Bong ... town hall bells may ring for Big Ben

THE Rochdale Town Hall bells pealed out on the BBC on New Year’s Eve – albeit 20 minutes after midnight.

BBC Radio Five Live marked the big moment with the traditional sound of Big Ben’s bells as people across the country celebrated the start of 2018, but followed it up with a recording from Rochdale thanks to MP Jake Berry.

The member for Rossendale, which includes Whitworth and Northern Powerhouse minister wrote to the BBC and ITV to suggest that the bells of Rochdale Town Hall be used while Big Ben is out of action, undergoing maintenance.

In an interview with Five Live DJ Adrian Goldberg, broadcast at 12.20am on Monday, January 1, he said: “I think when Big Ben was turned back on for Christmas, everyone all over the country thought ‘isn’t it nice to have the bells on again.’

“I suppose what I began to think is where else is just as good or in fact better than Elizabeth Tower and ●●MP Jake Berry wants the BBC and ITV to use the bells of Rochdale Town Hall to ring in the new year while repairs are carried out on Big Ben (inset) Big Ben in London and I naturally thought of Rochdale Town Hall.

“It is an amazing building with a fantastic set of bells.”

And when Goldberg suggested that perhaps the rest of the country wouldn’t naturally think of Rochdale as an alternative to London, Mr Berry replied ‘is it not about time they began to?.’

“Is it not about time everyone heard those bells ring out and said am I in Rochdale or am I in London?” he said. “That is what I want people to say.”

Mr Berry said that the north is undergoing a ‘cultural revival’ that is ‘putting things like Rochdale Town Hall, a Grade I listed building, on the map of everyone in Britain.’

“The clock in Rochdale will be better and more accurate that Big Ben and of course the recording is nothing new because when you listen to the bongs on the radio it is a recording from the day before, so they could just as easily record those fantastic bells in Rochdale Town Hall and have those ringing out across the airwaves,” he said.

“It is not just the BBC – I want ITV to do it as well.”

He pointed out in his letter that Rochdale’s bells already play the same tune as the Westminster towers’ and so could ‘slip seamlessly into the network’s routines.’

BBC stalwart Gyles Brandreth backed the idea on social media, tweeting: “Peal appeal! Totally back plan to have BBC broadcast the bongs from Rochdale town hall live while Big Ben’s bongs are silenced.”

Jonathan Wall, controller of BBC Radio 5 live, said: “We will be looking seriously at taking the bongs of the beautiful Gothic Rochdale Town Hall to bring in the New Year next year. Five Live is proud to broadcast to the whole of the UK from Greater Manchester so it will feel an honour to look into this idea.”