Episode 12 The Big Performance

Ten children teased for their love of singing...

-Bullies laughed at me.

-..face the toughest challenge of their lives...

The difference between being perfect and messing it up is small.

..singing to the nation on Children In Need night.

Reality's finally hit me, and I am so nervous right now.

Today, we see exactly how they found the courage.

-I can't believe we're here!

-I can't wait. I'm buzzing!

And how it changed their lives for ever.

I'm never going to forget this.

This is The Big Performance 2.

Earlier this year,

top choir master Gareth Malone put the call out to find

British children who loved singing, but were too scared to do it.

What are you worried about? What's going to happen?

After touring the country, he found the Big Performance ten.

He spent the past 11 weeks transforming these bullied children

into confident performers...

..taking them through a series of daunting challenges.

They have travelled around the UK onboard their luxury tour bus.

-This is going to be our new home!

-It hasn't all been an easy ride.

He's got a really nice voice.

-And with the help from celebrity friends...

-Hi, guys.

Good luck, have fun.

..one by one, they faced their fears

and competed for the Children In Need solo spot.

I really want it badly.

It all started at BBC TV Centre, the very place where Gareth

and the group would return for their final big performance.

You are going to be performing in front of the whole nation live

on television for BBC's Children In Need.

'When I first told the group what they would be doing and how big'

the challenge was, I just felt like they didn't believe they could do it.

It was so scary, I couldn't perform in front of my mum.

I just didn't know how I could do it.

I was like, "Yeah, you keep your fingers crossed!"

-I didn't think I was going to do it!

-You are, at the moment,

quite shy, quite nervous, quite scared of singing.

I'm here because I believe you can do it. Let's get ready to sing.

It was at that first rehearsal when Gareth realised

just how frightened of singing they really were.

And, go!

FAINT SINGING

'When we first started singing the Avril Lavigne song,'

there was no sound. They didn't sing.

I knew they were shy, but I was shocked by just how shy they were.

Being teased for singing had made them lose all self-belief.

Just getting the group to make a sound would be a challenge.

'We were all very shy,'

and we didn't even want to sing in front of our mum and dad.

But Gareth needed them to lead a nationwide choir

on Children In Need, and that wasn't all.

I think it's really important that we start the song with a soloist.

Who feels like they could do a solo in front of the nation? No?

-I think I would stumble when I'm singing.

-I'd just freeze.

The soloist's job is so important,

because they're leading the group and starting the whole thing.

That's vital. At that point, I didn't think any of them could do it.

# Keep holding on... #

I don't think anyone was hoping to actually get it.

They were hoping to not get it!

Despite their reluctance, each of them

would have to try out for the job over the next ten weeks.

To ease them in, Gareth set their first performance challenge -

singing karaoke duets in front of each other.

The karaoke challenge was their first step to overcoming

the fear that they had because they had been bullied.

-My heart is beating really fast.

-My stomach feels like I'm sick,

I'm that scared.

This fearful group had been bullied into silence.

For some, singing in front of each other would be a big ask.

# We're breaking free!

# Flying

# There's not a story in heaven that we... #

For others, near impossible.

Are you OK, Joan? Are you all right? It's all right.

SOBBING It's OK, it's OK.

I felt really scared, because I just felt like I couldn't do it.

For most people, singing karaoke is easy.

But because they've been bullied, for these guys, it's a huge deal.

In order to get them ready for their solo spot, each week,

Gareth gave them some one-to-one training where he discovered

the full extent of their fears.

What are you worried is going to happen if you stand up

-and sing confidently?

-People might laugh at me.

-Why would they laugh at you?

-I don't know. They might think I'm rubbish.

Do you think you're rubbish?

Do you?

That is really the nub of why you are not standing up tall,

and why you're not singing confidently.

Molly had been teased so severely,

she could barely look anyone in the eye.

You're quite shy, aren't you? Quite a nervous person.

Are you like this all the time, or is it just around singing?

It's like, people have said horrible comments.

Oh, that is dreadful.

So Gareth set her a challenge

to help her engage with her audience and boost her self-esteem.

I thought it was going to be people, but it was dogs.

I might have felt a bit silly, but I think it did help.

It was a bit of a gamble, getting the dogs in for Molly to sing.

But it paid off, because she started to come out from behind her fringe

and make eye contact with her audience.

Gareth's plan had worked, and Molly was able to put her fears behind her

and sing solo in the group's debut public performance.

# I'll sing it one last time for you... #

'I was pretty scared, and I think everybody else was,'

cos it was our first performance.

It's so hard to be the first person to do the solo.

She set the benchmark. After that, no-one could opt out.

If Molly did a job like that, everyone else had to.

Facing up to her bullied past gave Molly the confidence to sing.

Molly, everyone!

