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00:06Hello and welcome to His Majesty's Naval Base Devonport here in Plymouth.
00:11For hundreds of years this place has been a home to the Royal Navy and around half the nation's fleet
00:16is based here.
00:19This is a remarkable place. Thousands of service men and women pass through here every week.
00:26There are billions of pounds worth of warships and weapons and enough food to feed a Navy.
00:33And then there's the staff and crew who live in and around the base.
00:41We're here at a time of serious international tension when the Royal Navy has never been busier.
00:47And they've given us access across the fleet.
00:56Feel it reverberating through your whole body.
01:00You feel like you can reach out and touch that.
01:02That is wild.
01:04Just off our bow is a Russian submarine.
01:09Throughout these special programmes we're lifting the lid.
01:12Whoa. What are you doing?
01:14On what life is really like in Britain's Navy today.
01:18I'm sure you tied that tie correctly before being dragged through a hedge.
01:21You sound like my mum.
01:22Get out of yourself and move. Come on.
01:24These boys are fit.
01:25This is a different league within a different league.
01:28I do feel in very safe hands. Thank you very much.
01:35This is warship. Life in the Royal Navy.
01:39In this episode, putting the Royal in Royal Navy, King Charles' astonishing journey from recruit to commanding officer.
01:47He got the special privilege of driving his own car here. His famous Aston Martin.
01:53No guts, no glory.
01:55JJ takes to the stage.
01:57What am I doing?
01:59Oh, my Lord.
02:00To perform with the world famous Royal Marines Band.
02:06And Kate is on board a one billion pound warship.
02:10Clear to fire.
02:12To witness the full might of its firepower.
02:19Wow.
02:20I feel like I've just been at war.
02:38Hello and welcome to Warship.
02:40Yes, and our home throughout the series is going to be the magnificent HMS St Albans.
02:44She's classed as one of the Royal Navy's big ships and she is predominantly designed to hunt for submarines.
02:50But recently, I was invited on board a very different kind of warship as she prepared for major NATO operations.
02:58And it was quite an experience, I can tell you.
03:05The port of Stavanger in Norway is a major NATO base.
03:11Just 700 miles from Russia.
03:17I've been told to report here by the Navy, so obviously I have.
03:22And I'm going to be put, apparently, on one of their most advanced warships.
03:29It's all very James Bond.
03:30And I've got no idea what to expect.
03:37HMS Dragon is a Type 45 destroyer.
03:40And it's soon going to be joining a crucial NATO mission.
03:46But before it can deploy on operations, there's still a lot of work to do.
03:52On the far side, we've got a fuel barge at the minute, fueling us up.
03:55So it's all happening this morning.
03:58Captain Ian Giffin has just a few weeks to get the ship completely ready.
04:05It's a great hulking thing, isn't it?
04:08It's just fast.
04:10It also does look very streamlined.
04:14It looks like it's built for speed.
04:16Yes, our job is air defence.
04:18So we need sort of up to 30 knots for that.
04:21Sorry, 35, 40 miles an hour.
04:25And absolutely the streamlined nature makes it more efficient.
04:27And my engines can absolutely get me up to that speed, which is great.
04:34I've been invited to join HMS Dragon's crew of over 200 people for a critical part of their preparations.
04:43Testing its advanced weapons, which are capable of shooting down enemy missiles and aircraft.
04:51A mission to come on the bridge?
04:52Yes, please, Kate.
04:53So, welcome to the bridge.
04:54Captain is about to take charge of the ship from the Ostwatch.
04:58Right.
04:58And he'll drive us off the wall.
05:00OK.
05:01But first, HMS Dragon needs to get out to sea.
05:05Thanks a little bridge.
05:07Let go for a tug.
05:13Where are we heading?
05:15So today, we'll head up the fjord into the North Sea.
05:18Yeah.
05:19The ship is making its way towards a NATO weapons testing area, where the crew must prove Dragon's guns and
05:26missiles are working properly.
05:28Only then will they be signed off as ready for frontline duty.
05:33Wow.
05:34It is enormous.
05:36Yeah.
05:36No, fairly big.
05:37As I'm shown to my cabin, the decks are a hive of activity, as the crew prepare for the days
05:44that lie ahead.
