Episode 1 The Choir: Gareth's Best in Britain

# Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air... #

# Hey, baby, tell me your name... #

Last year, Gareth Malone set out to find the country's most

gifted amateur a cappella group.

# I got 21 seconds to go... #

# Tell me, did you want me... #

The winner of The Naked Choir is...

the Sons of Pitches.

CHEERING

This year, Gareth's widened his search,

opening the contest to groups from all musical traditions...

# Way, haul away

# We'll haul away, Joe! #

..in a search for Britain's very best community choir.

# Oh, baby, baby, how was I supposed to know? #

We are a singing nation.

And I'm looking for choirs that have heart and flavour and passion...

and say something about what it is to be British.

Hundreds of groups applied.

# I wanna be the only one... #

Now Gareth's travelling the length and breadth of Britain to audition

those who impressed him the most.

Shall we go and meet Gareth?

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

He's seen choirs from four parts of the UK...

Hello, Scotland!

-CHOIR:

-Hello! Sss!

..and will pick just one from each of those areas...

-For the South-west!

-For the South-west!

..to go head-to-head in a national contest...

Good evening, London!

..where they'll battle it out

to be crowned Britain's best amateur choir.

The winner is...

Hello, Scotland!

Can anybody hear me?

No. Just the sheep.

SHEEP BLEAT

The first leg of Gareth's search for Britain's most impressive

undiscovered choir sees him scour a vast swathe of the UK,

from the Scottish Highlands to the rolling Peak District

and everywhere in between.

From brass bands to Celtic music, there's so much tradition here.

I can't wait to hear what this area has to offer.

Over the next week, Gareth will audition six very different groups.

He'll pick three of the best to perform for him again...

and then must choose just one to represent Scotland and the North

in the national contest.

I'm looking for choirs that are not just technically precise,

but have got some passion and heart.

They don't have to be perfect, but they need to interest me and excite me.

I'm looking for groups that have got something to say.

First stop, Scotland's ancient capital.

Edinburgh, a city famous for its music, for its architecture,

for its culture.

This is the land of my forefathers. I'm half Scottish,

and my earliest memory of Scottish music is dancing round

the living room to an album of Scottish folk songs that my dad had.

So great. It just makes me want to join in.

It's always been there for me, and it's a wonderful, joyous,

life-affirming style of music,

but also beautiful and spiritual,

something I really, really love.

Yeah!

The first choir Gareth's auditioning share his love of life-affirming

music, but they express it through a very different genre.

# Get up!

# Get on up

# Get up... #

Soul music, for me, is like a light switch.

You flick it and the lights come on.

# Get up!

# Get on up... #

Got Soul was founded four years ago by Iranian-born Maryam.

I was going through a really tough time.

I was feeling very lonely.

I wanted to do stuff that I liked and share it with people

who liked the same kind of music.

Let a few friends know, and then suddenly, boom!

It's just grown and grown from there.

It's great.

The choir started life with just eight members but now boasts 300,

welcoming everyone from music teachers to laughter therapists.

Maryam's rounded up 15 of them in one of their favourite

Edinburgh bars for their one shot to impress.

-# Everything that could go wrong

-Ooh

-# All went wrong at one time

-Ooh

-# So much pressure fell on me

-Ooh

-# I thought I was gonna lose my mind

-Ooh

-# Lord, I know you want to see

-Ooh

# If I will hold on through these trials

-# But I need you to lift this load

-Ooh

-# I can't take it no more!

-Ooh

# Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance

# I just wanna praise you

# I just wanna praise you

# You broke the chains, now I can lift my hands

# And I'm gonna praise you, praise you

# I'm gonna praise you! #

Hey, good! Thank you!

I'm the only person clapping...

CHEERING

Good. Oh, I enjoyed that a lot. That was really...

That was great. Lots of energy.

I felt myself wanting to join in and dance, cos it's so infectious.

What you didn't give me was an overall shaped performance.

It felt like you started here and then you continued here.

When you got to the end, you had nowhere else to go,

and that's the big payoff moment. And you didn't have that.

And that's a very simple adjustment to make.

How do you get that energy from people?

It's about saying, "Who cares? Sing a bum note."

Like, let go. Sing with abandon.

It's got lots of heart, I think.

And whether or not I decide to put you through to the sing-offs,

it's really great and it's got purpose. I'll let you know.

THEY WHOOP

HE HUMS TUNE

LAUGHTER

# I just wanna praise... #

It was rough around the edges, it was a bit shouty at times,

it was a little bit, you know, too forceful.

But...there's something meaningful there.

It's about lifting people out of difficult times, and I really

got a sense of that when they sang.

THEY CHEER

# Let the love of our land's sacred rights

# To the love of our people succeed... #

160 miles north, near Inverness, is the second choir hoping to

get through to the regional sing-off - Too Many Cooks.

# And flourish on both sides the Tweed... #

There's a rainbow literally just there.

I'm taking this as an excellent omen. This is beautiful.

What an amazing place.

# No brightness that gloom can e'er clear

# For honour's the sum of the mind... #

Dallas!

HE HUMS "DALLAS" THEME TUNE

The choir will audition for Gareth in the village school,

where newest member Mairi is headteacher.

It's really exciting that Gareth is coming to see us today,

and it's a really big opportunity for us.

Obviously, we're all a bit nervous.

