THE Archbishop of York took part in Chris Evans’s Radio 2 Christmas Show at Bishopthorpe Palace today.

The show, which was on air from 6.30am to 9.30am, also featured K T Tunstall and James Dean Bradfield from the Manic Street Preachers, as well as the Minster choir and York choirgirl Isabel Suckling.

The show was broadcast live from the Archbishop’s kitchen table in Bishopthorpe Palace.

Presenter Chris Evans was also given a tour of the palace and had a peek into what the Archbishop has in his fridge for the Christmas period.

Moira Stuart read the news from a Christmas grotto created in the palace’s attic and some of the reporters were dressed up in panto costumes borrowed from York Theatre Royal.

The show was filmed and will be available to watch on Chris Evans’s website and on the BBC Red Button.

Chris Evans described the show as “fit for a king”.

Radio 2 decided to record the show at the palace after the Archbishop offered to cook Chris Evans dinner when he spoke on the Pause For Thought slot.

The panto costumes worn at the palace included one of Berwick Kaler’s dame suits from previous years and David Leonard’s baddie costumes.

Abbigail Wright, head of communications at the York Theatre Royal, said: “Berwick has been the dame here for 32 years, and has such a massive following that people queue overnight to buy tickets when they’re released in March. It’s such a fantastic destination for a traditional panto and it’s a very York thing.

“We don’t have television celebrities and many of our cast have been with us for over 20 years and a lot of the jokes relate to York itself.”