05:45You're just down the end in a single cabin.
05:48Oh, wow.
05:49OK.
05:49Wasn't expecting that.
05:51That's properly grand.
05:55Amazing.
05:55Thank you very much indeed.
05:57But there's no time to relax.
05:59In the Royal Navy, there's no time off when a ship is at sea.
06:04The ship's company is reminded that the whole of the upper deck remains out of bounds to all those not
06:08involved in the smallest gunnery.
06:10That is all.
06:11Although we're still a few hours away from the NATO firing range, the ship's smaller guns can be tested en
06:17route.
06:18So you're queen of guns?
06:21I mean, kind of.
06:23A live firing exercise like this one doesn't happen very often, so this is the first time 25-year-old
06:30weapons engineer Zoe Leslie has been able to fire them.
06:35Now, Zoe, I know it's a really, really big day for you and your team today, but can you explain
06:41why?
06:42So we've got a few different systems on board, especially the 30 mils which we're testing today, and both of
06:47them have trials that we need to do so that when we operate it, it's more accurate.
06:52To be allowed near Zoe as she checks that the 30 millimetre gun is working properly...
06:57Oh, I should have a regulation haircut.
07:00..I need to be wearing full body armour.
07:03Yeah, all good, yeah.
07:05Good, thank you.
07:08Roger, check safety bearing 150.
07:14This is a really, really big moment for Zoe and all the gunnery team.
07:22What I'm learning is the extraordinary protocols and systems that are in place to make sure that if and when
07:30a gun needs to be fired in anger, everyone knows what they're doing and every part of that lethal machine
07:37is working properly.
07:38Start listening, right? Relative and true bearing.
07:45I've been told it is extremely loud.
07:49I've got two sets of all defenders on, as has everyone else.
07:54This is the oldest and most temperamental gun on the ship.
07:5930 millimetre about to function.
08:02So, to begin with, the gun is set to fire manually, one round at a time.
08:11Oh, that was awesome!
08:17It's so loud.
08:20And so terrifying.
08:25You don't just hear that, you feel it reverberating through your whole body.
08:36All seems to be working well.
08:39And now, Zoe must prepare the ammunition for the real test, setting the gun to fire automatically.
09:02Are you happy with that?
09:05Zoe's happy.
09:07The gun is working properly and ready for the upcoming mission.
09:13But HMS Dragon's biggest weapons are yet to be put to the test.
09:23Well, that was amazing.
09:24Like, it's not every day that you get orders to report to a one billion pound destroyer that's gearing up
09:30to join our friends at NATO.
09:32I know. I know how lucky I was.
09:34I know how many people are jealous of me.
09:36Well, well done for getting stuck in.
09:38And you guys, make sure you stick around, because this is what's coming up.
09:46One, six, zero! Missile! One, six, zero!
09:49Find out what happens when HMS Dragon unleashes fire.
09:53We are to fire.
09:57And I join the Royal Marines Band.
10:04Where I've only got two weeks to practice for a major UK performance.
10:09It makes me nervous, especially when I think about doing that on stage with them.
10:14And I don't want to let them down.
10:30Welcome back to the programme.
10:32Now, many of you will be familiar with the rousing sound of a military band when they play at state
10:38events and royal receptions, services of remembrance, that sort of thing.
10:43But what you may not know is that the Royal Marines Band is considered one of the finest in the
10:50world.
10:50JJ went to find out more. Let's hope no one gave him a tambourine.
11:03They're one of the most celebrated military bands.
11:07And several times a week, Portsmouth Dockyard echoes with the sound of the rehearsals.
11:12The Royal Marines Band service with a rich history that dates all the way back to 1903.
11:21Portsmouth Naval Base is home to the Royal Marines School of Music, where the band practiced the tricky art of
11:27playing and marching at the same time.
11:31Listen to that.
11:34Making sure they're marching to the beat of his drum is bandmaster Jules Cook.
11:42That is hoofing.
11:44JJ, welcome to the Royal Marines School of Music.
11:47Oh mate, they sound so crisp.
11:49I love it. What do you think?
11:50It's just very rousing, isn't it?
11:52It fills me with a huge amount of pride.
11:54How about we go and have a look around?
11:55I would love to.
11:56OK.
