Church priest accidentally turns into the ‘Blues Brothers’ in Zoom filter mishap

8 March 2021, 19:42

A rogue Zoom filter strikes again, this time to bring the bluesy vibe of the classic 1980s film to a historic church’s Sunday service.

The past year has been one where we’re all adapting to new technology and ways of connecting. Often virtual connections go without a hitch. Other times, it can surprise with the quite unexpected.

The latter happened in a historic Warwickshire church on Sunday, thanks to an unexpected Zoom filter.

During a virtual morning service, the church’s priest was periodically furnished with a Blues Brothers-style gangsta hat and dark sunglasses, atop his usual clerical attire.

The transformed subject on this occasion was the Vicar of St Mary’s, Vaughan Roberts. You can watch it happen below, as he stood before the camera to welcome his virtual congregation.

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Church priest accidentally turns into the ‘Blues Brothers’ on Zoom

Roberts told Classic FM that the church uses a phone on a stand, operated by his wife, for their streaming services.

Why exactly the filter was active will remain a mystery, but upon noticing the iconic sunglasses and hat appearing, the Vicar says his wife quietly walked over to him during the first hymn and imported him to not stand in front of the camera for the rest of the service, lest more filters appear.

“I’ve actually long been a fan of the Blues Brothers, so I don’t have a problem with it,” the Vicar told us.

“I’m just pleased my grandchildren weren’t playing with the phone over the weekend. Otherwise, I might have become a Paw Patrol dog, or a princess from Frozen,” he said.

You can watch the moment in full context below, with a Blues Brethren entrance at around 3 minutes, 50 seconds (and might we also note, the hymns and organ music were fantastic).

Thank you for bringing us all a smile.

The Collegiate Church of St Mary is a historic landmark in Warwickshire. Its crypt dates back to Norman times, and its chancel is medieval. In normal times, the church is home to a thriving music department.

The church has also launched a campaign to raise £3 million to safeguard the future of St Mary’s ahead of its 900th anniversary in 2023, which you can support here.