# To the love of our people succeed

# Let friendship and honour unite

# And flourish

# On both sides the Tweed. #

Hello, children.

-CHILDREN:

-Hello, Mr Malone!

Oh, thank you for calling me Mr Malone. Hello, ladies!

CHOIR: Hello, Mr Malone!

Gareth is fine, Gareth is fine!

Is this the choir?

-This is the school!

-This is the whole school?

-The whole school, yeah.

-Really? I can't believe it.

My daughter's class is bigger than your entire school.

-LAUGHTER

-That's amazing.

-We do have a song for you, but I'm going to let the children go for lunch first.

-They look hungry.

Well done.

Shall we hear it?

# Ooh, ooh

# Eeeeeeeeeee, oooooh

# You'll walk unscathed through musket fire

# No ploughman's blade will cut thee down

# No cutlass wound will mark thy face

# And you will be my ain true love

# And as you walk through death's dark veil

# The cannon's thunder can't prevail

# And those who hunt thee down will fail

# And you will be

# My ain true love. #

Thank you. That was lovely. Beautiful.

Do you know what was really good? The bit there - eeeeeeeeeee...

All of that stuff. Like it's a scene from Highlander.

THEY LAUGH

Some beautiful voices in there. Really, really lovely.

-Will you come back to work with us again?

-It's...

I mean, you know what, I'd love to, but it's quite a long way.

I'll be in touch, but one way or another, keep singing.

It's wonderful to come up here and discover a group singing

this beautiful Celtic style.

It has the potential to really speak about this amazing place

and this amazing lifestyle.

But it feels a bit lacking oomph at the moment, and I don't know

whether that's something I could fix in time for the contest.

With just three days left and four more choirs to fit in,

Gareth heads south across the border.

He's en route to the sleepy North Yorkshire market town of Malton,

famed for its food festival and traditional summertime weather.

It wouldn't be a road trip round Britain without a little rain, would it?

It's a beautiful part of the world, the Yorkshire Dales,

but I can't really see it at the moment. Shrouded in mist.

It's also home to the Malton Male Voice Choir.

With an average age of 77, this group's made up of a bluff bunch

of former teachers, bank managers and accountants.

-Keep hold of that note.

-Yes, miss!

Ruled with a rod of iron by ex-schoolmistress Viv.

They are my men.

You have power over them and I can tell them what to do.

And they do it.

Oh, give over!

# You who have dreams

# If you act, they'll come true... #

I'm cold and wet, so hopefully this is going to warm my heart.

# Give me some men who are stout-hearted men

# Who will fight for the right they adore

# Ohhh!

# Shoulder to shoulder

# And bolder and bolder

# They grow as they go to the fore

# When stout-hearted men

# Can stick together man to man! #

Great top tenor line there. Can I hear that again, tenors?

Two, three, and...

# Ma-a-a-a-a-an! #

-Beautiful sound.

-LAUGHTER

-Not after you've had a few pints.

-Oh, it's better after a few pints!

Oh, aye!

Does she make you work hard?

-She's a bully.

-She's a bully?

-Thank you(!)

Who are the ones to keep an eye on? Who are the jokers?

Him? Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth!

OK, I've got your card marked!

It's just charming when you sing with guts

and you sing with Yorkshire spirit.

That really makes me feel energised.

And I really enjoyed seeing it.

Very, very proud of them.

It would be nice to get another stage further.

It would be very exciting for us,

but I could be in the doghouse, so...

-Count your blessings tonight.

-Locked in the shed!

There's definitely something about them that really appeals to me.

That's what I want to be when I'm that old.

I just want to turn up and have a jolly good sing and go home feeling better.

Day three, and Gareth's next stop is County Durham,

heartland of what was once the industrial North-east.

This is Easington Colliery,

all that remains of Easington Colliery -

one of many, many collieries that used to dominate this landscape

in the North-east of England.

When it closed,

it brought all the communities round here to their knees.

This is all that remains.

Staggering to think how thriving and vibrant this would've been

and how kind of bleak it is now.

Easington was once one of Britain's busiest mines,

with a long and sometimes tragic history.

In 1951, it was the scene of one of the UK's worst mining disasters,

when 83 men lost their lives following an explosion.

Then, in the 1980s, pit closures and the ensuing miners' strike

brought more heartache to the area.

When the mine was shut for good in 1993,

it spelled the loss of 1,400 jobs and the end of an era.

When men had to go a mile out to sea to get coal,

what a terrifying thing to do.

And you would need to keep your spirits up,

so music was enormously important in these communities.

The choir Gareth's auditioning today have strong ties to the area.

Decided to make this...

LAUGHTER

Known as Mums In Durham, they meet weekly in the nearby

community centre, after forming a year ago via an ad

on a 10,000-strong Facebook group for local mums.

Looking forward to meeting Gareth today.

We've all sort of had different, varying degrees of stomach flips

going on. Yeah, there's a lot of "ugh" going on in there.

-Would you like a cuppa?

-I would love a cuppa, yes. Thanks very much.

Please, have one. But do you want to see something else?

Specially made...for you.

Oh, it's my glasses!

LAUGHTER

-Aww, and you made that specially?

-I did, yes.

Thank you very much.

I've never been to Durham

and I don't know the North-east very well at all.

But I know this is an area with a rich tradition of colliery music

and bands and singing.

Do any of you come from that tradition?