11:58The School of Music is inside Portsmouth Naval Base and dates back to the days of Admiral Nelson, when it
12:05was used for a very different purpose.
12:09And as you come through, you'll see...
12:11It's a prison!
12:12It's a prison. It looks like a prison still as well.
12:15It's like a scene out of porridge.
12:16Yeah, yeah, absolutely. We've actually got...
12:18There's your sort of notice that you would have seen when you very first came in to the Royal Navy
12:22Detention Quarters.
12:26From 1843 to 1996, this Royal Navy prison was home to offenders locked inside over a hundred cells, serving time
12:35at His Majesty's pleasure.
12:37The netting's still there. I mean, obviously there has been some tweaks.
12:41Yeah.
12:42With the doors, they're still the original doors, they've been sort of stripped back.
12:45Yeah, a lot of the old features are here.
12:49But the cells have a very different purpose these days.
12:59So, a prison makes a good sort of blueprint for a music school, does it?
13:04Yeah, you absolutely... I mean, you can imagine how thick these walls were.
13:07And the doors and everything, so...
13:08You can kind of hear now, there's not a huge amount of noise going on,
13:11but there's plenty of musicians around and they're practising in their cells.
13:15We still call them their rooms, but we still call them cells.
13:18We obviously don't lock them in at night and things like that anymore.
13:22I've always wanted to try the bugle, but this is the first time I've been let loose on one.
13:27Do you just blow into it?
13:29Try and buzz your lips, put your lips together.
13:32Yeah, that's it.
13:33And blow through.
13:34Okay.
13:39I promise, these are all the right notes, just not necessarily in the right order.
13:49Wow. Wow. That's all I can say, JJ. Wow.
13:54Pretty good.
13:55Am I going places?
13:57Yeah, I'm not sure where we're going, but we're going places.
13:59I'm not sure the bugle's suited to you, but how would you like to come and perform with us?
14:04What?!
14:04Yeah, yeah. What do you think?
14:05All right. Okay, well, I'll hang up my bugle.
14:08And put my hands up. Fair enough. I would love to.
14:11All right.
14:11Let's go. Let's see what we can find you.
14:20Remarkably, after that performance, Jules has invited me to join up with the Royal Marines band,
14:26who are rehearsing for their upcoming UK tour.
14:30Their next performance is in Manchester in two weeks' time,
14:33and he wants me to play alongside these professionals in front of a sellout crowd.
14:42The only problem is I don't have a musical bone in my body,
14:46so let's hope he's picked something easy for me to play.
14:49Well, that was beautiful.
14:52I'm not quite sure how I'm going to add anything of value to it.
15:01My orders are to report to the percussion section.
15:04For the record, I barely read English, let alone music.
15:07No, we'll keep it, we'll keep it all right.
15:09Okay.
15:11Lance Corporal Harry Page is teaching me to use the tam-tam,
15:14which is essentially a gong to you and me,
15:16and I'm told anyone should be able to master it.
15:20We're going to do a start-up with a crescendo.
15:22Right.
15:23So, grab the mallet.
15:24Even me.
15:30Easy.
15:31Yeah, slightly, yeah.
15:32Exactly all right.
15:33When do... How do I know when to do it, though?
15:35Well, you'll match me, essentially.
15:37Okay.
15:37So, it'll be three, four, quietly, two, three...
15:46Is that too much?
15:47No, no, no, great.
15:48You've just got to really go for it.
15:49And then just let it ring.
15:51This thing makes so much noise.
15:52If you get it wrong, people are going to notice.
15:56With only a few ripples of the gong under my belt,
15:59I'm being thrown in at the deep end as the band rehearsal begins.
16:15Whilst the rest of the band is following the conductor,
16:19I'm following Harry to try and keep up.
16:29The tam-tam is easily one of the loudest instruments in the room.
16:38So, if I get it wrong, it could throw off the timing of the entire band.
16:55Yeah, smashed it.
16:56Could have worn my head.
16:57Look at that.
16:59Mate!
17:00Cool, huh?
17:00That was unbelievable.
17:01That went along in such pace.
17:03Yeah.
17:03It's pretty relentless, isn't it?
17:04Really punchy.
17:05Well, that was quite an introduction to performing
17:08with this world-famous band.
