Episode 6 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.

'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 BBC1 to an audience of 11 million

on Children In Need night.

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

Now at the halfway mark, Gareth is getting tougher...

Let's get it absolutely right, we're talking about quality.

..The challenges are getting more extreme...

You're going to be performing in front of a group of boys.

Oh!

..The surprises keep coming...

I love you!

Oh, I love you, too!

..And they face their most important performance yet.

You are going to be singing this at someone's wedding.

THEY GASP AND GROAN

I'm really scared.

Oh-oh-oh-oh!

This is The Big Performance 2.

These ten children love to sing.

-# La...

-Ley...

-Oh... #

But have been silenced by bullies.

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

They made me feel like I'm not good enough.

Now choirmaster Gareth Malone is taking them on a musical journey

to get them confident enough to sing to millions

live on Children In Need night.

I KNOW they're shy but they've got to face up to this challenge.

Last time, it was boys versus girls as the group went head to head.

I really want to beat the girls.

And sung for REAL pop stars.

I just ruined it for everyone.

I can't do it.

After the girls' victory,

can the whole group come back together to raise their game?

It's week six, they need to REALLY go for it.

Today the Big Performance tour bus is pulling up in the South West

at a very British music venue just outside Bristol.

This is Aston Court - a grand estate that's played host to classical,

rock and pop gigs, including Plan B and Portishead.

It's a musical legacy Gareth hopes will inspire the group.

We're getting to the point where the focus has to be

the quality of the singing,

not just the enthusiasm. It's going to be difficult for them.

-So far Molly...

-# Oh... #

-..Charlize...

-# Let's rock... #

-..Taylor...

-# Me... #

-..Mohammed...

-# Ee-eee... #

-..and Joan...

-# Positivity... #

..have all taken on the solo. Five names remain.

Who will Gareth chose to step into the spotlight next?

Morning, everybody. ALL: Morning!

This week's soloist is...

Ge... Imogen!

CHEERING

I'm feeling a bit scared but I think I'll get through it, hopefully.

Fingers crossed.

My favourite type of music is indie and a LITTLE bit of folk.

In just five weeks, the group will sing live to millions

on Children In Need night,

so Gareth wants them to raise their game with this week's music style.

This is a really appropriate place for this week's theme...

British soul.

ALL: What?!

Plan B. ALL: Oh!

Yeah?

Amy Winehouse.

ALL: Oo-oh!

# She said I love you boy I love you so... #

British soul is a mixture of Jazz, R'n'B and reggae

and comes from the hugely successful American soul sound of the 1960s.

The songs are melodic with heartfelt vocals

and need to be sung with precision.

Today's British soul artists, such as Plan B and Adele,

dominate the UK charts.

Now, this is going to be very difficult this week

because we're doing a very emotional song.

The artist is...

..Adele.

ALL: Yes! Yes!

And the song is...

One And Only.

# You've been on my mind

# I grow fonder every day... #

Adele is one of Britain's most successful soul artists.

Her debut album went four times platinum

and she's already won two Grammys.

One And Only is a heartfelt love song

about one person persuading the other to take a chance on love.

Good song?

ALL: Yeah.

It's a BEAUTIFUL song, so there we are...

one for our soloist.

Singing a love song is a bit awkward,

because it's a bit soppy and I don't really like songs like that.

Let's start by learning the chorus.

Crucially, this is all about the quality of your singing.

The shy singers are over halfway through their musical training

and Gareth is raising the bar.

# You'll never know if you never try. #

Let's get it absolutely right,

this is where we're talking about quality.

'It's week six.

'There aren't many weeks before we sing at Children In Need.

'And they NEED to up their game.'

They need to REALLY go for it.

And they need to make a good quality sound.

ALL: # You'll never know if you never try... #

Almost, but I just get the impression that one or to of us are like,

"Yeah, whatever." Let's get it right.

# You'll never know... #

ALL: # You'll never know if you never try. #

# I dare you to let me be your... #

Good, that's getting there. It's getting much better.

Let's look at the beginning. This is going to be your solo, Imogen.

# You've been on my mind. #

# You've been on my mind. #

Nice to meet you. You nervous?

For Imogen, singing alone fills her with fear,

as Gareth found out when they first met.

When I was in Year 7,

I was up on stage and all these boys laughed at me,

calling me nasty names and saying "You've got a really rubbish voice."

-Then I've never sung again.

-Never?

-No.

'She's exactly the sort of person that you think,'

"Why shouldn't you sing? Why should people stop you? No reason."

We've got to make her feel all right about her own voice, that's the key.

She has to feel that it's OK for her to open her mouth in public

and that people will like it.

# To let my doubts go... #

'I found it quite hard to sing my solo

'because I didn't really know it.'

I still don't really like singing in front of people still.