My grandparents actually used to dance and do, like,

theatrical things.

As part of the mining community?

Yeah. So, I suppose singing and things was a big part of it.

Have you been singing together for a long time?

We've been together for about a year and we've never performed...

-I know.

-Oh, at all? So, your first public performance will be for me?

Did you think I was a kind of soft target or something?

LAUGHTER

-Like, who else best to ask than Gareth?

-Oh, OK!

Let's do some singing.

# Looking from a window above

# It's like a story of love

# Can you hear me?

# Came back only yesterday

# I'm moving further away

# Want you near me

# All I needed was the love you gave

# All I needed for another day

# And all I ever knew

# Only you. #

# Ba-da, ba-da, ba-da-da-da... #

-We were leaving them to you!

-LAUGHTER

Thank you. Hurrah! Well done!

Rachael, why did you choose this song?

Erm, it kind of reminded us of being mothers, because to our children

there is only us.

We are the centre of their universe till they get to about 11

and then, you know, we're just losers, really.

-LAUGHTER

-So it kind of felt like that.

Well, that's lovely. Thank you so much for having me.

I really enjoyed that. Thank you for your singing. I'll be in touch.

'There's something that I really loved about that.'

Not great, not perfect, not technical -

just honest, real, sweet.

But...is that enough?

It's the final day of Gareth's grand sweep of Northern Britain.

Today, he'll be heading to the Peak District to audition

all-female group The Honey Belles.

-# Doo-doo

-Ahh, ahh, ahh... #

They're energetic.

# Where do we go? Where do we go now? #

They obviously really like dressing up.

And they're quite colourful.

It might be a little bit like a hen party.

# Where do we go...? #

Oh, that's what it is -

they're dressed in yellow cos they're called The Honey Belles.

And honey is yellow.

# Oh-oh, sweet child of mine! #

I think they look fun.

Honey Belles HQ for today is the Derbyshire village of Old Tupton,

where a birthday party is doubling up as

a welcome party for the ladies' favourite choirmaster.

I've got everything crossed - fingers, toes, the works -

that he gives us the decision that we want,

to go forward in the competition.

This mix of teachers, nurses and carers

see the choir as an escape from their day-to-day responsibilities

and a way to let their hair down.

It's a release, and that's the whole point of the choir to us.

And we can sing our hearts out,

just like you do every Saturday night on the dance floor.

Hello!

-CHEERING

-Hello!

I'm sorry to interrupt...

Is it a special birthday?

I want to say 21st...

LAUGHTER

But you'd be lying.

Tell me a bit about your group. How did this all start?

LAUGHTER

I didn't do it! That's not true.

I was watching you on Military Wives and I was just, like,

"I want to do that."

Why not?

-Well, shall we...shall we sing?

-Yes.

# I feel stormy weather

# Moving in

# Ahhhhhhhhh, ahhhhh!

# It's raining men

# Hallelujah!

# It's raining men

# Amen!

# I'm gonna go out

# I'm gonna let myself get

# Absolutely soaking wet

# Oh, it's raining men! #

Wow! That's a very loud noise. Erm...

LAUGHTER

I suppose the biggest question for me is,

what is it that you want to be? Why are you singing?

-Cos it's fun.

-Yeah.

At the moment, it feels like you're having a good time.

That's absolutely great.

You have to feel something that then connects with the audience.

And I think you could do more.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

'It's not very cool.'

There's something a bit naff about it.

But, for all that, there is something solid there.

There's some good singers, they've got some great harmonies.

I think, with a few changes, they could be really good.

Eat it!

LAUGHTER

That's really delicious. Thank you very much. Thank you.

It's another rainy, grey day in Northern Britain.

Gareth's visiting the final Northern group on the shortlist.

I'm off to see a choir in Manchester who have all been touched by cancer in some way.

Some of them are doctors, some of them are carers,

and some of them are suffering from cancer themselves.

The Rhythm of Life choir meet at The Christie,

a leading cancer-care centre in south Manchester.

Anyone else for coffee?

I don't know how I became the waiter here.

Oh, wait till I tell my girls I've been served by Gareth.

-They will not believe it.

-I mean...

-Absolutely.

I'm a giver, what can I say?

Tell me a bit about the choir and what it means to you.

I've got advanced breast cancer.

My treatment had stopped working,

so I've been waiting to go on a new trial.

So, I just started yesterday. I was here for ten hours yesterday.

Right.

So it's just been lovely to have something different

to focus on and talk about.

Something to just be in the moment and enjoy singing.

My daughter, Ella, is in the choir as well.

It's been a lovely, supportive way to be together and do

something together, which is not cancer and not illness and stuff.

It's just such a lovely thing to do.

And, yeah, we'll be practising in the car on the way home

and practising with Dad as well. He joins in.

-I'm really looking forward to this.

-One, two...

# The rhythm of life is a powerful beat

# Puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet

# Rhythm in the bedroom, rhythm on the street

# Oh, the rhythm of life is a powerful beat

-# Doo-ee

-Doo, doo, doo

-# Doo-ee

-Doo-ee, doo-ee, doo-ee, doo-ee

-# Doo-ee, doo-ee

-Doo, doo, doo

# Doo-ee, doo-ee, doo-ee... #

Seeing the strength and the spirit I found incredibly moving.

I can't stand The Rhythm Of Life.

And today I absolutely loved it.