17:10I've now only got two weeks to practise
17:12until the big night in Manchester.
17:14The sound of that music, it instantly lifts my spirits.
17:18It makes me proud to be part of the service.
17:21It's powerful.
17:23But I'm not going to lie,
17:24I am pretty nervous about joining them on stage,
17:27so I think I best get in there and practise
17:30and do my best not to mess it all up.
17:37Are you kidding me?
17:39Are you actually going to play in a real-life concert with that lot?
17:44How dare you be so surprised?
17:46No, I mean, it's pretty silly and I like a challenge.
17:50I like to get outside my comfort zone and, you know, I will.
17:53Do they like a challenge, more importantly?
17:55Well, they've got one.
17:57Now it is time to return to HMS Dragon
18:00as they prepare for NATO operations.
18:03And things are about to heat up.
18:14HMS Dragon is currently off the coast of Norway,
18:17approaching a remote weapons range in the North Sea.
18:20And I've been invited on board to watch the crew get ready
18:24for a special NATO mission.
18:27Viper Ewe take, hostile Delta Fox from 027.
18:33Viper Ewe take, hostile 8276, strength of one.
18:39I've been granted access inside HMS Dragon's operations room,
18:43the nerve centre of the warship.
18:46Viper Ewe take, hostile 8276, strength of one.
18:49I've been granted access to HMS Dragon.
18:49My goodness.
18:51I had literally no idea of the scale.
18:56What is everybody doing in here?
18:58So at the moment we've got everyone closed up for an air defence exercise.
19:03Executive Officer Hugh Gaskell-Taylor is Dragon's second in command.
19:09This is HMS Dragon's absolute core role.
19:12If we were to go to war, we would be an air defence asset.
19:16So imagine an aircraft carrier in the middle.
19:18We would be providing air defence for that.
19:21We would be controlling fighter jets,
19:23all in support of that mission to provide air defence.
19:27Before HMS Dragon is allowed to go on operations,
19:31it has to prove its weapons are working perfectly.
19:34Assume Ciber in East State, one condition Zulu.
19:38Close all red openings.
19:39Am I pushing my luck to ask if there's any other way
19:43I can experience what this, being part of this exercise is like.
19:47We'll get you sat down here.
19:52So through this headset,
19:55I will be able to hear what everybody is contributing.
19:59Absolutely.
20:03160! Fire control radar! 160!
20:07Today's exercise begins with HMS Dragon's radar spotting an incoming missile.
20:14Our electronic warfare specialists have detected a threat,
20:17so everyone is now taking the necessary reactions to defend the ship.
20:23Hostile 027.
20:26That's the missile coming in towards the ship there.
20:29OK, yeah.
20:31160! Missile! 160!
20:39The next thing that we should be hearing is the missiles are being launched
20:44and we're going to shoot it down.
20:46HMS Dragon is equipped with cutting-edge Sea Viper missiles worth over a million pounds each
20:53and designed to shoot down any incoming threat, wherever or whoever that may come from.
21:01Warning, red. Warning, red. Imminent threat.
21:03Correct. Request command approval.
21:05Clear to fire.
21:07Most of the crew will never fire one of these weapons in battle.
21:11Approved.
21:13But exercises like this are essential to prove the missile's work.
21:17Three, two, one!
21:33AWO, hostile ID delegation rescinded.
21:36Stand two! Stand two! Stand two!
21:40That's the air warfare officer who's determined that we're OK, so everyone's relaxing.
21:46The ship wasn't in any danger today, but these tests are designed to prove the crew are ready for frontline
21:53operations.
21:56And in just a few weeks' time, HMS Dragon will begin her NATO mission.
22:02There is so much going on. There's so much information coming into those headphones.
22:07Presumably, if you're in a real life scenario, there's not just one missile that you're worrying about, but could be
22:13tens of them.
22:14Exactly. We can come under attack from multiple directions, multiple missiles, and we'll be able to defeat them all.
22:19That's what we're trained to do, and that's our mission.
22:27Wow.
22:29I feel like I've just been at war.
22:31That was an extraordinary insight into everybody knowing exactly what they needed to do.
22:38And you start to understand that the training that everybody on this ship has gone through, and continues to go
22:46through, makes all the difference.
