Retired farmer from Bedford part of choir that captured the nation on Britain’s Got Talent
A retired contract farmer from Bedford has described singing as part of a choir of farmers on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent as ‘a wholesome experience.’
Tim Durrant, 69, who has spent nearly 40 years in the agriculture sector, was part of the Hawkstone Farmers Choir, which captured the nation’s imagination when it performed on an episode of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent – aired on Saturday, March 21.
The 32-strong musical group, which is conducted by professional singer and vocal coach Lizzie Deane, who is from Milton Keynes, originally formed for a project with Jeremy Clarkson’s Hawkstone brand.
The choir were seen performing Elbow’s One Day Like This as part of an audition filmed in front of 2,000 people in Birmingham.
Speaking to the judges before their performance the farmers explained the choir ‘had brought them together.’
The choir, made up of farmers across the country aged between 27 and 74, received wild cheers and a standing ovation from the audience.
Lead judge Amanda Holden pressed the golden buzzer at the end of their performance, sending them straight into the semi-finals, as she praised their performance as ‘powerful’.
Tim told Bedford Today he signed up after seeing an advert which appeared on farming Facebook groups in May 2025 seeking "strong singers who are farmers or farm workers for a lager advert."
"That interested me as I have sung mostly folk stuff since I was a teenager," Tim said.
"I have never sung in a choir before, but I have sung in pubs. I am also involved with morris dancing as a member of the Bedford Morris Men."
Reflecting back on the performance which catapulted the choir into the national consciousness Tim said: "Nothing prepared me for being confronted with 2,000 buzzing audience members.
"The camaraderie in our choir is amazing, and put together with an audience the whole thing was quite overwhelming.
"The hairs stand up on the back of my neck just talking about it, and it is a feeling I hope we can experience again."
Tim added that being part of the choir had given him his identity back, something he felt he had lost outside of active production within farming.
"Having a well-developed imposter syndrome, I found that being accepted by others into the farmer's choir has given me a sense of community and belonging that I hadn't realised I'd lost," he reflected.
The choir is now looking forward to its performance in the live semi-finals of the talent contest, and Tim added that he hoped the choir’s progress had raised awareness of what farmers do for the public on a daily basis.
"As farmers we produce a fundamental necessity of life in food, and hopefully this helps people understand the risks and hazards of lone working, and the solitude and mental toll that this profession can bring," he said.
"I hope it has brought our customers closer to us, and helped them understand we are in this business for them and each other."