Gareth hoped if the group could share their insecurities,

they would all find the strength.

When you get bullied, you believe them.

I had it at school as well, in year eight and nine.

It is really horrible. So this is something we can all relate to.

'It was a turning point,'

because I felt more free and I can express myself more now.

Has everyone had experience of bullying? Yes?

-What about you, Mohammed?

-Primary school.

-What about you, Michael?

-Primary.

-This is a really common experience.

We're going to turn it into something positive, make it into a song.

In week four, we wrote our own song about bullying.

All of them had a shared experience.

They needed to talk about it, to get it out.

Singing is a great way to do that.

That makes sense, doesn't it?

-All those in favour?

-Hurray, we got the chorus!

This song was set to become Taylor's solo challenge

during their first ever performance live on radio.

They felt good about it, they were delighted to have written this song,

and wanted the world to know.

-# It's about being me

-It's about being me

# It's about being me

# It's about being me. #

To sing our song about bullying sent a really strong message -

you're not alone.

Taylor had a tough challenge, singing live on radio with a song

they had only just finished writing.

Very difficult. He did a really good job.

With each new week came a new style of music, and Gareth kept the group

guessing on what it was with his interesting choice of clothes.

Gareth is wearing a mysterious outfit.

The music style could be some sort of Spanish, Italian song?

-I reckon it will be a kind of rap.

-This is not a hip-hop outfit.

-All right?

-Reggae? I don't know, really.

I thought they were really obvious, but every week

they thought it was rap music, or something completely random.

# Well, it's a one for the money Two for the show... #

It's rock'n'roll week! Power ballad. Boy bands and girl bands.

SQUEALING

Surf rock.

Folk week.

It's Welsh choral music.

What? It's going to be great!

I wanted a good range. It's no good just being able to do one thing.

To have experience,

you need to sing as many different styles of music as possible.

My favourite style was folk.

We performed at a festival.

My favourite was British soul because it had Dionne Bromfield.

She is one of my favourite singers and she has an amazing voice.

To help inspire them,

each week there was a special visit from a celebrity guest.

# You're staring at your phone all day waiting for a text to come

# From a boy that barely knows your name

# But you think that he's the one. #

It was amazing for Dionne Bromfield to actually come down.

Everybody loved it, and I did, especially.

In week seven, Rizzle Kicks checked in with the group

to give essential performance advice.

You've got to show them you know exactly what you're doing

and that you're enjoying yourself.

-Then, believe me, they will love it.

-Meeting Rizzle Kicks really helped.

They were giving us tips on how to perform.

I say to the group, "Do it like this". They don't believe me.

A special guest comes and says exactly the same thing,

and then it's, "Oh, yes, we must do it like this".

Do you know how annoying it is?

Throughout this musical tour,

there's been one area that the group have struggled with every week.

# Colours of the world, spice up your life! People in the world... #

Oh, I keep forgetting the words.

Oh, no!

Words, words, words. "What's the word?"

Drove me absolutely mad.

Hi, my name is Sasha and I'm 12 years old.

Um...

But there is one person who has managed to wing it every time -

through the presenting challenge...

You always forget this stuff, don't you? Just go blank on TV.

..and his rock'n'roll dance.

'I think my improvising has got me out of a few tricky spots.'

When we were doing the dancing, I just forgot it completely

and did a little chicken or something.

At first, I was impressed at Michael having styled it out

when he made a mistake. I started to worry

when he just lost the words in his solo.

"Surfing, surfing, surfing, something about surfing."

# Surfing, surfing, surfing, surfing... #

HE MUMBLES

# Surfing USA. #

Michael stumbled over the lyrics, but he wasn't the only one.

# ..Our surf boards... #

The words were quite tricky because it was about bushy blonde hair-dos,

and everything, and all-American style.

It was really difficult to learn.

As Children In Need edged closer, things still weren't improving.

THEY MUMBLE

Oops! Oh, dear.

By the time we got to week eight,

and they still didn't know their words, I found it really worrying.

By week nine, Gareth seriously doubted whether they could lead

each other to success, let alone a nationwide choir.

I want you to look good, I don't want you to stand there,

live, going... Looking at the ceiling.

The girls simply didn't know their words and kept getting distracted.

I couldn't afford for that to happen in front of live TV cameras.

Very worrying.

Having the bigger performances was harder to remember the words we were

doing, because obviously we were focusing on the bigger audience.

In the rehearsals, people were forgetting words.

I thought, oh no, we're going to go down

and it's all going to be messed up.

I'd been saying every single week, you must learn your words.

Finally, it clicked.

THEY SING IN WELSH

CHEERING

As they travelled the country on their musical tour,

it didn't take long for friendships within the group to blossom.

Michael fancies Jo. I shouldn't be telling people this.

-Don't put that on camera! He fancies Imogen.