22:52I've been on board HMS Dragon for a few days.
22:58And I'm just starting to get my bearings.
23:01But this bit, I've never been to, because this is the CO, the commanding officer, the captain's lair.
23:09And I've been given the huge honour to have lunch with him.
23:15Hello.
23:16Hello. Can I come in?
23:18Yes, please.
23:19Hi, how are you doing? You all right?
23:20I'm all right, thank you very much.
23:21Look at this.
23:22It's all right, isn't it?
23:25Well, I suppose you've earned it.
23:27And you've got a porthole.
23:28Not just one.
23:29I've got three, technically.
23:30But that's the thing, because there's no other portholes on the ship.
23:33So why do you get them and no one else does?
23:35Clearly driving the ship.
23:36I can't be on the bridge all the time.
23:37Right.
23:38So whenever the bridge team shout down to me, it allows me a quick glance to see if we're going
23:43to hit anything.
23:46Captain Ian Giffin is one of the busiest people on the ship.
23:50Overseeing everything that happens and all 200 members of his crew.
23:55Right.
23:56This looks delicious.
23:57I've seen people carrying food up to you.
24:01I get the same menu that everybody else has.
24:03The captain of a warship dines alone, remaining separate from the crew.
24:08Making friends could jar with a commanding officer's need to hand out difficult orders.
24:15And this is your first ship, then, that you commanded?
24:18It's the first one, yeah.
24:19It must be quite a daunting prospect to be the person for whom the buck stops on a ship that
24:26has the capabilities that it has.
24:28When we're doing this high-end kinetic activity, clearly a lot of stuff goes round your head of, let's just
24:34be sure, I'm sure, are we doing this for the right reasons?
24:37All we can do is be good at what we're supposed to be good at.
24:41Where Dragon's off to next is to lead a NATO task group of around nine ships for the best part
24:48of six months,
24:48and then to make sure that my ship's ready for whatever tasking I get.
24:54The people I have met during my time at sea have been highly impressive.
25:00Crew members as young as 17 stepping up to get this warship ready for important NATO operations.
25:09Each and every one of them deserves our gratitude and our respect.
25:21Pretty cool, hey?
25:22Yeah, that is cool.
25:23And it is, I mean, it's a privilege to get access to a room like this.
25:27This is the ops room on board St Albans.
25:30But unlike that, all the screens are turned off here because we're in port.
25:33But this room is full of cutting-edge equipment and probably a few secrets.
25:37You know, you can tell me a thing or two about this place, right?
25:39Well, I could, but then obviously I'd have to kill you.
25:42Cool.
25:42But the one thing I can tell you is what's coming up next.
25:48I'm exploring the King's connection to the Navy, from an officer in training to commander of his own warship.
25:55That was his first day ever.
25:57OK, and that's you there?
25:58Yes, that's me.
25:59He was a brilliant captain.
26:01And I get stage fright in Manchester.
26:04Is that, like, expecting, like, a school gym hall or something?
26:08What am I doing?
26:09As I join the Royal Marines band for one final rehearsal.
26:28Hello, I'm on the bridge of HMS St Albans.
26:31This place is the beating heart of any warship.
26:34And I'm actually sitting in the captain's chair.
26:37And I'm pretty lucky to get to do that.
26:39But back in the 1970s, there was a young man named Charles who dreamt of sitting in one of these
26:45chairs.
26:45And he was a man who was destined for big things.
26:53Since 1905, the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth has been the training ground for all officers joining the Royal
27:01Navy.
27:02Eyes open.
27:03And the heir to the throne was no exception.
27:06In 1971, at the age of just 22, Prince Charles, as he was known then, began his Royal Navy officer
27:14training in these very rooms.
27:16And it's become a specialist subject for Dartmouth's in-house historian, Dr. Jane Harrold.
27:22So, Jane, we all know that members of the Royal Family are expected to spend some time in the armed
27:31forces.
27:32But do we know why Prince Charles, as he was then, chose the Navy?
27:36So, he'd actually started out in the RAF.
27:39Oh, did he?
27:39But then he came here to Dartmouth, following the footsteps of his father, his grandfather.
27:46And did he stay in the same quarters as everybody else, eat with everybody?
