FILM and TV favourites like Star Wars, Harry Potter and Dr. Who along with popular classics such as Widor’s Toccata and Jerusalem are topping the bill when it comes to music requests for Salisbury Cathedral’s Organ Prom in August.

The Cathedral’s organists have opened up the programme to the public but the July 1 deadline for putting in requests is fast approaching, so if you have something you’d like to hear played get in touch with John Challenger, the Cathedral’s assistant director of Music, as soon as possible on j.challenger@salcath.co.uk.

Meanwhile, backstage, the music department are racing against time to get the organ fully operational again after static during the heavy electrical storms at the start of May blew its electrics. The bellows are still in operation so the organ can be played but the mechanism that allows the organists to automatically set their stops is currently out of action. This means even the simplest of pieces can be a bit of a gym workout for the player.

John Challenger, who frequently plays for services, said: “In some ways I am enjoying the challenge of getting back to basics. However, there are times when it can be a bit hair-raising and much of what we play at the moment requires an assistant in the organ loft, definitely a job for two pairs of hands.”

The Cathedral launched a fund in April this year to raise money for a major overhaul of the famous Father Willis organ. This will put the organ out of action for the whole of 2019, with a bill likely to top £700,000. In the meantime director of music David Halls is hopeful that, with some running repairs, it should see the Music Department through this year’s Southern Cathedrals Festival at the end of July.

He said: “The team are doing really well, managing with the automatic stop system out of action but it isn’t sustainable. The organ works musically at the moment but it’s hard work and, frankly, the restoration project can’t come too soon.”

With the Southern Cathedrals Festival on from July 18-21and the Organ Prom at 7pm on August 25, he is confident the necessary repairs will hold, otherwise it’ll be back to basics again.

The final Prom programme will be published on August 1 and tickets are already on sale at www.salisburycathedral.org.uk: adult/£10, wheelchair users/£7.50, under 18s/£5.