William Dutton and Bill Goss should be talking about their role in the latest incarnation of the Choirboys, but give them a chance and they'll happily wax lyrical about their latest Airfix model or the time they learned to skin a rabbit.

"It's not that hard you know," says 12-year-old William. "I like being outdoors and doing boys' stuff. People think that when you're a chorister all you do is stay indoors and listen to classical music, but that's not true at all we do lots of stuff and the Dangerous Book for Boys is like a Bible for us."

In the next few months there will be little chance to take on the outdoors, as William and Bill, both from Harrogate and Andrew Swait, from Gloucestershire promote their debut album of carols and with appearances on everything from Strictly Come Dancing to GMTV already lined-up they are set to follow in the footsteps of Aled Jones, whose version of Walking in the Air remains a Christmas staple.

"It's very twinkling," says Bill of the album, which is unrepentantly festive, featuring everything from Silent Night to O Come All Ye Faithful. "There are people who are cynical about Christmas and what it's become, but for us this record is about getting into the spirit of everything, it's about creating a festive atmosphere."

The original Choirboys line-up was unveiled two years ago and included Ben Inman from Sheffield and CJ Porter-Thaw from Harrogate, but the lifespan of a boy treble is short and when manager Steve Abbott, who also looks after Hayley Westenra, decided the time was right to revisit the group he had to scout around for fresh talent.

"Steve contacted me after I won the Radio 2 Chorister of the Year competition," says William. "I thought it was such a brilliant opportunity because we know that in a year or so our voices will break and there's no guarantee that we will be able to continue singing.

"It was coincidence that Steve also signed up Bill, who just lives down the road from me, but the three of us have got on really well. We know we're very lucky."

Certainly the three,who are being described as a "clean cut junior Busted", have a lot to live up to. The previous Choirboys album sold 100,000 in the first week of release, making it the fastest selling debut classical album in the UK, and worldwide sales topped 400,000.

"I think we are different from the last group, we might have the same name, but we have very different voices," says Bill, who confesses to a liking for heavy metal.

"When we first went into the studio it was very exciting, but right from the start our voices seemed to fit together.

"All three of us have done a lot of live performances and in some ways it's much easier recording an album because if you get something wrong you can just go back and do it again."

In between sessions with the English Chamber Ensemble, the three had to fit in their school work and when it comes to the subject of the current state of the country's education system William, who also appears as
First Boy in Kenneth Branagh's The Magic Flute, doesn't hold back.

"I don't mind school, but I often think I would like to be doing something else," he says. "When I was doing the film I had a tutor and I think I learned more things in one day than I did 30 weeks at school."

William describes Branagh as a "very nice man" and while waiting around on set he also learned to whistle "very loud indeed" a skill which he says has come in useful on the football pitch, but both he and Bill already have ambitions outside the world of entertainment.

"I think music will always be part of my life," says jazz pianist Bill. "But I'd also like to go into medicine or become a pilot. Really I'd like to be a jet fighter pilot, but you need 20-20 vision, so I'd need an operation on my eyes first."

After explaining in some detail the downsides of such an operation and the possibility it may in fact result in blindness, the pair are off on another tangent arguing about the merits of their respective football teams – William supports Arsenal, while Bill is a Manchester Utd fan – but apart from success in the Premiership what do they really want for Christmas?

"Being number one would be just unbelievable," says William. "There's going to be so much competition that we can only cross our figures, but you know what I really want? There are these trainers with tiny
space hoppers in the soles which allow you to jump really, really high. Now that would be cool."

The Choirboys, the Carols Album is out today and proceeds will go towards the NSPCC and Children 1st charities.

Source: Yorkshire Post