27:50Or did he have his sort of butler and his own sort of special royal bit?
27:54No, he was treated exactly the same as all the other cadets or students in his class.
27:59There was just one bit of special treatment that he did get.
28:02The norm would be for all the cadets joining to come down by train and then be coached into Dartmouth.
28:09But he got the special privilege of driving his own car here.
28:13Right.
28:13His famous, infamous Aston Martin.
28:18Even if you're the future King of England, everyone who joins Dartmouth gets put through their paces,
28:25learning core military skills like leadership, navigation and warfare.
28:31To learn more about how King Charles would have felt when he first came here,
28:35I've been invited to take part in a sword drill.
28:38Divisions. Eyes. Front. Up. Miss. Carry.
28:43A long-held tradition of the Royal Navy, dating back hundreds of years.
28:48Divisions. On your shoulder. Halt.
28:51Every rookie officer coming to Dartmouth still has to learn these skills.
28:57Ceremonial training instructor Dean Jordan will be putting me through my paces.
29:01I don't know why you've got a smile on your face, O.C. Humble. Look at the state of you.
29:05I thought I...
29:06You thought what? What do you think? Please enlighten me.
29:09Do you think you can come here without putting any polish on those shoes?
29:12Have you even tried to iron your trousers?
29:15Stand up straight. Okay?
29:18I'm sure you tied that tie correctly before being dragged through a hedge.
29:22You sound like my mum. Oh, do I? Yes.
29:25Right, shall I go and stand with the rest of them then?
29:29Well, if you're ready. I mean, we could just wait for you if you want.
29:32I'm ready. I'm ready, sir. Let's go.
29:36These basic drills are designed to instil discipline and camaraderie into the trainee officers.
29:41Closely humble. Listen in then. Divisions. Shoulder. On your shoulder. Home. Off your shoulder.
29:51Salute. Up. Miss. Cut.
29:54Sword drills are used in special ceremonies and parades and only officers and warrant officers are allowed to carry them.
30:01Eyes. Front. Up. Miss. Carry.
30:05Some of you need to switch on with your timings, you're not keeping in time.
30:09Although blunt, they weigh over a kilogram, making them very difficult to control.
30:15It's really hard. Every muscle is tensed and he's very scary.
30:20Some of you are waving the sword around like Harry Potter's wand.
30:25There are dozens of commands, but I'm struggling even with the most basic.
30:30Divisions. Stand. Easy.
30:32Three, five, four, three, two, one. Steady.
30:40OK. Take off your head gear. Relax there.
30:45According to legend, King Charles wasn't a fan of these drills.
30:50Dismissed.
30:50But I bet the drill instructor back then relished shouting at the future monarch.
30:57I don't think I'm a natural.
30:59I don't either.
31:02It's fine then. It's fine. It's fine.
31:04But that's why it happens. That's why we do it over and over again.
31:07And if you were to stay here and do this over and over again, 100% it's become second nature.
31:11Well, thank you. Thank you very much.
31:13I'm glad you enjoyed it.
31:17After leaving Dartmouth, King Charles rose through the ranks as a naval officer.
31:22In 1976, he became captain of the minesweeper HMS Bronnington and its 32-strong crew.
31:29So was this when he literally had just arrived?
31:32That was his first day ever on board.
31:34OK. OK. And that's you there?
31:36Yes, that's me.
31:38Coxson Peter Still served alongside him.
31:43Now, Peter, could you have a sort of, I don't know, a normal relationship with your captain?
31:50Or did you always have to be very formal, not just because he was a captain, but also he was
31:55the Prince of Wales?
31:56No. Over my 35 years in the Navy, I've served with an awful lot of lovely captains.
32:02Yeah.
32:03He was up at the very top. He was very knowledgeable and very aware of what he had to do
32:09and how he did it.
32:11He cared about you. He was interested in all of you.
32:14He was one of the boys.
32:15He was one of the boys and he was just a regular captain.
32:17No, he was a brilliant captain.
32:20Did he know you all by name?
32:21Every one of us. And I was with him in Buckingham Palace last June and he knew us all and
32:30our wives' names.
32:31He came in the room and he said, coxson, coxson. I said, Captain, you good-looking young man.