It's just the fact of them letting their voices be heard.

So, really beautiful and heartfelt and...

lovely.

Half my friends and acquaintances are miserable about all sorts

of things that simply don't matter.

'And here is a group of people who are dying,

'have relatives dying, mothers dying, and are all full of joy.'

That's hope, isn't it?

# The rhythm of life is a powerful be-e-e-eat! #

Gareth's now met all six of the choirs from Scotland

and Northern England.

He'll spend tonight deciding which three he wants to hear sing again.

It's not easy to say to people, "You're not through,"

and I want to make sure I've chosen the right three.

# Take the shackles off my feet... #

It's difficult, because I'm not dealing with finished products.

# ..Unscathed through musket fire... #

They're all sort of on a wing and a prayer.

# All I needed was the love you gave... #

Some of them it's right for, some of them it's simply not.

# Man to man! #

But I now know, I think, which of the three groups I want to take

forward, and they're the ones that are ready for the challenge.

Ooh, it's been a good week!

I've seen lots of very interesting groups.

Each have lots of potential.

Gareth's chosen his top three choirs.

Today, they'll sing off against each other at a North Yorkshire

village hall to secure a place in the final stages of the contest.

I want the group that I choose to represent the northern part

of the UK to be people with real energy and real spirit,

saying something to an audience about what it is to be British,

what it is to be them, what it is to sing as a community.

One of the groups that I've chosen are, I think,

incredibly entertaining, they've got a real reason to sing and they are

probably one of the most polished in the contest at this stage.

But they are a little unrefined,

and that's Got Soul, from Edinburgh.

If we get through, it means that we stand

a chance of this thing growing and growing and growing.

So, it's fantastic.

One of the groups I've chosen, they are so inexperienced,

so they are a bit of a wild card.

But there's heart, there's community, there's passion,

and that's Mums In Durham.

Remember the words - just believe in ourselves. Right...

Tits and teeth!

LAUGHTER

This group, they've got great arrangements,

they've got a great sound...

It's just that it's very cheesy.

And that's Honey Belles.

Can I make The Honey Belles cool?

-I mean, can

-I

-make The Honey Belles cool? Can anyone?

It's got quite serious now.

So, try to remain calm and think, "No, we can do this,

"we know what we're doing.

"We know what we're doing, and we can do this."

I'm looking forward to making the decision,

because the group I choose I will then get to work with and refine

and polish and make into something hopefully really wonderful.

-Hello!

-CHEERING

Hi!

Yeah!

Well done!

Congratulations on being here, because from hundreds that applied

across your region, I have whittled it down to just you three groups.

Today, you're going to be singing for me and, crucially,

you're going to be singing a cappella.

Without instruments, nothing to hide behind.

Because that, for me, is the best way to hear what you have.

Mums In Durham, Honey Belles, I'd like you to leave,

because, Got Soul, you are singing for me first.

THEY CHEER

Ready, Got Soul?

ALL: Yes!

OK, let's hear you.

# See you driving round town with the boy I love

# And I'm, like, forget you

# Ooh, ooh, ooh!

# I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough

# I'm, like, forget you

# And forget her too

# Said, if I was richer

# I'd still be with ya

# Ahhhhh!

# Ain't that some shh!

# Now, baby, baby, baby

# Why you wanna, wanna hurt me so bad?

# So bad, so bad, so bad!

# Uh, why?

# Uh, why?

# Uh!

# I still love you

# I see you driving round town with the boy I love

# And I'm, like, forget you

# Ooh, ooh, ooh

# I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough

# And I'm, like, forget you

# Ooh, ooh, ooh

# Ahhh! #

Thank you very much, Got Soul. You may leave.

THEY WHOOP

Thank you.

The other two groups are really going to have to up their game

if they're going to compete with that.

LAUGHTER AND CHEERING

Oh, my God, I just feel absolutely amazing. It was just terrific.

Next up, the Mums In Durham.

Take it away.

# I walked across an empty land

# I knew the pathway like the back of my hand

# I felt the earth beneath my feet

# Sat by the river and it made me complete

# Oh, simple thing

# Where have you gone?

# Where have you gone?

# I'm getting old and I need something to rely on

# And if you have a minute, why don't we go

# Talk about it somewhere only we know?

# This could be the end of everything

# So why don't we go

# Somewhere only we know? #

-Thank you. Well done. You may go. Thank you.

-Thank you.

'It's all there, it's just so...lacking skill.'

If I think of the first group that performed, they were so polished.

And if that lot had somebody telling them what to do,

I think they could be absolutely wonderful.

I kind of brought us all in wrong.

-ALL:

-No, you didn't.

-You didn't.

-But...

Babe, you didn't. You didn't.

You did an absolutely fantastic job, don't worry about it.

Last to perform for a place in the finals, The Honey Belles.

It wouldn't be The Honey Belles if you hadn't dressed up.

Are you Madonna?

-ALL:

-Yes.

-LAUGHTER

Let's hear it, off you go.

# Oooh

# Life is a mystery

# Everyone must stand alone

# I hear you call my name

# And it feels like home

# When you call my name It's like a little prayer

# I'm down on my knees I wanna take you there

# In the midnight hour I can feel your power

# Just like a prayer You know I'll take you there... #

# Just like a prayer Oh-oh

# Your voice can take me there Oh-oh

# Just like a muse to me Oh-oh

# You are a mystery Oh-oh

# Just like a dream

# You are not what you seem

# Just like a prayer

# No choice, your voice can take me there. #

Oh, good final chord. You may leave, well done.

