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Xiang Yun, Rebecca Lim and Kym Ng to lead a tour through Caldecott Broadcast Centre

SINGAPORE — Picture this: Stories of romance between actors and actresses, secrets of filming sets, and even tales of ghostly encounters.

Xiang Yun, Tay Ping Hui, Kym Ng and Rebecca Lim will take visitors on tours around the Caldecott Broadcast Centre. Photo: Raj Nadarajan

Xiang Yun, Tay Ping Hui, Kym Ng and Rebecca Lim will take visitors on tours around the Caldecott Broadcast Centre. Photo: Raj Nadarajan

SINGAPORE — Picture this: Stories of romance between actors and actresses, secrets of filming sets, and even tales of ghostly encounters.

The scene: The old Caldecott Broadcast Centre (CBC).

That is what visitors will get to hear from industry veterans, and even celebrities, when the Singpore Heritage Festival opens on Friday (April 28) with its Takes Over! initiative.

There, Mediacorp staff such as casting directors, stylists and more will lead various tours that take visitors into the heart of the iconic broadcasting venue. The CBC is part of the SHF Takes Over! initiative, which in coming weeks will visit Singapore spots such as Chinatown and Little India.

Christie Chua, the creative director for the festival, said that one of her favourite anecdotes at the CBC comes from actress Xiang Yun, who speaks about a mysterious boyfriend prior to her marriage to Edmund Chen in 1986.

“She ... shares how she and her then-boyfriend had met and how they were paktor-ing around,” said Chua, not wanting to give too much away.

“(The tours are) really quite nice because (celebrities and veterans) really share their experiences. Visitors learn about a ‘nursery daycare’ that sat in one corner, for instance,” she said. “That’s where all the children were placed when all the mummies and daddies were working. And there are stories of a dormitory (in another part of the CBC) where actors could go to rest between takes.”

The stories are insightful and heart-warming, said Chua, adding that visitors get to see how the CBC became “like their second home” where they would interact, and how “their children grew up together”, she said.

Xiang Yun, actresses Rebecca Lim and Kym Ng, as well as actor Tay Ping Hui, are part of a special tour on May 6. Then, they will regale visitors with stories of their filming exploits when they shot The Lead!.

Visitors will also be able to visit hawker stalls in a festival village, shop at a flea market, see live performances, and check out sets and studios where dramas and shows were filmed.

The journey into the CBC begins with a shuttle bus ride via the Old Main Gate (fondly known as OMG among Mediacorp staff) along Olive Road. Visitors will discover that the surrounding area was a pepper and gambier plantation in the 1880s. Later, British colonial administrator Andrew Caldecott and his family would name the streets there — after themselves.

Once in the CBC, visitors are turned loose either to roam around to see exhibitions, groove to dance music tunes in the festival area, or go on tours. The SHF Takes Over! is visiting various sites in Singapore, and the opportunity to visit the CBC runs over two weekends.

 

Studio 6 — best known for being the set of the Singapore run of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — will be open to visitors. Actor Tay, by the way, has said in the past that this was a place where he has been stabbed, started a fire, and even “died” there for various shows. He has even showered there, and had his first love scene in the studio.

Chua said that the tours are “really for people to come and experience the space”.

“They will will get to (feel) ... the magic behind creating shows. We are trying to give people a behind-the-scenes glimpse of it all,” said Chua.

Other areas Takes Over! are the Singapore River and the Singapore Zoo. Visitors will be treated to immersive programmes including trails, tours, open houses and performances.

The Zoo will have visitors hearing stories of Singapore’s “pioneer animals”, such as Inuka the polar bear.

“No one really thinks of ‘heritage’ in the zoo,” said Chua, adding that the aim is “to remind people that as a little island, we do have a very rich (heritage)”.

 

Singapore Heritage Festival Takes Over Caldecott Broadcast Centre! is on from April 28 to May 1, and on May 5 to May 7. Admission is free. Shuttle buses are available from vaiorus pick up points. For more information on the tours and shuttle buses, as well as other areas the Takes Over! initiative covers, visit ww.heritagefestival.sg

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