McFly switch on Christmas lights

More than 50,000 people gathered in central London to watch pop stars McFly turn on the Regent Street Christmas lights. The foursome did the honours at 6.50pm from a stage set up at the junction of New Burlington Street and Regent Street.

Bass guitarist Dougie Paynter said: “It was awesome and there was so many people there to see it.”He added: “So many great people have done it before. When we did it there was a plaque saying who had done it in the past and there was people like Sir Anthony Hopkins and members of the Royal Family.

Thousands of small energy-efficient lightbulbs have been used to design the lights which are based on the theme of stars.

The tradition of switching on the Christmas lights dates back to 1954 and previous guests invited to turn them on include Diana, Princess of Wales, pop star Kylie Minogue and jockey Frankie Dettori.

McFly begin a UK and Ireland tour on Friday in Sheffield and will release their next single, backing the Children in Need appeal, on November 24. Dougie said: “We have been on the show before a few times and we opened it last year I think, but doing the single is another honour.”

The double-A side features the track Do Ya, from their current album Radio:ACTIVE, and a cover version of The Faces’ Stay With Me.

Source: The Press Association

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Mcfly to turn on London Christmas lights

This year the theme for the Regent Street lights is ‘stars’ and the famous “mile of style” will be transformed into a winter wonderland for Christmas shoppers. Since the 1950s international celebrities have turned on the lights to mark the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

Past personalities include HRH The Prince of Wales, Kylie Minogue, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sylvester Stallone and Sir Ian McKellen.

Danny from McFly said: “We’re really excited to be switching on the Regent Street Christmas lights.
“So many great people have done it in the past. “It’s also fantastic that BBC Children in Need are involved. “Hopefully we can help encourage people to think of ideas to raise even more money this year”.

McFly are releasing an official single for BBC Children in Need, which helps disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. The switch-on event is supporting the charity with many of the Regent Street retailers collecting donations throughout the week.

This year Hollyoaks star John Pickard, who plays the character Dominic Reilly, will MC the event and the London Gospel Community Choir will be performing a selection of songs from the stage keeping the audience entertained in the lead up to McFly switching on the lights.

The Regent Street Christmas lights are one of London’s major tourist attractions and draw a huge number of visitors each year.

source: This is Lancashire

Tags: BBC, charity, Christmas, christmas lights, christmas shopping, community, Lights, Mcfly, money, Regent Street, Shopping, Win