Big Turnip Jubilee looks to bring Maritime music back to TV

The made-in-the-Maritimes variety show The Big Turnip Jubilee hopes to strike the right chord and score a television deal.

A Halifax-based production company is looking to bring a musical variety show to television and showcase the best in Atlantic Canadian music and beyond.

The Big Turnip Jubilee will air its first television pilot episode on Thursday for viewers across the country on Bell Fibe TV.

It’s a major milestone for the creative team behind the project who have been working towards this idea for nearly seven years.

“Seven years ago, we were sitting around chatting about country music and TV and thought about how nice it would be if we made a show that was like those old country music shows from back in the day, and then we somehow managed to pull it off,” said Dylan Jewers, co-creator and producer of the Big Turnip Jubilee.

The 28-minute pilot episode was hosted by renowned musician Mo Kenney and several musical acts and artists like Juno award winner Joel Plaskett and Canadian Folk award-winning duo Mama’s Broke.

The pilot episode was filmed live in front of studio audience of more than 300 people at the Lighthouse Arts Centre in downtown Halifax.

Award-winning TV and film producer Marc Almon is the executive producer with the Big Turnip Jubilee and says the pilot opportunity is a major milestone for the project that will give a much-needed national stage for Canadian musicians.

“We are at time and place where we need to have more promotion opportunities for our local musicians,” said Almon. “The funding helps promote and support the musicians themselves.”

“I really think that this is going to work,” said Jewers. “It’s too good not to succeed in some fashion.”

The pilot episode will air Thursday on Bell Fibe TV. The producers hope it’s received well and the program gets picked up.

Jewers is confident they can make a series of the show but knows the competition is deep and there are only so many TV spots.

“You know only so many projects can get greenlit at one time,” said Jewers. “So you have to kind of really rise above and prove that your idea is worth the investment.”

They are hosting a screening party of the Big Turnip Jubilee on July 30 at 7 p.m. at Bearly’s House of Blues on Grafton Street in Halifax.

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