At the end of May, two BCA alumni were part of the Hawkstone Farmers Choir, who were crowned 2026 Britain’s Got Talent winners.
One member of the choir was David Smith, who studied at BCA in the 1970s. Life at College was a lot different back then, with many learners boarding overnight. Having grown up in Hampshire, he was looking for a college that was a bit further from home so came to study OND Merchanting. “It was this course that led me into a career in the commercial world of farming working as a seed specialist dealing with farmers nationwide.
“Some of my favourite memories are the nightly sing songs that we held at college. We would have weekly discos and host concerts. My very first stage experience was at the BCA concert, where we did a medley of Disney songs about the lecturers. It’s hard to believe now that I ended up singing on one of the largest theatres in London, live on ITV for the nation to see!
“Winning BGT was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The whole experience was amazing, so to get to the final and then win it was the icing on the cake. The noise when we first went out on to the stage was indescribable, and then waiting for the results was like waiting to see the dentist. When we were down to the last three, all I could think was ‘Please don’t let us lose to a dog’! Thankfully they called our name out as winners, which was so surreal.”
After retiring three years ago, the Choir has given David the chance to rekindle old relationships with customers, make new friends, and feel very much part of the farming community. “I saw an advert on Facebook asking for farmers or people connected to farming who could sing for an advert for a lager – at that time we didn’t know it was for Hawkstone. So I sent off the audition recording and the rest is history.”
And finally, we asked David to sum up his time at BCA. “I will be eternally grateful for my time at BCA. Without doubt it gave me the confidence and belief that anything is possible. My advice to current students would be to embrace the whole experience. Work hard but enjoy yourself. Friends you make at college will go on to be lifelong friends.”
Congratulations once more to David and the rest of the Hawkstone Farmers Choir on a fantastic achievement winning Britain’s Got Talent!
Click here to find out more information about the agricultural courses at BCA.