-No. Taylor fancies Tia.

Well, one day he says, "Oh, I really love Sasha".

The next day, "I'm going to ask Tia".

Then, the third day - "I like Sasha again".

I think you'll find I like Sasha.

And then James came. That was a dilemma in my plan!

I was just so devastated that I wasn't the only one liking her.

I think there is a little romance growing between Sasha and James.

Sasha and James fancy each other.

At first, James was telling me he liked Sasha

and Sasha was saying, "I can't believe that, can I?"

After becoming close in the karaoke challenge,

the bond between Sasha and James grew.

It was just a little bit embarrassing to look back on it

and see it on telly, Sasha and me, romance. I think there

were a ton of laughs in school, but I think it's settled down.

Sasha and James clearly had a really strong bond,

and I think that was good for them,

because they supported each other. James was quite nervous,

but Sasha was the most nervous one in the group.

Sasha's severe stage fright saw her giggling and shaking uncontrollably.

When I was singing, it felt really good,

and then it just sort of got to me that I was singing. Just, boom!

When Sasha performed in front of the school rounders team

for her solo challenge, she crumbled.

Look straight ahead. Let's go for it.

'Going in there and seeing them all, it really just panicked me.'

I couldn't remember the tune or anything like that,

and then I got really emotional because I couldn't do it.

# This isn't wearing the...

# There are just some... #

-Keep going.

-You're doing great!

It took so much for Sasha to sing in front of her rounders team.

You could see the fear. But the fact she did it was so significant.

It was a major breakthrough.

# Everybody be surfing like Californ-I-A

# You see them wearing their baggies... #

I wanted to get into it and show everybody that I can actually

do it, and try and do my best for the solo spot at the end.

Definitely think I can control my giggling now.

Are you still going out with James?

SHE GIGGLES

The solo challenges were testing for everyone,

but Gareth needed the group to face their fears head on

if they were to stand any chance of securing the solo spot.

The solo challenges are a challenge. It's very difficult to watch them

getting so upset, because I feel responsible, but ultimately,

I know it is the best way to lead them out of this fear.

# We've come so far And we come... #

Can we start again?

When Gareth asked Mohammed to sing to his mum,

-he became so overwhelmed he broke down.

-I can't do it.

It's all right. Yeah, you can.

'I think it was just an emotional thing, in front of my mum.'

I wanted to make her proud.

I think that's why I messed up a little bit -

I was focusing on doing good, not the song.

I'm serious, you've got a really nice voice. What's the matter?

But he wasn't the only emotional one.

From the start, Joan had been reduced to tears

at the thought of performing.

-What are you worried about?

-I don't know.

-No, I don't either.

It's going to be OK.

When I used to sing, I would always break down into tears.

Now, I feel so much better, because I still get the occasional nerves,

but, you know, that's a good thing.

Here we go.

When Charlize had to sing for her new school friends,

she nearly didn't make it.

# They want to throw a party in the county jail

# The prison band was there and they began to wail

# The band was jumping and the joint began to swing

# You should have heard this knocked-out jailbird sing let's rock

# Everybody, let's rock. #

Do you want to give her a hug or something?

'When I did my solo in front of my friends, it was really scary.'

But they were really nice to me and encouraged me to pull through.

I owe it to them to give them a great performance.

# I dare you to let me be, oh

# You wanna know me... #

But halfway through the musical tour came a breakthrough.

I think week six was the turning point, when we sang

at the wedding, because they didn't cry, but the bride did.

That, for me, was a great victory.

# Promise I'm worth it. #

When the bride cried in my solo performance,

I felt really happy, because she was crying in happiness.

I think we made her day.

Everybody knew it was a big deal to sing at a wedding.

We were creating memories that were going to last ever.

I was really proud of them.

By week nine, most of the group were getting into their groove,

but Tia had yet to do her solo challenge.

This is the moment. Here we go. Here's the introduction.

-No? OK.

-It's too high.

-Well, the first phrase isn't.

From day one, she'd barely uttered a sound.

Can't do it? OK. Sit down. 'I was really concerned about her.'

Because in week three, with rock'n'roll, she had

a moment of complete meltdown, and I thought she might walk off.

How are you doing? You don't want to do it? Oh, dear.

This is what it's all about. It really is.

This is what the big performance is.

It's about you getting over this fear.

I'm really scared of singing in front of people.

I really don't like it.

Tia hid behind the group, and I'd not heard her sing,

and that worried me because she had the biggest solo challenge coming up.

-I sound stupid.

-You don't sound stupid.

I promise you faithfully that if you go for this,

you will only get respect from people.

Come on, make Wales proud. Let's do it.

# Sleep, my child, and peace attend thee

# Ar hyd y nos. #

I think what made it click for Tia, finally,

was finding that pride in her Welsh roots.