'I'm trying to jump over that hurdle.'

# You're the only one that I want. #

Good!

OK, so all we have to do is get you to share that and convey the emotion.

Really good, good start. OK, everyone.

Successful British soul performers really identify

with the emotional lyrics.

The group need to sing with more feeling.

I have got, right here, some signs.

These signs are to help you to convey emotion.

Go.

# I dare you to let me be

# Your one and only. #

OK, good.

# I dare you...#

# I dare you to let me be your... #

OK, good. Go.

# I dare you to let me be your... #

Good. That's how you sounded this morning.

Now we're going to sound like this.

# I dare you to let me be your... #

It actually sounds so much better when we do it like that.

As the timid performers start to sing with more passion,

Gareth drops a bombshell.

We're going to be performing this somewhere where quality of singing

really, really, really matters.

Because you are going to be singing this at someone's wedding.

ALL: Oh!

I'm really scared I'm going to mess it up, because it's their day.

I'm going to make it as special as I can.

Really nervous about singing at the wedding.

It's the most important thing of their life

and we kind of think, "Oh, are we going to wreck it?"

Later, the group will be performing Adele's love song, One And Only,

at the wedding of Kelly and Mark.

Their performance will set the tone for the whole day.

Gareth has brought in a celebrity friend to help prepare

for the task ahead.

This person has been really making waves in the music industry.

And it is...

Dionne Bromfield.

Here she is.

-I love you!

-Ah, I love you too.

Dionne is going to perform for us with her guitarist.

-What are you going to sing?

-This one is called Get Over it.

# 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... #

As soon as Dionne started singing,

you could see they were all absolutely hooked.

She drew them in and conveyed the emotion of the song.

# ..Tell it like it is... #

'It's simple.'

You just focus on the words, the emotion

and communicate with your audience.

# ..You can't make somebody love you

# So mate, just get over it

# O-oh, oh

# O-oh, oh

# Oh, whoa, whoa

# Whoa. #

APPLAUSE

I think the most important thing to say is, Dionne, how old are you?

-I'm 15.

-15.

-My God!

LAUGHTER

Dionne is only a few years older than you

and look how confident she is. Have you got any questions for her?

Well, I'm the soloist. Is there any advice which you could give to me?

Be yourself, that's the main thing. Just be you and not someone else.

-Sasha?

-Have you always been really confident?

Oh, no. Oh, no.

Definitely not. I used to be so scared to sing.

Before, I used to feel like,

"People will hate me," though I hadn't sung.

The main thing is I'm sure you've got amazing voices,

so just use it. It's a talent.

You've got it, so be proud of it.

Great, thank you. Give her a round of applause.

Amazing, I loved it!

SHE GIGGLES

To think that she's only 15 and only a few years older than us,

it's amazing. It's really inspiring.

Her words have really encouraged me and I'm going to do my best for her.

Dionne's confident performance is an inspiration to all of the group,

but this week it's down to Imogen to prove she too can take centre stage.

13-year-old Imogen lives half at home with Mum, Dad

and little sister, and half at boarding school.

She loves music and rocking out to favourite band Two Door Cinema Club.

From day one, Imogen has been one of the quietest singers in the group...

You've really got to move your mouth, naming no names at all...Imogen.

LAUGHTER

..and has struggled to face up to the performance challenges.

Come and stand over here.

'What's holding her back at the moment is her fear of an audience.'

Specifically a fear of boys.

When she's with the rest of the group, she hardly sings at all.

I have to get her past that.

And one.

-# You've been on my mind

-# You've been on my mind

# You've been on my mind. # Try that?

# You've been on my mind. #

Imogen, what we need is to see a very different side

of your personality.

Is the rest of your family shy?

No.

-My mum's not shy at all.

-What about your dad?

He's in the army, so he just tells people what to do.

So it is in your family. I'm going to try a little experiment.

I have here this officer's cap.

I'd like you to put it on.

There we are. You are now in charge

and I am going to be your soldier

and I want you to order me

through these cones.

OK?

I'm not going to move unless you give me a proper order.

Imogen suffers from a stutter,

so this challenge will take her completely out of her comfort zone.

OK, move to the first cone.

Please?

Can you please...?

Right, move to the first cone.

Move to that orange cone there.

Move fast!

Move to the fifth one.

MOVE NOW!

Good, that's it. That's real authority.

You've got real authority there.

'She has the ability and she needs to realise that herself.'

That she can stand up in front of a room and she can command.

You're quite powerful. You've got a loud voice.

Let's leave the hat on and just try again.

HE PLAYS PIANO

# You've been on my mind

# I grow fonder every day... #

'Imogen is a person with bags of personality, waiting to come out.

'She can do this, she can give an order,

'she can stand up and sing if she believes in herself.'

And she's got a difficult song.

