Tag: Aled Jones

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Alexander Armstrong and Aled Jones to team up for The Big Christmas Sing-a-Long debut tour. York Barbican awaits on December 11. When do tickets go on sale?

Alexander Armstrong and Aled Jones

ALEXANDER Armstrong and Aled Jones will host The Big Christmas Sing-a-Long at York Barbican on December 11.

Tickets for the only Yorkshire venue on their 13-date debut tour will go on sale at 9.30am on Thursday (2/4/2026) at https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/sing-a-long/.

Performers and presenters Armstrong and Jones will unite for a festive season of music, laughter and Christmas cheer in cathedrals, theatres and concert halls from November 24 to December 21, promising “some special surprises along the way”.

Armstrong was one half of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller, teaming up for series on Channel 4 and BBC One with Ben Miller.

As well as hosting Classic FM’s flagship weekday mid-morning programme, he continues to be a regular on BBC One’s Have I Got News For You, having hosted more than 40 episodes, as well as helming BBC One quiz show Pointless.

After branching out into presenting travel shows, he will make his fifth series for Channel 5 in the United States of America this summer. He published his debut children’s novel, Evenfall: The Golden Linnet, in 2024 and the follow-up, Evenfall: The Tempest Stone in February this year. 

The poster for Alexander Armstrong & Aled Jones’s debut tour of The Big Christmas Sing-a-Long

Welsh television and radio personality and concert singer Jones, 55, will perform beloved songs, including his signature rendition of Walking In The Air, alongside classic carols synonymous with the festive season.

Joining him on stage will be Northumberland-born comedian, actor, Pointless presenter and singer Armstrong, 56, whose bass-baritone vocals and charm will bring humour, warmth and festive sparkle to York.

Audiences will be invited to pull on their favourite Christmas jumper and sing along to a joyful mix of traditional Christmas carols, modern festive favourites and timeless seasonal classics.

Original crossover star Jones has sung for the Pope and the Royal Family, received an MBE and released more than 40 albums, achieving ten million sales and more than 40 silver, gold and platinum discs.

Beginning his career at the age of 12, Jones was one of the world’s most successful boy sopranos, becoming the first classical artist to have two albums in the top five of the Official Album Charts.

He has built an extensive career as a TV and radio presenter, hosting his Classic FM show and BBC One’s Songs Of Praise, while continuing to record and tour. Last year, he released his third book, Aled’s Book Of Blessings for 2026, and he is now working on his next one.

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Aled Jones and Russell Watson team up again for Christmas at York Barbican

Aled Jones and Russell Watson: New album, new tour, with a Christmas theme

ALED Jones and Russell Watson are to reunite for Christmas 2022 with a new album and tour, taking in York Barbican on December 6.

Performing together again after a three-year hiatus, the classical singers will embark on a November and December itinerary to coincide with the November 4 release of Christmas With Aled And Russell. 

Available to pre-order now, the album features new recordings of traditional carols such as O Holy Night, O Little Town Of Bethlehem and In The Bleak Midwinter, alongside festive favourites White Christmas, It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, Little Drummer Boy and Mistletoe And Wine.

In addition, Jones and Watson are recording a duo rendition of Walking In The Air – first sung by boy soprano Aled in 1982 for the animated film The Snowman – specially for the new record.

Bangor-born tenor Jones, 51, says: “After a crazy couple of years for us all, I can’t wait to be reunited with my mate Russell again for our third album together! I’ll always be associated with Christmas, so it’s an honour to be working with him.

“We always have a blast on tour, so getting to sing our favourite Christmas songs together in so many stunning venues later this year will be a real treat! You never know, ‘Traffic Cone’ might even make an appearance…and hopefully Chicago has given Russ the chance to brush up on his dancing skills!”

Salford tenor Watson, 55, who has been playing slick lawyer Billy Flynn in the 2022 tour of Chicago, says: “Aled and I had a great time recording our first two albums, so I’m immensely excited to be back in the studio together working on our third. We had a really tough time choosing from so many magnificent Christmas songs, but we’ve whittled it down to a fabulous selection of tracks which truly mean something to us both.

“And to get to share a stage again during our UK tour later this year will be such a special experience after three years apart. I hope Christmas With Aled And Russell is on all of your Christmas lists, and I can’t wait to see you all on tour throughout November and December!”

Aled & Russell: Third album of duets

Christmas With Aled And Russell will be looking to match the success of 2018’s In Harmony and 2019’s Back In Harmony, after both recordings topped the UK Classical Album Chart and made the top ten of the UK Official Album Chart.

Classical crossover singer Jones has released more than 40 albums and achieved more than 40 silver, gold and platinum discs since his chorister days when Walking In The Air brought him fame at 12.

In November 2020, he released Blessings, a multi-faith album featuring songs from different religions, and in February 2022, he reached the semi-finals of ITV’s The Masked Singer in the guise of Traffic Cone.  

He has pursued a career as a television and radio presenter too, at present hosting a weekly show on Classic FM and BBC One’s Sunday staple, Songs Of Praise. 

Watson’s debut album, 2000’s The Voice, topped both the British and USA classical charts, making him the first British male artist to attain a simultaneous transatlantic number one.

Watson has performed for HM The Queen, the late Pope John Paul II and former USA Presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama.

He last played York Barbican in a Sunday matinee in November 2021 on his 20th Anniversary Of The Voice tour.

Tickets for December 6’s 8pm performance of Christmas With Aled & Russell are on sale at yorkbarbican.co.uk.