Thank you.

I didn't find it very convincing, but they were very committed.

They go for it, they give it everything.

ALL CHATTER

Just to think how far we've come in a few weeks...

-VOICE BREAKING:

-They worked really hard and I think...

I'm just so proud, they've... Yes.

I couldn't be happier. Sorry.

LAUGHTER AND CHATTER

All three groups seen, it's now decision time for Gareth.

This isn't an easy decision, because I think all of the groups have merits.

There's a group with loads of energy,

there's a group with beautiful voices and there's a group

with great arrangements and a kind of sense of pizzazz.

-This is about finding a group that

-I

-can work with and that I can

challenge and create something exciting.

Got Soul...

I think they've got great energy, but it's easy to make people dance.

Can you actually touch people in their hearts?

The problem with Mums In Durham is that they are utterly inexperienced.

And if I ask them to stand up on stage in front of a thousand people,

I think they might crack.

What I like about The Honey Belles is their commitment, their energy,

they really want this and they want to be in front of an audience.

It just doesn't feel like THEIR music.

I'm torn. You know, there's work for me to do.

Whichever group I choose, if I choose the wrong one,

I'm the person who then has to kind of pick up the pieces.

Yes!

It's been brilliant.

I'm looking for rough diamonds, I think.

And I think I've got one.

LAUGHTER

-Hello!

-ALL:

-Hi.

-How are you?

-ALL:

-Nervous.

OK. How did you feel that your performance went?

-ALL:

-Good.

We did really well.

We gave it our all and hopefully you will see

what else we've got to give.

It wasn't the greatest audition I've ever seen.

You are, as I said, a very inexperienced group.

There's a really fantastic soul here that has really touched me.

It's just, I can only take one group today to represent the region.

I have made a decision.

I'm not going to take you on to the next stage, I'm afraid.

You must keep singing and keep getting all the enjoyment

that you so evidently get out of it.

Thank you so much and I will watch with interest. See you later, bye.

-ALL:

-Thank you. Bye.

I'm gutted about the outcome, but so pleased that we've done

this process, and I wouldn't change a thing.

We've done ourselves proud.

I have made a decision.

And I'm afraid I've just decided it isn't you.

There's a lot of great things about your group

and there's not a lot you need me for.

-Go home with your heads held high.

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

LAUGHTER

Thank you so much for this experience and thank you

for believing in what we're all about.

It's been OK.

I'm going to put you through.

ALL SCREAM

-Oh, seriously?!

-Yeah.

-Oh, my God!

-Well done.

-SHE YELLS

-Well done!

Does this mean I'm going to be eating more of your pie?

-Yes.

-OK. Thank you, well done.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Are we all hugging?

-Please don't have an asthma attack.

-Oh, my God, thank you!

Well done, you're welcome, well done.

I can't believe I cuddled Gareth Malone! Aah! Ha-ha!

Oh, my God, I actually touched him.

-I was not expecting that!

-ALL TALK OVER EACH OTHER

Girls, I've only put you through to the next stage, you haven't won it!

-ALL:

-We know!

-This is how we think.

Your solo, that was absolutely tremendous, really well done.

-Told you!

-Told you!

-She thought she'd done it wrong.

No, no-no, not at all. I don't want to bring on the labour.

It's just unbelievable for me, really, yeah.

It's going to take a while for that to sink in properly.

-Nobody's ever believed in us before.

-And it's such a good feeling.

-Yeah.

-Isn't it?

-Yeah!

You need to now prove to me that you are worthy

of being in this contest, which means we need to work really,

really hard to make sure that you're producing something that is

as good as it possibly can be.

So, we're going to do a performance that I will organise

in your local community in four weeks' time.

ALL GASP

-Right.

-LAUGHTER

I've chosen a song for you.

And this is your song...

# She can kill with a smile She can wound with her eyes

# And she can ruin your faith with her casual lies

# And she only reveals what she wants you to see

# She hides like a child But she's always a woman to me... #

-What d'you think?

-Love it.

-Brilliant.

-Love it.

-Happy?

-ALL:

-Yeah.

-Great.

It can be about you as women, about your sort of identity,

your strength, your frailties...

It could be quite an empowering female song, and that's what I miss.

There's a North-eastern toughness

I see in your personalities when we're talking and that we didn't yet get into the singing.

So, ladies, I'm going to leave this in your hands, best of luck.

-ALL:

-Thank you!

-Well done!

-ALL CHEER

We're just going to do our best to represent the North,

we're just not going to stop working.

-We're not, we're not, we're just going to do this all the time.

-This is going to change our lives.

Oh, my gosh, this is going to change our lives.

-I know it is, I know, I know. Amazing.

-Yeah, this is brilliant.

Love it.

Yeah.

I've taken a gamble and went for something that spoke to me

directly, something that was pretty and beautiful and honest and real,

and I think that's what they've got,

and they now have to retain that when it gets to a contest.

That's not easy, but I think that they can do it.

I've really got faith in those women.

I think I've got more faith about this for them

than they have in themselves.

The Mums In Durham have been rehearsing their song

for the last week.

Can we sing the "ooh" bits again?

