Twenty one nurses from across NHS Forth Valley are the unexpected stars of a major national TV show which is due to be broadcast on BBC1 on Christmas Eve at 7.25pm.

The nurses, who all sing in NHS Forth Valley’s Nurses Choir, thought they were travelling to London to appear in an audition for a Christmas concert but found themselves in front of a packed theatre audience as the unexpected stars of Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.

Prof Angela Wallace, Director of Nursing, NHS Forth Valley, who was in on plans for the surprise appearance and was hidden in the audience, said: “We managed to keep it a surprise and I will never forget the look on their faces when they came out onto the stage and saw Michael McIntyre for the first time – not to mention the 2,200 people in the audience wearing Santa hats!”

“When it dawned on them what was actually happening some were in tears and others couldn’t stop laughing with the sheer mixture of shock and joy! It was a fantastic experience and I’m really proud of our nurses as they gave an outstanding performance.”

The nurses, who regularly sing for patients and at events to raise money for local charities, managed to hold their nerve in front of a live audience at London’s Theatre Royal in Drury Lane to sing White Christmas as the finale to the Show.

Michael McIntyre said: “We’ve tried to make this year’s show really Christmassy, so we’ve got a choir. They’re Scottish NHS nurses who sing for charity. We give them a wonderful surprise and then they sing a beautiful Christmas song at the end.

We’ve got Harry Enfield playing Kevin; Catherine Tate playing Nan and we’re playing Christmas games with the audience.

During their appearance, the nurses had the chance to meet celebrity guests Alfy Boe, and Michael Ball who joined them on stage for the Christmas Special which is expected to be watched by more than 6 million people.