Few people know the extraordinary story of how Handel’s Messiah came to public attention – or how it helped save the lives of tens of thousands of children.

Historian Amanda Vickery and BBC Radio 3 presenter Tom Service present this one-hour drama documentary which recreates the first performance of Messiah at London’s Foundling Hospital in 1750 and tells the heartrending story of how this special fundraising concert helped maintain the hospital and heralded a golden age of philanthropy. Visual Effects in creating a large costumed audience for this performance was down to Trainor Davies.