# Oh

# And she never gives out. #

It's harder than I thought, you know.

It's really hard.

Yeah.

The task Gareth's set them of singing in public is one the choir

could never have envisaged taking on a year ago when they first formed.

-Never have performed, have we?

-No, we haven't.

-It's one thing we've always wanted to do.

-Yeah, we've never had the opportunity.

-But as well as never having the opportunity, confidence...

-Yeah.

..everything rolled into one, I think, isn't it?

I think it's helping each other get the confidence to believe that

-you can do it, though, as well, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

Cos there's some that are less confident in the group,

-isn't there, Kayleigh?

-Yeah.

# She can lead you to love She can take you or... #

Confidence really was a...a thing when I was a kid. It still is now.

# But she'll never believe. #

Being a bigger person,

you do get judged a bit more,

like, what you wear, what you do, how you look.

# She just changes her mind. #

I'm now starting to get a little bit worried.

I can't hit a high note in any of those!

It's harder singing it as a group and in a choir

-than it is singing it on your own.

-By yourself.

# Oh, she takes care of herself... #

I really like Mums In Durham,

there's something very charming and sort of open and simple about it.

It is a little bit of a risk for me.

It is, essentially, a mother-and-baby group

that has turned into a choir.

Gareth's heading north to mentor the Mums and tackle their lack

of self-belief head-on.

They're very nervous, this group,

because they've not sung in public very much before, if at all.

So I need to do something about that, I need to do a bit of sort of

psychological preparation for performance, that's what they need.

Ready?

His driver for the morning is Rachael,

who he's joined on the school run.

Are you enjoying it?

-Oh, yeah, absolutely.

-Good. Happy with the song?

-Love it.

-It's a good song, isn't it?

-I love the song, yeah. It's really nice.

I must admit, it's harder than I thought.

We haven't quite been together a year yet,

I'm always kind of thinking, d'you know,

a year ago I wouldn't have dared sing, I wouldn't have...

-I wouldn't have dared.

-Oh, well, that's a great change.

-Yeah.

MECHANICAL WHIRRING

Aah!

Choir founder Rachael feels her issues with self-esteem

date back to her childhood.

I was always really overweight as a child,

so I felt that I was never going to be the pretty one,

I was never going to be the clever one, I was always just going to be

the fat one, and, obviously, being mixed-race in a predominantly

white area, I was going to be the fat black one, the fat black kid.

You two, with your dancing and stuff, do you ever get nervous?

-Get in the zone.

-I just need to take deep breaths.

-Get in your bubble...

-Yeah.

-..and do it.

-OK.

I wanted to be liked and I wanted to be popular.

I think I just turned into the funny one, the one who cracked jokes.

CHILD BLOWS RASPBERRY, CHILDREN LAUGH

I don't sing in public,

so having a performance to prepare is quite a daunting prospect.

To fit around the Mums' busy schedule, Gareth's set up

his first mentor session with them at the local school...

Crocodile's coming to get you!

..where choir member Louise works as a playground supervisor.

Louise lives with her husband, Paul, and their four-year-old son, Bo.

-Come here, darling.

-PAUL LAUGHS

I love you.

Mum kisses... I love you very much.

-Off we go, then.

-See you later.

-I'll see you later.

-Love you.

-Love you.

# She can kill with a smile... #

Me confidence did drop when me and Paul wanted to start a family

and things weren't going our way.

SHE HUMS

We lost a few...pregnancies.

So when we actually got our son, it was the most amazing thing ever.

# And she never gives... #

From being told that children wouldn't be possible,

to the point of holding your child...

I look at him every day and I'm so proud...

that he's mine and he calls me Mammy.

Yeah.

To be part of the choir, it fills me with pride to know that

I fit in there, because I am a mam, and it's the best ever.

-Hello!

-ALL:

-Hi!

-Hello, ladies, how are we?

-All right, how are you?

So this is our chance now to just build up your confidence,

and let's have some music.

Yeah.

# She can kill with a smile She can wound with her eyes

# She can ruin your faith with her casual lies

# And she only reveals what she wants you to see

# She hides like a child But she's always a woman to me. #

I feel like if I came in here with a sort of Geiger counter

for nerves, it would be going, "Kccccchhhh!"

ALL LAUGH

Actually, I don't know why we've got this terrible lack of

confidence, cos the second that you start all singing together,

it's really lovely.

That's probably a step too far,

to do something that we're not comfortable with vocally and

-then put it on our faces that we're absolutely loving this.

-Yeah, yes.

-Cos inside our heads we're going, "I haven't got a clue."

-No.

-When you all sing together, it just clicks, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

I put you through because of that sound.

Draw some bloody confidence from that.

This is going to be your first public performance,

I want them to hear what I heard, which was this cracking sound.

If we don't get on top of that now,

it's not going to suddenly magically fix itself.

I'm not surprised that when I came in it was not great,

but it's disappointing.

That's what I was worried about putting them through, was,

you know - "Are they actually ready for it?" Cos as soon as I start to

work with them, they kind of fall to pieces

cos they're so inexperienced.

I've got one of the world's most terrifying audiences

waiting right out there.

It's a group of primary-school kids.

-Go on.

-No?

-Oh, we'll be fine, Kayleigh, we'll be great, don't worry.

-OK.

-Oh, it's just...

-It'll be OK.

I think it would be really good for you and that's a totally...

