Episode 3 The Big Performance

Last year on The Big Performance, ten terrified kids found

the courage to sing to an audience of 40,000 at Proms In The Park.

# We can rule the world... #

'The Big Performance gets the biggest cheer of the night.'

But for this year's kids, the challenge is MUCH bigger

and MUCH scarier,

singing live on BBC One to an audience of 11 million

on Children In Need night.

This is the biggest thing I've ever done and I'm scared.

Is this a challenge too far?

# You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing

# Let's rock... #

I'm being hard on you because I know you can do better.

Please don't make me sing this.

Do not go into that dark place of fear!

This has got to be fantastic,

and if it's not, we're in trouble.

This is The Big Performance 2.

These shy children have been

so bullied for their singing they've lost all self-belief.

When I was a kid I used to get bullied a lot about singing

and a lot of other things.

Award-winning choirmaster Gareth Malone has just weeks

to build up their confidence

before they sing live in front of 11 million on Children In Need.

I want you to shine

and the way that you'll shine is by putting in EFF-ORT.

Last time the group were inspired by Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Yes! We got you!

Noooo!

Crippling nerves threatened to ruin their first-ever public performance.

There's just too many people.

And Gareth realised just how far they've got to go.

It's astonishing just how little confidence they've got.

This week the group are introduced to a new style of music,

but with such an unfamiliar song...

I hate it, I hate the song.

..how will they cope performing to their first professional audience?

I feel really sick and...

I just can't do it.

The Big Performance tour bus is heading north

to the metropolitan city of Leeds.

This West Yorkshire city has produced some of the UK's

biggest names in music, including Corinne Bailey Rae

and Kaiser Chiefs.

This week's style is really exciting, really good fun.

I think that's what they need.

This group has been worn down by bullying. They need to have fun!

Last time they sang power ballads and the budding singers

are speculating about this week's musical style.

The way that Gareth dressed this morning,

the music style could be some sort of Spanish, Italian song...

He does have a red shirt and looks like he's going to burst out, "Ole!"

Incorrecto, amigos.

All will be revealed in a moment,

but first things first...

This week, there's only going to be one soloist and that person is...

..Charlize.

Stepping into the spotlight is Leeds homegirl Charlize

who only recently moved to the UK from Namibia.

I've always loved singing but it was never really close to my culture.

I'd love to join my school choir but it's just so terrifying.

Do you want to know what the style of music we're going to be singing is?

ALL: Yes!

# Well, it's a one for the money

# A two for hud-a-hee

# A three to get ready now go... #

It's rock'n'roll week! THEY CHEER

Rock'n'roll originated in the 1950s in America,

but with bands like The Baseballs still rocking out...

# If I lay here If I just lay here... #

..it's popularity remains today.

Although not with our singing group.

I didn't want it to be rock.

It's not my style cos it's rock'n'roll.

I don't listen to it.

This week I've got my work cut out.

I'm going to have to persuade them rock'n'roll can be cool.

I think it's cool.

-Ah-huh-huh...

-Don't worry, Gareth, you've got one fan.

# Since my baby left me

# Found a new place to dwell... #

Gareth has brought the group to a Victorian concert hall.

Renowned for it's exceptional acoustics,

it's a good place to start learning the song.

It's a really exciting style of music.

And it'll hopefully be something where

we can just let out our silly sides and get a bit of a groove on.

Yes?

Yeah...no, I'm not persuading you.

OK, well, shall I tell you what the song is going to be this week?

ALL: Yes, please.

The song is called Jailhouse Rock.

# Should've heard those locked down jailbirds sing

# Let's rock... #

Jailhouse Rock was a number one hit 1957 for Elvis Presley,

the world's most successful recording artist.

The king of rock's outrageous performances scandalised America,

winning him millions of young fans who became know as teenagers.

His style was all about letting loose and having fun.

Will the group be able to shake off their fear

and throw themselves into this unusual style?

Charlize, you're the soloist this week, how are you feeling?

-Horrible.

-Horrible?

The style of music is so alien to them,

I've got to persuade them that it's good, that it's fun.

I've got to get them to loosen up, they've gone back into their shells.

The lesson's not exactly rockin' and a rollin'

so Gareth decides a few props might help.

Oh, yeah, cool!

Charlize, why don't you come round here so I can see you?

