when he recorded the track “Walking in the Air” for a toy commercial and it eventually reached
number 5 in the UK singles chart. Originally, the song had been composed for the now iconic
animated film ‘The Snowman’, sung by another chorister, and many people have subsequently
mistakenly thought it was Aled on the soundtrack.
He is undertaking a large UK wide tour to promote “Full Circle” - his new book (and CD) - to tell his
story since that life-changing moment. A simple set consisted of a comfortable armchair (echoes
of Val Doonican, or “Jackanory”), two traffic cones (more of that later!), an illuminated snowman
and a coat stand. He is an extremely proud Welshman, and he is undoubtedly majorly influenced
by his childhood in a small village on Anglesey. It was interesting to learn that he is his parents’
only child. Jones is a very affable raconteur, although he did seem a little nervous and unsure at
the beginning. However, he quickly found his stride after he confessed to getting the location of the
previous performance wrong, mistaking Burnley for Barnsley! Overall, it was a really laidback
evening as he effortlessly (without notes) recalled key events and, in particular, those who have
influenced him throughout his career.
A large video screen at the back of the stage was regularly used to display photos and some
videos, all used to highlight his extremely varied and multi-faceted ventures in showbusiness:
being a senior chorister at Bangor Cathedral (which he joined at just 9 years old); close
associations with Leonard Bernstein and Terry Wogan; branching into musical theatre in the title
role of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”; 25 years presenting ‘Songs of Praise’
and reaching the semi-final in the second series of Strictly Come Dancing’ with future winner Lilia
Kopyloda. One of my favourite stories was when he forgot the words of ‘Memory’ at a Royal
Variety Performance! He made up his own version of the second verse, in front of Andrew Lloyd
Webber, no less, who graciously said that it was better than what the composer had written!
I am familiar with much of what he has done over the years, but I definitely did not know he had
participated in ‘The Masked Singer‘, disguised as one of the aforementioned traffic cones! One of
the most striking photographs was with seminal pop stars and celebrities when he sang at the
wedding of Bob Geldof and Paula Yates. At the dinner table, he had an eye-opening experience
being sat between Elton John and Billy Connolly!
He talked a little bit about his own family: wife Claire is a former trapeze artist whom he met when
performing in ‘Joseph’ and his two children, Emilia and Lucas. Emilia is now forging her own
career as an actor, having gained a BAFTA nomination for her role in the film ‘CODA’. As you
might expect, he occasionally burst into song, though not as much as perhaps audience members
would have liked. Despite that fact that we were nowhere near Christmas, ‘Walking in the Air’ was
nevertheless performed as a duet with his younger self being projected.
In a complete contrast, the second half started with him dressed in full choir robes as he presented
a jovial and irreverent number called ‘The Choirboy Song’; this was one of the most enjoyable
sections of the show. The evening ended with a rendition of “How Great Thou Art” that those
present were encouraged to join in with. The studio at the Waterside is an ideal venue for this ‘in
conversation’ type of event. Thank you to the staff for their welcome and hospitality.
Reviewer - David Swift
On - 03/04/2025
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