-I am shitting myself.

-Yeah, fine.

-I am, I am.

-Sorry, I'm shitting myself, sorry.

-OK, but look at...look at me.

-What matters is going in there and giving it a good go.

-Yeah.

And it's only children. Can we all get ourselves in the right place...

-Yes.

-..and prepare for it?

-Let's go...and sing.

-Sorry, yeah.

-Yeah.

Come on.

LAUGHTER

APPLAUSE

CHEERING

# She can kill with a... #

I'm off-key. Sorry!

-Sorry.

-Don't worry.

# She can kill with a smile She can wound with her eyes

# She can ruin your faith with her casual lies

# And she'll only reveal what she wants you to see

# She hides like a child But she's always a woman to me

# She can lead you to love She can take you or leave you... #

That's all you're getting.

LAUGHTER

Can you give all of them a round of applause?

CHEERING

I've never seen singing like that before. I think they're spectacular.

I liked how it was about women, not men.

We're a bit too hairy sometimes!

LAUGHTER

-There we go, that was OK, wasn't it?

-It was very reasonable.

-Yeah, it was OK.

-Even though I see these people every day,

I still get nervous in front of them.

I think the thing to remember is that the nerves are never

-going to go away...

-Oh, no.

-You're always going to feel nervous,

-experience teaches you that it is going to be all right.

-Yeah.

It has to be, "We've got something to say,"

and you've got so much to say.

-Yeah.

-Are you OK?

-Yeah, I just said there that I wanted to do it again!

-Yeah?

-Of course you do.

-I've got to go for it, I'll do it again.

I'm saying we're going to bottle that feeling and just squirt

-a bit on every day.

-Oh, like a sort of pungent eau de toilette?

-Yes.

-Of Gareth.

-Of Gareth confidence?

-Yeah. "Confidence in a bottle."

That's it, that's what we need.

Ladies, I'm glad to be leaving you on a high. Well done.

Well done.

'I think throwing them for a loop

'and making them sing in front of people was the right decision.'

I definitely saw a step up.

At least they did it, they all sang in front of people, that's really, really good.

# Dum, duh, duh... #

But there's a lot of music work that needs to now happen between now and their performance.

-We are representing the North.

-You just sort of sit there...

-I know.

-..and have a little giggle to yourself,

-and you're, like, "Mm!"

-SHE LAUGHS

And it's nice that we've got our own thing going on.

We've got to start believing in ourselves now.

Yeah, definitely.

Gareth wants to find a space for the choir's first big

public performance in five days' time.

He's chosen their usual rehearsal setting,

Bearpark Community Centre, a former miners' welfare club.

Opened in 1921, it cost local miners a shilling a week

to get access to its library, billiard room and dance hall.

They could even enjoy a tin bath!

This is Bearpark Jazz Band inside the community centre...

That's the stage, the whole stage is took up by that.

It has special significance for Hayley and her family.

-Can you see her? There she is there.

-That's Nana.

-Nana.

-With a bouffant.

-HE CHUCKLES

She must have used a lot of hairspray.

My mum and my grandma performed in the community centre

when they were younger.

I'm really proud that I'm performing there,

it's like I'm following on... a legend, so to speak.

It doesn't get used as much as it used to, and it is going to

bring lots of community spirit back, which I'm quite proud of.

Performing there and making the building come alive again, I think it's going to be really nice.

Look, I brought you here to Bearpark Community Centre because when you're here, you're confident,

you're comfortable, and that is fundamentally what I want to see.

I need to see the feisty, strong women that I first met.

And there will be eight of the most confident women you've ever seen, won't there?

-ALL:

-Yeah!

-Yes, there will!

Good, all right. Well, look, let's crack on.

# Oh

# She takes care of herself

# She can wait if she wants

# She's ahead of her time... #

You're all going... "Uh-uh, uh... No, I'm not sure...

-"When do I get...? Where's the second verse?"

-Yeah.

If you don't get it now, it'll not happen in performance. So let's try that again.

-# Oh

-Oh

# She takes care of herself... #

Ahhh... You can't do that, it's got to drive.

I don't get the belief, I just get...

You've got to buy into it.

Is everyone getting that message loud and clear?

Can I give you something to meditate on?

In this room, like, for the last 100 years or so,

women have come to sing like this.

If you can have that quality of singing for all the women

-that have ever stood on this spot and sung a song...

-My nana.

Your nana? Did your nana used to come here and sing songs?

-In this very room?

-Yeah.

-Well, there we are.

Look, that's what this performance is about,

it's something rather old-fashioned, you know, a group of women coming

to sing to the local community, and that's a really lovely thing.

I want every note of it to mean something to you.

-I've done everything I can now, it's over to you. Off you go.

-Thank you.

Dismissed.

For a lot of us, we've kind of hid for a long time, you know?

We have to push ourselves forward and be more confident,

because we can do it.

I don't want to let you down, cos we know you took a gamble on us.

This is very simple, you know,

this is a group of women coming in here, singing a song...

-What's to worry about?

-Easy.

-Yeah, easy...

-Yeah.

But it's not like that for you, is it?

It's not, no, this is completely out of our comfort zone.

We will make it work.

-OK, well, we've got a mountain to climb.

-I'm going to win.

-OK.

-All right.

-Thank you.

I mean, I just don't know if they're actually ready for this contest

in any way, shape or form.

