James Cordon’s Carpool Karaoke, which has starred celebrities such as Justin Bieber and First Lady Michelle Obama, has taken a new British twist after Simon McDermott posted videos of duets with his father to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society.
The heartwarming singsongs are performed by 40-year-old Simon McDermott and his dad Ted, 80, who has dementia, and have so far raised almost £50,000 for charity.
Ted, who used to work as a Butlin’s Redcoat and performed in various pubs and clubs, was diagnosed with the degenerative illness in 2013, but still loves to sing. He and his son have performed a few numbers which have been posted in ‘The Songaminute Man’ Facebook page, as well as their latest hit which has been viewed more than three million times.
McDermott says his father is often unable to recognise his own family and can even experience “aggressive episodes”, but when he sings, he’s back in the room.
“It’s these moments that we treasure,” reads his Facebook page.
The family’s JustGiving page adds: “Without them we would have had very little idea or support about how to deal with even the basics of Dad’s condition.
“The more Alzheimer’s kicked in, the more Dad became violent – both physically and verbally – it was incredibly difficult to manage. And terrifying at times.
“Alzheimer’s Society provide a telephone helpline to sufferers and their families.
“I cannot begin to describe how a stranger’s voice at the end of the phone line helped when things got really bad.”