32:43And that is the two of you having such a laugh. I hope that's a double gin and tonic in
32:48there, is it?
32:48It probably is.
32:51Thank you for sharing your stories because it's given me a completely different insight into the man who is the
32:59king of our country.
33:00So thank you.
33:01Pleasure.
33:09Ah, that was great. Like, so nice to hear from one of King Charles' shipmates.
33:13Like, it looked like they had a lot of fun at sea.
33:17And, a little earlier in the programme, you will have seen that the Royal Marines Band challenged me to take
33:22part in one of their concerts.
33:25And, because I'm a complete novice, I've been rehearsing hard, mostly out of fear of letting them down or embarrassing
33:33myself in front of thousands of people.
33:35But, the time has come to join them on their UK tour.
33:40Here's how I got on.
33:44Manchester City Centre.
33:46Home to creativity, culture, and tonight, at the Bridgewater Hall, the Royal Marines Band.
33:55Featuring me.
33:57So, the performance starts in a couple of hours.
34:00It is a sellout crowd of 2,000 people, and I'm here.
34:04Now, these guys are pretty well the best in the world at what they do.
34:08And, their performances raise money for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines charity.
34:13So, I really don't want to mess this up.
34:19With final rehearsals nearly complete, the countdown to the show is on.
34:24Look at this.
34:32This place is incredible.
34:35A bit intimidating, actually.
34:40I don't know, was I expecting a school gym hall or something?
34:44What am I doing?
34:49In charge of the performance tonight is the band's principal director of music, Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Williams.
34:57So, how's the tour going?
34:59Yeah, good.
34:59Great venue tonight.
35:01Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, completely sold out.
35:03Every seat has sold.
35:04We've had an incredible run.
35:06Really good.
35:06The band's sounding amazing.
35:08Audience have loved it.
35:09I don't want to put any extra pressure on you.
35:11I mean, you are.
35:12We have not started you at Topsham Village Hall.
35:15Yeah.
35:16This is not a gym hall.
35:18No, it's a big concert hall.
35:20No, it's a big concert hall.
35:20You're just going to have to concentrate.
35:21Try not to think about the size of the, you know, the hall, the size of the audience.
35:26Focus on the team and the direction they're giving you.
35:29Right.
35:29So, yeah.
35:30Have you been practising?
35:31Er, yeah.
35:32Like, got the hubcaps off my car.
35:34Yeah.
35:34Give them a good bang throughout the week.
35:36Good.
35:36Yeah, yeah.
35:39In all seriousness, I really have been putting in the hours.
35:43And we're messing around.
35:45Can't do some work.
35:45Get in, Bob.
35:46Now it comes down to one final rehearsal with the band.
35:49Coming.
35:51Oh, my Lord.
35:52My last chance to get it right.
35:56Got me wet.
35:57I'm good.
36:00Right.
36:02My only safety net is percussionist Lance Corporal Harry Page.
36:09Who will be guiding me through tonight's performance.
36:29I'm no expert, but I think I'm just about keeping up.
36:33The problem is that banging a drum loudly is pretty easy.
36:37Doing it with skill, timing and talent is what matters here.
36:44Oh, I'm not going to lie.
36:45Like, I am a little conscious of how loud I am being when I'm banging on the drums and stuff.
36:50Because if it's out of time, you're going to tell.
36:54Or certainly I'm going to be told, I feel.
37:00Coming up.
37:00Right.
37:02This is it.
37:04No guts, no glory.
37:06JJ is given a grand introduction to a sellout Manchester crowd.
37:11We have a very special guest to join us.
37:14Lance Corporal Charles J.
37:17But will he be a smash hit?
37:31Welcome back to Warship Life in the Royal Navy.
37:35I'm in Manchester at the Bridgewater Hall, where the most famous military band in the world are about to perform.
37:43And, for one night only, I've been invited to take part.
37:48Hi, JJ.
37:50Nearly the time for the show.
37:50There's your uniform.
37:52Mega.
37:53Have a great time.
37:53We'll be out in a minute.
37:55My musical prowess might be in question, but at least I can try and look the part.
38:01Wearing the uniform of the Royal Marines.
38:07Right, it's too late to go AWOL, absent without leave.
38:11This is happening.
38:12Performance time.
38:14Steady the nerves.
