service, use:

Account name: BBC Children in Need Appeal

Account number: 51535293

Sort code: 40-05-30

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Pay Point: Simply go to your local PayPoint store, and tell the retailer that you have a donation for BBC Children in Need. Hand over the cash you would like to donate and you will receive a receipt with a Thank You message from Pudsey.

By phone

You can donate by credit or debit card on our donation line: 0345 7 33 22 33 (calls charged at standard geographic rates)

By text

DONATE to 70405 to donate £5

DONATE to 70410 to donate £10

DONATE to 70420 to donate £20

Online

Using BT MyDonate on the Children in Need website .

By post

Send a cheque, postal order or CAF voucher made payable to ‘BBC Children in Need’ to:

BBC Children in Need Appeal, PO Box 648, Salford, M5 0LB

You can also help by buying goodies from Greggs or downloading Craig's Children in Need song, All We Needed, from iTunes - CLICK HERE