It is also, of course, a red kite. Although the inspiration for this song was a boarding house near my place of work, the central idea was that there are many types of homelessness other than not having a roof over your head. You can live outside your nation, or without your family, or indeed, outside the compassion that is the core of the human family. I have met with some of the greatest kindnesses from those who could least afford them. Again we asked some of our brass-playing friends Devon Park and Bill Stanley to join us in a chorale written by Mike and Larry.
Critics regard it as having been one of the most stultifyingly boring television programs ever.
I watched it religiously. At a certain point in the national show, there would be a slot for local news and features. One evening, while sitting in my flat in Bedford, Anglia Television presented Jake Thackray singing Sister Josephine. That was 1971 and I've wanted to sing this song ever since. A fine set of reels and a nod to our traditional roots.