That’s a rap, as Brian Blessed belts out Ilkla’ Moor Baht ‘At

A new version of On Ilkla’ Moor Baht ‘At, commissioned by the tourism authority Welcome to Yorkshire, features a rap by Mr Brian Blessed and an appearance by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band.

The song was premiered at today’s Y12 conference in York, the UK’s largest tourism event. Welcome to Yorkshire says the idea is to breathe new life into a piece of cultural heritage and to introduce “On Ilkla’ Moor Baht ‘At” to a younger, global audience.

Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity said: “On Ilkla’ Moor Baht ‘At” has long been considered Yorkshire’s national anthem and we couldn’t resist giving it a modern twist.

“Like everything we do, the song is a chance to shout about what’s great about Yorkshire but it’s not just about Yorkshire traditions or nodding our caps to our cultural heritage, it’s also a chance to show off Yorkshire’s vibrant creative scene with a re-working of the song with ‘added swagger’.”

The song is currently in production and should be ready for release early in the summer. It will be accompanied by a short film which is due to be shot on Ilkley Moor in May.

Grimethorpe Colliery Band, which famously featured in the movie Brassed Off has also recorded a section and other organisations in various parts of Yorkshire will make contributions in April.