Glasses on, Tia. Come on, let's not have a battle over the glasses.

It's time for Charlize to put her anxiety about the song aside

and face up to her solo.

# The warden through a party in the county jail

# The prison band was there and they began to wail

# Band was jumping and the joint began to swing

# Should have heard this knocked out jailbird sing, let's rock

# Everybody, let's rock... #

With the security of Elvis glasses to hide behind,

the group are finally loosening up.

# ..Dancin' to the jailhouse rock. #

-You're really getting into it. You are rocking!

-I know!

-Give her a round of applause.

Yeah! Here we go.

Elvis poses at the ready. Let's have some fun!

To Charlize's credit, she went for it more than I thought she would.

But Tia is struggling to get over her embarrassment.

I hate the song.

I don't know why, I just don't want to sing it.

-I'm so scared, sorry.

-It's going to be absolutely fine. Don't worry.

When Gareth first met Tia,

he realised the extent of her fear of singing in public.

Just take a deep breath. It's going to be fine. Please don't cry.

You OK?

She's absolutely terrified. She's afraid of speaking and singing.

I think that's got to change.

Tia, I know this is scary, but well done, those people

who are starting to put their all into it and have fun.

No-one's going to pick on you and go, "Ha ha", if you're just like, "Yeah, I just don't care."

Honestly. The more you enjoy it, Tia, the better it will be.

We're going to sing in front of 11 million people in a few weeks,

so if it's not tough now, how are we ever going to do that?

Feeling slightly more inspired,

the group head off to practise their new rockabilly attitude.

# Number 47 said to number three. #

And Sasha gets some extra encouragement from James.

-I'll do a proper Elvis...

-I can't do it!

-You can do it!

-I can't! I really can't!

-You can do it.

-Go.

# Let's rock

# Everybody, let's rock. #

While the group become more familiar with the song, and each other,

anxious soloist Charlize needs some extra training with Gareth.

I get emotional sometimes when I'm nervous.

I don't know what to expect.

Sometimes you try to keep in your tears but they don't want to go in.

Charlize recently moved to the UK from Africa.

She's a hard-working girl with a passion for performance.

She loves science and the school book club but still struggles to fit in with her new way of life.

She's desperate to come out of her shell.

-How are you?

-I'm good.

-Nervous?

But her fear of performing runs so deep she couldn't even sing in front of Gareth at her audition.

Should we sing? Why don't we sing something?

-Would that make you feel better or worse?

-I don't know.

-Possibly worse.

Can Charlize leave her past behind and open up in her solo session?

# The warden through a party in the county jail

# The prison band was there and they began to wail

# Band was jumping, mmmm.... #

# The band was jumping and the joint began to swing. #

Let's try that.

-# The band was jumping and the joint began to swing. #

-Slow it down.

# The band was jumping and... #

Charlize is finding the tongue-twister lyrics a bit of a mouthful.

I don't even know what half of the words mean.

She's singing in, effectively, her second language, so getting her tongue physically around these words,

which are very fast, is a real problem for her.

# Warden through a party in the county jail. #

My voice isn't feeling right.

We need to sort this out right now.

First things first, you're not using your breath enough.

It's a very simple thing to fix.

I want you to run around the piano five times very fast.

Here we go. Ready and on your mark, set, go. One, two, three, go for it.

Faster. Really run.

HE PLAYS A PUNCHY TUNE

Because of all the physical tension that comes from her worrying about getting things wrong,

she's not breathing deeply.

She was just...doing shallow breath which makes it impossible to sing.

# The warden threw a party in the county jail... #

But what's the apologetic face about?

If you look scared, the audience will know that you're scared.

What have you got to be scared about?

What people say and think.

People will only think positive thoughts about you.

People will see you performing in front of an audience

and they'll think, "Good for her!" That's what they want to see.

She can get over her fear of failure. She can achieve great things.

# Should have heard this knocked out jailbird sing. #

That's the first time I've seen you take a deep breath. That's great.

What I'm worried about is what goes wrong if I forget my words

or if my rhythm gets out of timing and stuff.

Just a lot of things to worry about.

Later today the group must sing their version of Jailhouse Rock

to an as yet unknown special audience.

You are going to be performing your song, Jailhouse Rock,

in front of rock'n'roll professional performers.

