Rod Stewart's Surprise, with BBC's The One Show’s One Big Thank You

It was a Thursday evening, around 5.30pm on 27 October 2022, and I was closing up after a full day in the barber shop. Haircuts, beards, the usual, then the final sweep up before pulling the door in.

As I stepped outside, a man introduced himself and said he was from Brighton and Hove TV. He knew I had a show coming up on the Saturday and asked if they could film a little.

“Of course,” I said. “That would be great.”

An unusual request

The next day, he messaged to ask if I could sing a Rod Stewart song. I remember thinking, that is an unusual request, but I still did not suspect a thing.

At the time, I had been preparing my show Matt and Me, a set of songs made famous by the legend Matt Monro. With less than a day to go, everything was ready. One of the songs in the set was The Nearness of You, which Rod Stewart had covered on his American Songbook album, so I suggested that.

He came back with, “Actually, can you sing Rod Stewart’s song You’re in My Heart?”

I thought about it briefly, but the key was far too high for me, and with the show so close I had to say no. I was disappointed, because I assumed they might not come and film now, but he simply replied, “No problem, see you tomorrow.”

The cameras arrive

The show was due to start at 6pm, and the cameramen arrived at 4pm. Not just one camera, but several, plus microphones, the lot. For a “local TV” crew, it was a serious setup. I was impressed, and still none the wiser.

That evening was mild, and the crowd outside the shop was brilliant, packed in and full of energy. If you have ever stood outside a barber shop in the heart of Brighton, in Middle Street, you will know the atmosphere. People passing through, mates spotting each other, a few curious faces stopping to see what is going on, and suddenly the whole street feels alive.

The moment everything changed

About halfway through my set, there was a huge cheer from the audience. I looked over the balcony, expecting to see a group arriving, maybe a party walking past, but I could not spot anything. I carried on.

A little later, I heard noise behind the gold velvet curtain, enough to cut across the quieter part of the set. I was singing a ballad and thinking, how do I handle this without making a scene. I leaned through the curtain and gestured, politely, to keep it down, still avoiding eye contact because it felt awkward.

Then, a minute later, while I was singing A Stranger in Paradise, I sensed someone right beside me. I turned and, for a second, I thought, that looks like Rod Stewart.

It was Rod Stewart.

He started singing with me, and that is when it properly landed. People have asked how I managed to keep singing, and I did, but the truth is I forgot the words and ended up repeating lines as I tried to stay with it.

From the shop to the big screen

Rod Stewart was warm, friendly, and completely at ease. We walked from my place to a big screen that The One Show had set up, filled with messages from family, friends, and familiar faces. The biggest shock of all was realising that the people closest to me had known all along.

There were messages from my family and friends, and messages from Ronan Keating, Michael Ball, and Alfie Boe too.

Rod Stewart asked if I had any idea this was going to happen. I genuinely did not. He asked how long I had been performing from my window, and he remembered my previous heart scare, asking how my ticker was doing. Then, with a grin, he said something along the lines of, “I heard you did not want to sing one of my songs.”

I laughed, and tried to explain, I wish I could, but the key was too high for me.

A proper Brighton moment

Looking back, what stays with me is how kind it all was. It was not just the surprise, it was the thought, the effort, and the people who made it happen.

And it reminded me of something I see every week in the barber shop. A good barber shop is not only about a sharp cut, a clean beard line, or a proper finish. It is about people, conversations, and those moments that lift your day.

If you are in Brighton, pop in to see us on Middle Street, right in the heart of the city. Whether you are coming in for a tidy up, a full restyle, a beard trim, or a hot towel finish, you will get calm, consultation led grooming and time taken on the detail.