Sue Perkins heads off to Dinnington in South Yorkshire, where she hopes to turn around the fortunes of the town’s ailing brass band. With only six members in a band that needs 25, morale is low. But Sue has a few tricks up her sleeve…

How did Band For Britain come about — was it on the back of Maestro?
It seemed like a really nice thing to do because it took the musical strand of Maestro but put me into a community. I just like chatting, I like people and I particularly liked these people. They are funny and they are brilliant, so it was a dream job for me.

You had two months to turn the band’s fortunes around didn’t you?
It kind of turned into four-and-a-half months because those fortunes needed some turning and I’m not quite the alchemist and wizard I thought I was. I’ve probably been pitched as this saviour but most of the time they were rolling their eyes thinking, ‘Who is this southern idiot?’. But together we all chanced upon the best way forward and I throw in some curve balls and some stupid gigs and some silly things for them to do and then we run with it from there.

Was the aim to rescue the fortunes of the band?
Yeah. Dinnington Colliery Band is the oldest colliery band. It’s been going for more than 100 years and the mines obviously have long gone. The pits you can’t even see, they’ve been grassed over — they’re like a sort of grassy bank now. As one of the oldest members, Kaye, who is 75, pointed out, the only thing that would remind people that there was a colliery is the name of the band. If they can’t get new members that whole tradition dies out and completely and utterly disappears.

It was quite an ambition, as they only had six senior players and needed 25.
It was quite hard work. But we got there. Their thing is not to be television stars. What I love about it is they are so uncynical, they just wanted to get 25 players playing every week. That was it.

They are resolutely untrendy, aren’t they? I liked Sally Bannan, who chose her cornet over her first husband.
Sally is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met in my life, she’s totally no holds barred, and she doesn’t give a monkey’s. Unfortunately most of what she says is totally unbroadcastable.

What instrument would you play?
The euphonium, it’s such a rich sound. It’s not really a lady's instrument, but I ain’t no lady! Jess, this hulking great ex-marine, plays the euphonium, and I actually managed to get a noise out of it. I really wanted to play the trombone but I wasn’t very good, and the cornet I was rubbish on.

Did you have anything horrible to eat during the filming?
Obviously, I took my own boar’s heads with me, some roosters’ testicles and rats' tails to keep me going! I’ve got a real appetite for that stuff since Supersizers Eat…

By Linda Gibson