Oh, my day!

These specialist rock'n'roll musical stars will be judging our reluctant rockabillies later,

and have high expectations.

To put on an authentic rock and roll performance, you've got to be able to do the moves.

Gareth's brought in two celebrity dancers

to teach our singers rock'n'roll's most famous dance, the jive.

-Hi, guys.

-Hey, guys. How are you?

Actress Ali Bastian and professional dancer Robin Windsor

both took part in BBC's Strictly Come Dancing

before going on to tour the country together

in their globally successful dance show, Burn The Floor.

# One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock, rock

# Five, six, seven o'clock, eight o'clock, rock

# Nine, ten, eleven o'clock, twelve o'clock, rock

# We're gonna rock around the clock tonight... #

The jive is a fast-paced dance that involves lots of kicks, turns, swings and swivels.

It takes a lot of energy, which is what Ali and Robin want from the group

when they teach them the moves.

The thing with jive is it really captures the spirit of the 1950s,

so the main thing is just to have a good time. Just keep on smiling.

I don't know how they move so fast.

I can just about walk! I've got two left feet, honestly.

I can't dance at all.

I won't be able to dance like them. Definitely not.

I'll drop the person I'm dancing with!

I think it's time that you had a go at this, so just over here,

I've got some brilliant rock'n'roll outfits for you.

I want you to get changed into those and then come back in a minute

and you're going to learn five rock'n'roll dance moves.

OK? Off you go.

I'm going to be Gareth!

After a quick change, it's time for these guys to hit the floor.

With some coaching from Ali and Robin, they learn five basic steps,

including the hand-jive and the twist.

I want you to go nice and low!

And all the way back up.

Clap, clap, knees.

Very, very good.

OK, guys. Now you've got your five steps.

You're going to go away with your partners and freestyle and make up a little routine yourself.

# Let's twist again Like we did last summer

# Yeah... #

When I first announced rock'n'roll, they were absolutely crestfallen,

and now they're having good fun. Look at Tia. She's right in it.

Singing is supposed to be fun but dance really helps.

# Yeah, let's twist again... #

She's a really good dancer and I've stood on her toes once.

-I thought I got two left feet, but...

-I've got them.

We're getting into the rock'n'roll mood really nicely. We love it.

-We're good partners, aren't we?

-Yeah.

Maybe rock'n'roll is not so bad after all.

Although Michael and Imogen still need convincing.

I can cope with the singing. I enjoy that. I enjoy the glasses.

I do not like the dancing. I just think it's spoilt the whole thing.

I think he doesn't like dancing with me.

You take your hand out

and your partner will put her hand into yours. Oh, so cute!

I think there's a little romance brewing between Sasha and James.

They're dancing together. I think they're enjoying it a lot.

Holding hands and all.

Sasha and James got close when they were paired together for the karaoke challenge.

Sasha and James.

James became her tower of strength,

and since then, their bond has continued to grow.

Going out with James is so much easier because I know he's there.

-This is just too awkward, isn't it?

-Yeah.

RECORD SKIPS

# Come on, baby... #

The dancing has proved popular,

but Gareth is about to throw a spanner in the works.

You are going to be performing these little dance routines

in front of the public in a shopping mall in the centre of Leeds later on.

Oh, no, no, no!

Oh, yes! Oh, yes.

Keep smiling. If you're having a good time then everybody will be having a good time watching you.

No! I don't want to do it.

It's going to be scary when we dance.

I can't dance in the middle of a shopping mall.

It doesn't matter if they fall over or stand on each other's toes,

it's about getting up in front of an audience and having a laugh.

In just eight weeks, the shy singers will be performing

in front of 11 million viewers on Children In Need night.

They have to get used to being put on the spot.

I'm really scared now.

It's weird because you're pulling the girl towards you

and I don't want to pull her too much that she pulls something!

This challenge will be tough for them.

They need to take the plunge and not worry about things going wrong.

OK, everyone, here we are at our destination.

We're going to perform your dance moves in front of whoever is in the shopping centre.

The key thing is not to worry about it.

Your energy is infectious when you go for it. You ready?

ALL: Yeah.

Come on. Let's go.

The Corn Exchange, built nearly 150 years ago,

is the oldest landmark in Leeds.

