Hundreds of people made their way to Watton on Sunday as carnival fever and great weather gripped the town. The event is one of the highlights of the year and saw the main street closed off for a day of activities. There was also an extra twist as the BBC team came along to add to the fun in the climax to the Voices series in Norfolk. Film star It's not often you get a film star coming along to a local carnival, but we're lucky enough to have one right on our doorstep here in Norfolk. Chris Rankin, who plays Percy Weasley in the Harry Potter films, turned out to answer questions from the crowd.
Taking centre stage on the high street he was quizzed by the BBC's Martin Barber about his forthcoming movie, The Prisoner of Azkaban. Chris said how pleased he was to be in Watton for the day, "It's nice to come and do something outside of Dereham. I've done a lot public appearances around my village of Shipdham but never come to Watton before so it's great to be here." The two stages were busy all day, starting with a special Songs of Praise and continuing with a mixture of local bands and talented youngsters. This was followed by a procession, which saw a colourful array of costumes and people of all ages dressed up to walk the length of the high street. New Voices from the BBC The carnival was brought to BBC Radio Norfolk listeners around the county in a special two hour programme and was presented by three complete newcomers to radio. Dave Scragg, Tim Fielding and Rebecca Hill were guest presenters from Watton for the day and took centre stage for a Voices Carnival special. The three beginners got in touch with the BBC after hearing about the Voices project. Voices producer Anita Miah explains why they were chosen to present the programme. "Voices was always about hearing people telling their experiences in their own words. When we planned to do a programme from the carnival about the whole area, it seemed obvious that it should be presented by people who live there and know it best." The praise for the team was forthcoming as they overcame their nerves to put on a brilliant show. Voices Producer Kate Holmes said "We were so lucky to find such a talented team. They did a brilliant job and worked well together. They showed us all up!" Recapture all the fun of the Watton Carnival now
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