I think it's a bit...knocking a bit on your confidence and that

because you think, "Ah, I've done my best, and if you can't see..."

"..you know, that we've tried..."

it just makes you think, "Are we going to...

"Are we going to be good enough by our final performance?"

It's the day of the Mums In Durham's first big public performance.

I hope they get what we're trying to put across.

Strong women against the odds and the things you do

when you're pushed to your limits!

We are living proof that you can get off your backside

and make something happen.

-GASPS:

-Oh, my gosh!

I love it.

While the women spruce up themselves,

their husbands are busy sprucing up the community centre.

Pull it straight there, son, pull it over there...

Put it... There we go.

I've spent a lot of time with the Mums In Durham, I haven't met any

of the dads in Durham, these mythical beasts.

-Hello, are you one of the dads in Durham?

-Yes, I'm Paul,

-Louise's husband.

-Hello, nice to meet you.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Hello, and who are you?

-Bo.

-Bo.

-Who's your mummy?

-(Louise.)

-Louise.

-Going to see Mammy singing today.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, we're really excited. Really proud, aren't we?

-Yeah.

-We're really proud of Mammy. She's going to do great, isn't she?

-Yeah.

-Sorry?

-I'm her sister. So singing from when we were little in bed.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-She'd sing you to sleep?

-Yeah.

I'll be so proud of her, that's my little sister stood up there,

doing what she's wanted to do forever.

-I'm Craig.

-You're Craig. Are you...?

-Hayley's.

-Hayley?

-Are you excited to see your mum sing?

-She sings beautifully...

-Like the stars!

-Like the stars!

Willie, let go of me!

Along with Hayley's four boys,

someone's arrived who knows exactly how to entertain the Bearpark crowd.

Her nan, Ellen.

Will you be proud today to sing in the same place that your nana sang in?

Yeah, yes, I will.

I can't tell you how excited I am about this, you know.

-I hope we do justice to the building.

-Oh, gosh, you will.

-Yes, I will.

-ELLEN CHUCKLES

-We're Rachael's older brother and sister.

-This is a proud moment

for our family. Performing before an audience takes a lot of courage.

I imagine they're feeling terribly nervous.

-LAUGHING:

-You can already hear them!

I know, you can hear them. Oh, my God.

Friends, family and locals have packed out Bearpark

and over 200 people are now waiting to hear the Mums sing.

There's people that have just basically never, ever...

never heard me sing.

That's nerve-racking.

We want people to see how strong we are and we certainly

don't want to crumble on the stage.

-Hello!

-ALL:

-Hello!

APPLAUSE

Good afternoon, welcome to Bearpark Community Centre.

Today you're going to see a very special performance by

a group of local women...

I'm incredibly proud of what they've done.

So will you please give an enormous welcome to...

The Mums In Durham?!

CHEERING

PIANO PLAYS

# She can kill with a smile She can wound with her eyes

# She can ruin your faith with her casual lies

# And she only reveals what she wants you to see

# She hides like a child But she's always a woman to me

# She can lead you to love She can take you or leave you

# She can ask for the truth But she'll never believe you

# And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free

# She steals like a thief But she's always a woman to me

# Oh

# She takes care of herself

# She can wait if she wants

# She's ahead of her time

# Oh

# And she never gives out

# And she never gives in

# She just changes her mind

LOUISE HUMS

GROUP HUMS

# She's always a woman to me. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

LAUGHTER

The girls were just fantastic, amazing. Amazing.

I'm so proud of me sister.

It's something she's always wanted to do and...

she's got her chance there now.

It takes you back. It makes you feel like you want to be there again.

It was really absolutely beautiful. Very proud of her.

Very proud of all of them.

Bursting with pride. That's fantastic, absolutely amazing.

That was amazing.

I think Gareth's done an amazing job with the whole team.

It's great, fantastic. I'm very proud.

-Did you enjoy it?

-Yes, it was amazing.

-Mammy was brilliant, wasn't she?

-Yeah.

They were all really good. Really proud of them.

The sound of it,

it made everybody tickle from toes to the tops of their heads, totally.

Amazing.

-You can't buy that.

-I know.

-That feeling... Phoow! Amazing.

It went well, so I was quite proud of meself, really. Yeah.

-That is amazing.

-We've done it. It's fabulous, well done.

-Well done.

-Well done, pet.

-Aw!

You can definitely draw some confidence from today, can't you?

-That was amazing!

-LAUGHTER

It was a really great reaction.

And next time we meet, it will be much tougher...

There won't be as much time, I'm going to throw things at you,

you're going to be challenged, it's another level.

Yeah.

-Um, but well done.

-Thank you!

-Bye-bye.

-ALL:

-Bye!

I am delighted.

I think people will really like them and I think that I picked

a good group to represent the North.

I don't know how they're going to fare when they get in the contest.

If they're going to do well, they're going to have to step it up a lot.

If they get it right, they've got a chance.

SHE SINGS

Next time...

Gareth goes from gospel...

Oof!

..to garden parties...

-Hello.

-Hello, Gareth!

-WOMEN ALL CHEER

..as he scours the Midlands...

-Hello!

-ALL CHEER

You're a jolly bunch.

..and Wales...

-Deal.

-LAUGHTER

..for his second regional champion.

I would really like to take you through

to the next stage of the contest.

-CHEERING

-Hey-hey!