It attracts many visitors for its architectural beauty,

but a rock'n'roll performance will be a surprise.

OK. Come and gather here. This is it.

I want you to use all your courage and effort to get through this. Yes?

The first couple that are going to go are Mohammed and Joan.

It's going to be fine. Just have some fun.

To me, it looks like there's loads of people.

That makes me feel really nervous.

I feel really sick and I just can't do it.

That's it, smiling.

This challenge is extremely daunting for the timid performers.

The teasing they've experienced in the past has prevented them from really going for it.

Will they be able to do just that today?

# One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock, rock

# Five, six, seven o'clock, eight o'clock, rock

# Nine, ten, eleven o'clock, twelve o'clock rock

# We're gonna rock around the clock tonight

# Put your glad rags on and join me, hon

# We'll have some fun when the clock strikes one

# We're gonna rock around the clock tonight... #

I think I'm going to cry!

Not a bad start!

Can Taylor and Tia do it without stepping on each other's toes?

They've set the bar really high. I'm so scared now.

Tia wasn't initially a big fan of rock'n'roll.

Her fear of looking silly saw her close to tears.

But the fun dancing has seen her conquer her nerves.

Yay!

-That was so scary!

-Let's not do that again.

Two pairs down and the support from the public

is boosting the confidence of our next dancing duo.

I'm really excited to go down there.

I thought I was going to be really nervous but I can't wait to go now.

# We'll be right in seventh heaven

# We're gonna rock around the clock tonight

# We're gonna rock, rock, rock till broad daylight... #

Another successful routine,

and this week's soloist can't wait to show off her moves.

-I just want to go down there and have fun.

-Yep. High-five.

# We're gonna rock around the clock tonight

# We're gonna rock, rock, rock till broad daylight

# We're gonna rock, gonna rock around the clock tonight. #

CHEERING

Off you go. Good luck.

With only one pair left to perform, can a reluctant Michael throw himself into his routine?

I feel nervous about it. I don't want to do it.

# When the clock strikes twelve... #

Michael has forgotten his rehearsed moves, but instead of falling apart,

he thinks on his feet and covers up his mistake...

A clever technique he's used before.

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

APPLAUSE

That was a great example of, when you go wrong, keep going.

That went a bit wrong in the middle but I came back

and injected a little personality and it ended up OK.

Well done. That was fantastic. You really drew on your courage.

I could see you going for it, which is great.

It's what we need when we sing our song. Feeling ready for it?

ALL: Yeah.

Come on. Let's rock'n'roll.

Later today, the performers will be singing in front of their first ever professional audience.

Before soloist Charlize can face this,

Gareth wants her to conquer her biggest fear.

I know you haven't been at this school for very long,

but I want you to perform in front of your friends and the other students.

-Have you ever done this before?

-No. I haven't done it before.

I don't think many of my friends know that I'm able to sing.

I think this is the only way for you to get over this fear.

Charlize gets very nervous, but she also gets emotional about singing,

and that goes straight to her throat. She sounds so tense and restricted.

I hope she can get through this without crying.

I am worried that I might crumble but if I crumble,

I'll try to get back on my feet as soon as possible.

This is a big deal for Charlize.

Singing was never encouraged in her old life

and having only been in this school a short amount of time,

she's still finding her place amongst her classmates.

It takes some courage for someone to stand up and sing

in front of her friends because you never know what they're thinking.

I'm really glad she's trying it.

Hello. Come on in, Charlize. Say hello.

Can Charlize tap into the confidence she found in the dancing challenge

and put it into this performance?

OK, deep breath.

Let's give it a go, let's give it a go. Here we go.

Two, three, four, five, six...

# The warden threw 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've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing

# Let's rock

# Everybody let's rock... #

Do you want to give her a hug or something?

Charlize is overcome with emotion

and can't make it to the end of the song.

Just look at us lot.

Exactly, just focus on them and you'll be absolutely fine.

Let's give it one more go, yes?

After some encouragement from her new friends,

Charlize decides to have another go.

# The warden threw 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've heard this knocked out jailbird sing

# Let's rock

# Everybody, let's rock

# Everybody in the whole cell block was dancing to the jailhouse rock. #

APPLAUSE

There we go. Give me a high-five.

Well done, Charlize.

I think you've officially passed your solo challenge.