38:15Let's get us done.
38:17The crowd are taking their seats.
38:21Can you hear that?
38:23There's people out here, man.
38:26Oh, my God.
38:28With the entire place full,
38:31it's time to cue the music.
38:37Look at that, boss.
38:55To be this close to the Royal Marines band as they perform is spine tingling.
39:05Every note is sheer perfection.
39:13Just a few weeks ago, in the middle of their UK tour, this group performed at Windsor Castle for the
39:18state visit of President Trump.
39:31Now, though, it's my turn.
39:35Right.
39:36This is it.
39:38No guts, no glory.
39:40Now, we have a very special guest to join us in this section of the programme.
39:46Lance Corporal Chalmers J.
39:50Probably known better to you as J.J. Chalmers.
39:57What an introduction.
39:59But the moment of truth, as they say, is upon me.
40:18Wearing the uniform and performing with the band is both a huge honour and a serious responsibility.
40:26Tonight, I'm representing the Royal Marines in a very public setting.
40:31And I can't let them down.
40:37It's been over ten years since I left the Royal Marines, an unforgettable chapter of my life.
40:45Like myself, many people in this crowd are veterans.
40:48But also, these performances inspire future generations.
40:59I can't help but enjoy my moment in the musical spotlight, even if I'm only banging on a gong.
41:06I can't help but I can't help but I can't help but I can't help but I can't help but
41:08I can help but I can help but at the time I'm only coming in.
41:35That was a lot of fun.
41:37It's just good being part of a band.
41:40This is why you join the Corps, to be part of something bigger than yourself.
41:43And it doesn't get much bigger than that.
41:52As the Manchester performance comes to an end,
41:55I get another special moment.
41:57I'm invited back onto the stage to take a bow with the rest of the band.
42:09With my musical debut made, it's time for the standard military debrief.
42:16Right, how did I do, boss?
42:19JJ, I thought it was fantastic.
42:21It was so good. You know, you really played the part.
42:24You actually played a meaningful part in the band.
42:26I must admit, the first one was a bit loud.
42:29Bit of a face-melter.
42:31But you controlled it.
42:32You kept the tempo.
42:34You were together.
42:34That's the most important thing.
42:35And that is not easy to do.
42:37So with the amount of preparation you've had, seriously well done.
42:40I think it was great.
42:41And to see all the veterans standing up at the end.
42:43Royal Navy, Royal Marines.
42:44You know, it means a lot to a lot of people.
42:46This kind of thing.
42:47So yeah, you've been a part of that.
42:48Well done.
42:49Yeah.
42:49It was great.
42:50Honestly, never in my wildest dream.
42:52But I think I'd do that.
42:53I might hang up with my mallet at this point quite a while in my head.
42:56Well you've got the uniform now, so you know.
42:58Okay.
42:59Maybe there's a future, you know, we'll be on tour again.
43:01You can draft me back in.
43:12I smashed it, didn't I?
43:15You got a standing ovation.
43:17Certainly, certainly did.
43:18Yeah.
43:19Listen, that was pretty terrifying.
43:21Like that was a big old venue.
43:23Yeah.
43:23And a lot of people counting on me.
43:25And I just didn't want to sort of ruin it for everybody.
43:27It was actually very impressive.
43:30Well, this is what you guys can enjoy next.
43:36What are you doing?
43:39JJ's on Dartmoor to take on an elite Royal Marines challenge.
43:43And it's brutal.
43:48Ah, a horn in air.
43:50Is that the terminology?
43:51It is.
43:52Dwayne heads back in time.
43:53Mind your head.
43:55Oh my goodness.
43:56To discover the reality of life on board, the first British ship to circumnavigate the globe.
44:01A lot of salty sea water gets onto this deck.
44:05It would eventually mix with animal poo.
44:07So if you ever did find yourself sleeping on here, don't sleep with your mouth open.
44:11That's about 15 minutes now and I haven't seen a single soul on board.
44:15And what happens when a fully armed Royal Navy warship intercepts a suspicious vessel in the English Channel?
44:22If you're in UK waters and you're up to no good, you should expect the Royal Navy to be looking
44:26at you.
44:27Goodbye.
44:28Bye.
44:56Transcription by CastingWords
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