Millions of peak time television viewers got to see and hear the Sheringham Shantymen at the weekend.The folk group appeared live in the One Show studio on Friday night to sing after a feature on Horatio Nelson presented by comic Arthur Smith.

Millions of peak time television viewers got to see and hear the Sheringham Shantymen at the weekend.

The folk group appeared live in the One Show studio on Friday night to sing after a feature on Horatio Nelson presented by comic Arthur Smith.

They sang Spanish Ladies, a song penned around the time of Trafalgar when Norfolk's hero was triumphing in battle, while paying the ultimate price of losing his life.

Musical director Brian Farrow said the choir was contacted by a researcher just two days earlier with the invitation to guest on the show.

'Our fame might have travelled far and wide, but more likely they found us on the website while looking for a shanty group from Norfolk.'

He phoned around and mustered 20 of the group, who left at noon and got back at 11pm. Their excerpt from the song lasted just over a minute, but had already brought them a handful of inquiries, added Mr Farrow.

The Shantymen were 'treated royally' during the stay which involved three run-throughs, and a chance to meet presenters Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley who were 'relaxed and charming.'

Mr Farrow said the group were 'pretty laid back' despite the prospect of singing to four million viewers, helped by it being a 'smoothly run show' and their previous experiences of appearing on the Big Breakfast and Blue Peter back in 1994.

'We were glad to do it, because it put us, and Sheringham, on the map,' he added.

More information about the group, which does 40-50 gigs a year, is on their website www.shantymen.com. There is footage of the show on YouTube.