To come to her school and sing in front of her new friends,

I think that's really brave.

She crumbled and cried her way through the performance,

but she did it and I'm really glad she did.

It shows she's got the courage and the determination to succeed.

I think she will.

I think she's really brave because she cried first

and then she got back up and did well.

If I can sing in front of my friends which I see every day,

I might as well sing in front of an audience I don't know at all.

As they head towards their first professional audience,

Gareth uses the time to get them all practising the complex words.

# Everybody in the whole cell block was dancing to the jailhouse rock. #

I thought they did an excellent job at their dancing

and I hope they can put that into their singing.

They're fine when they're dancing, fine doing anything else.

When it comes to singing, they've really fallen apart.

To ensure their rock'n'roll performance

is as real as possible, the group need to stop holding back.

Something these stars know only too well.

Put it all out there and take a bit of a risk.

If you don't and you look back,

you'll think, "God, I could've done that little bit more."

I always want to feel like I'm performing with my fans,

not for my fans.

A lot of clapping involved, a lot of dancing with them.

I look ridiculous on stage

so I want them to be OK with wanting to feel ridiculous and free.

Once the music is playing,

I'm in that zone and you feel it from there, really.

Gareth has chosen this '50s diner as the perfect place

to get our budding singers into the rock'n'roll spirit.

Waiting expectantly for their arrival is today's audience,

the cast of The Twist.

These guys perform hits from the '50s and '60s on a regular basis.

They know a good rock'n'roll performance requires high-energy,

big smiles and pizzazz.

Exactly what they'll be expecting to see today.

I'm looking for big energy, really enjoying what they're singing

and really vibey and having fun with it.

Everyone says having some fun really is the key,

especially with Jailhouse Rock.

It's not an easy song to do.

Right now, I'm feeling quite nervous.

It's not my style of music.

I was really excited before, but now I'm going a little bit nervous now.

If you have fun, the audience will have fun

and I think this lot are liable to get up and dance.

If they get up and dance, that will be a massive success.

For this performance, I want a good time,

I want the spirit of rock'n'roll.

It doesn't need to be a perfect performance.

They've been so frightened.

This is the time to come together as a group and have some fun.

This is it.

Last time the group performed,

they were so nervous, they couldn't contain their tears.

With soloist Charlize starting the song,

can they all pull together, perfect the words and perform with energy?

# The warden threw a party at 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've seen those knocked out jailbirds sing

# Let's rock

# Everybody, let's rock

# Everybody in the whole cell block was dancing to the jailhouse rock

# Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone

# Little Joe blowing on the slide trombone

# Drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang

# The whole rhythm section was the purple gang

# Let's rock

# Everybody, let's rock

# Everybody in the whole cell block was dancing to the jailhouse rock

# Let's rock

# Everybody, let's rock

# Everybody in the whole cell block was dancing to the jailhouse rock. #

APPLAUSE

Wow, well done.

Thank you very much.

The words may not have been perfect, but they still impressed.

The best thing about it was that they really enjoyed it.

They did really well. Congratulations, kids.

I think it was quite good.

If I had the first note louder, it would've been ace.

I'm happy with myself.

I was really scared and I didn't want to do this song.

Now I've done the performance, I'm really happy I did it

and I stuck to it.

The singing wasn't absolutely beautiful, but it had energy,

it had spirit and that's really good.

We're getting over our fear of the audience.

Now we've got to make them sound good.

With the challenges getting tougher

and the audiences bigger as they head towards Children In Need night,

they've got to start upping their game.

I'm going to keep pushing and pushing and pushing until it is right.

Today was Charlize's turn under the spotlight.

Does she have what it takes

to be the soloist on Children In Need night?

Charlize did a fantastic job.

She really turned it on and gave a great performance today.

Vocally, it still sounded a bit tense.

For that, she has a medium chance of being the Big Performance soloist.

From when I first said it was rock'n'roll,

to that performance, was a huge, huge turnaround

and I'm really proud of them for working that hard.

They still have further to go.

We've got to sing better, perform better.

There's lots of hard work ahead.

Next time on The Big Performance 2,

the group get a taste for pop stardom

when they hit the recording studio.

A celebrity mentor joins the tour bus.

Hello.

And their nerves are tested, singing live on the radio.

They're slightly nervous, I have to say!