She didn't want to let her family down, but most of all,

she didn't want to let Wales down.

Having the biggest solo was really scary.

When it was live, I thought, oh, no, I'm going to mess up.

But I thought, think positive and you'll get through it.

It was really fun in the end.

# Sleep my child and peace attend thee

# Ar hyd y nos. #

I was so happy when Tia sang in front of that audience,

because I thought she might be the first to fail, and she didn't,

she really rose to the challenge.

I was so proud of myself because I got over that fear

of singing in front of people.

I knocked down a wall that was blocking me.

My mum and my nan and dad were proud of me.

It wasn't just in singing that Gareth wanted the group to improve.

Each week he tested their nerve in a variety of different challenges.

Singing can improve your general confidence,

but also having confidence improves your singing.

So doing other things, things that are fun,

and just bring you up, are really useful.

It was so fun, I've never had such a thrill before.

I didn't make them do anything that I wasn't prepared to do - even surfing.

I had a go.

Gareth leading by example helped to put the group at ease.

Having tested their mettle for weeks,

Gareth wanted to prove to the group how far they'd come.

I want you to write one word on these T-shirts.

And I want that word to be the one thing

that you really didn't like about yourself.

Parading through the streets of Cardiff meant they'd finally

faced up to their insecurities.

The T-shirt challenge was one of my favourite challenges -

we got to let out, leave our worries behind, not care

what anyone else thinks, just show people, this is what I am.

-Tiger!

-Geek!

-Singer!

-Small!

-Cute and cuddly!

-Posh!

-Geek!

-Ginger!

-Different!

-Freak!

At the end of it, we were proud to wear it.

And we were more confident, and we didn't care what people said.

-Different!

-Singer!

-Geek!

-'T-shirt time made everyone think,'

I am who I am. I accept me for who I am, basically.

'For these guys to talk about being bullied is difficult.'

That T-shirt challenge really proved to me that they had moved on

and gained confidence. That is ultimately what this is about,

not just singing.

It is about giving confidence back to young people.

Throughout the tour, Gareth was assessing each member

for the all important solo spot at Children In Need.

I don't think I need to tell you how big the performance is.

But only one would be chosen

to kick off the 3,000-strong nationwide choir.

It wasn't an easy decision to make.

It eventually came down to Joan and James.

Ultimately, this has to be about quality.

-For me, that means it's those two.

-I would agree.

# You're not alone Together we stand

# I'll be by your side You know I'll take your hand

# When it gets cold and feels like the end, there's no place to go

# You know I won't give in

# No, I won't give in. #

Making it to the final two of the solo spot was really...

There was tension, literally.

Tension everywhere.

The person singing solo live on Children In Need is...

..James.

When Gareth said I finally got the solo for Children In Need,

I didn't know what to do, I was so happy.

I chose James for the solo because he has a great voice,

he sings very musically, and I think he's got the confidence.

I saw that when he was in front of 3,000 people.

This boy can do it.

Being the soloist not only meant leading the group, but also leading

a nationwide choir singing live via satellite on Children In Need.

Here is your host, Sir Terry Wogan!

When the moment arrived,

Gareth needed to keep old emotions at bay

and help the group stay focused.

Let's make tonight the one that really counts.

A personal message from superstar song writer Avril Lavigne

helped give the group an extra boost.

Hey, guys. Good luck to all of you.

After weeks of hard work,

and with their parents watching back stage,

the group were seconds away from their big performance.

All these weeks that we've been working so hard,

and it's going to come down to this.

This year, Gareth Malone has stepped up his toughest challenge yet.

The difference between doing it perfectly

and between messing it up is that small,

so I just really hope it goes the right way.

# You're not alone together we stand

# I'll be by your side You know I'll take your hand... #

I'm just so happy I managed to have that opportunity. It's just amazing.

# Keep holding on

# We're gonna make it through Make it through. #

This experience has changed me

in a way that I really wouldn't have imagined.

I feel open and free, if you know what I mean.

Like I can stand up and sparkle.

# Keep on, keep holding on. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The people that walked out of Television Centre

are not the same people who walked in. They are more confident,

they sing better, they have found a new sense of self.

And I am proud of them, because I know how hard it was,

it has been a long, tough journey, but look at them now.

'It makes me feel amazing.'

I think it's going to be a big part of my life now.

It feels good to let my voice out and show people,

this is my voice, hear me now.

If I could say anything to Gareth, I would say, thank you.

We could not have done it without him.

I love doing what I do, because I get to help people find confidence.

Singing can do that for you,

and singing has changed these children's lives.

I'm more willing to put myself forward for things.

I've changed from being really quiet to pretty confident.

I feel more alive now because I've done this show.

Having this opportunity has been one of the best things

that has happened in my life. I'm not going to forget this.

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