Toast of London’s Matt Berry set to make history by playing theme tune live over show's credits
Exclusive: Berry and his band will be playing the song Take My Hand live as the credits roll on Wednesday’s episode
Toast of London star Matt Berry will be playing the theme tune to his Channel 4 series live on Wednesday, in what the broadcaster says is a global television first.
The BAFTA award-winner, who plays eccentric actor Steven Toast, will be performing Take My Hand – the series’ theme tune – live from a studio over the end credits of episode four, which airs on 9th December. According to Channel 4 this kind of live performance has "never been done before".
Take My Hand, from Berry’s album Witchazel, will be performed by Matt Berry and The Maypoles, who are on tour throughout December across the UK. The six-piece folk band includes Mark Morris, previously singer of the Bluetones, as well as folk artist Cecilia Fage.
As the credits roll at the end of the ‘Bob-A-Job’ episode, they will perform the theme tune which was written by Berry.
Berry said: "When the dates for the series were confirmed I realised we would already be on tour, performing the theme song every night so I wondered if it was possible to perform the song live from the continuity room over the show as it goes out… It turns out it is. It's been making me nervous ever since I suggested it. It could be a disaster. Let's do it!'
Along with the musical performance, the critically acclaimed six-part comedy, co-written by Berry (The IT Crowd, House of Fools) and Arthur Mathews (Father Ted, Brass Eye), has had star-studded guest appearances for this series.
Jon Hamm, Bob Mortimer and Brian Blessed have all joined Berry along with the usual supporting cast which includes Doon Mackichan, Robert Bathurst, Tracy-Ann Oberman and Harry Peacock as Toast's arch-rival Ray Purchase.
Toast of London episode 4 airs at 10:30pm on 9th December