Fine, good. We are almost there. I'm going to take your hat back.

I need to see this when you're singing.

I know that you can do this and I know you've had a stutter,

I know you've been bullied,

but I don't think it's destroyed Imogen, has it?

Because you're quite tough, I think.

-Can you do it?

-Yeah.

-Good, thank you. Good girl.

'I don't really like shouting at people,

'so that was quite hard. But I did it and it felt really good after.'

I'm going to just sing as loud as I can and just enjoy myself

and not care what everybody thinks.

All eyes will be on Imogen and the group

when they perform at the wedding later on.

They need to take to the stage like stars.

It's very important, when you're on stage,

to not care what other people think.

You need to get lost.

Get lost in your performance, get lost in yourself

and that's when you'll be the best you can.

I think it's always the best to be yourself

and show your true personality when you're on stage.

That's when the audience can tell if you're a true performer.

You have to be yourself and I think you do have to have the courage

to just go out there and put what you are out there.

Soul singers are known for their heartfelt performances

that convey real emotion.

Gareth wants his group to be able to do the same

when they sing at the wedding.

And he has a rather unusual strategy to get them expressing themselves.

In there is a press room and you are going to be interviewed

by Top Of The Pops Magazine journalist Zoe. What I'm looking for

is for you to be open, engaging and honest,

as much as you possibly can.

The person who is, will get their face on the magazine.

ALL: Oh!

Follow me.

The things that make an interview really interesting

are honesty and truthfulness.

This is Zoe.

'Someone who can be conversational and engaging.'

Most of these shy children find it hard to be the centre of attention.

Can they relax and talk about themselves?

Today, I'm going to be asking you all about The Big Performance.

Who's been your favourite celebrity guest?

I think Melanie C from The Spice Girls. She was really fun.

She gave really nice advice.

She was so sincere with it, I found that really nice.

He's really clear and really concise.

He kind of made it his own interview by making it really personal.

They're enjoying speaking,

they're enjoying talking about themselves and they're opening up.

You have to open up when performing.

Next is Michael. In rock'n'roll week,

he managed to cover up his mistakes during the dance challenge.

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

This task isn't about distracting the audience with fancy moves.

Can he keep his cool and give a no-frills, honest interview?

-What's been hardest for you so far?

-Well, it's hard to put my finger on.

Er... probably be trying to stand out from the crowd more when I'm singing.

Michael's really good. He's very honest, very open.

I hesitated on a couple of them and I said, "Um,"

quite a lot, because everyone does that, but I think... I don't know.

-Hi, James.

-James has no problem talking honestly about Gareth.

Let's say he's a bit of a... a beatbox.

-I can't really describe him.

-Really?

HE BEATBOXES

Finally, it's Taylor. Can he make the headlines with Zoe?

I've really enjoyed all the fun activities, like meeting celebrities.

-Especially coming here and meeting you.

-Wow!

-It's true.

-OK. Er, and...

Smooth moves, Taylor!

'He was really good. He was charming, he was funny.'

It's not always what you're saying, it's how you say it.

Adele, for example, is really truthful, honest and bubbly.

They've all started to open up,

but who was the most expressive and engaging?

We have deliberated, we have thought about your interviews

and we have chosen a winner.

You all did a really brilliant job,

but there was one of you that really stood out and that was...

Mohammed.

APPLAUSE

Well done, Mohammed.

'It was amazing.'

I'm definitely going to put it on my wall in my room.

It's hard to believe that Mohammed was crying when he had to sing

a solo, and now he's really finding much more confidence.

Children In Need is just five weeks away,

where the nervous performers will sing live on television

to 11 million viewers.

On the night, they'll be joined via satellite

by nine other groups across the nation.

Including Bridgewater College Show Choir,

who Gareth's brought to demonstrate the performance he's looking for.

As soon as they started, it was just like a sonic boom of voices.

'I really want our choir to be like them.'

I thought they were really cool and I was literally feeling the vibe.

I was like, "Yeah!"

# I'm talking to the man in the mirror... #

At Children In Need, we have to reach that level.

We have to get to that intensity,

we have to mean what we're singing about.

Later, the shy singers will be performing Adele's love song

One And Only to a bride and groom on their wedding day.

This is a huge responsibility, especially for timid soloist Imogen.

To make sure she's up to it, Gareth wants her to face her worst fear.

Who do you think you're going to be performing for

in your performance challenge?

-I think in front of my friends.

-I'm afraid it's not your friends.

It is something a little bit more scary.

You are going to be performing in front of a group of boys

-from the local boys school.

-Oh!

I'm feeling quite, like, nervous about the solo challenge

and I'm quite scared of boys.

The reason Imogen's frightened of singing

is because she was bullied about her singing by boys.

This is the only way for her to get over this fear.

She's got to confront it.

Come and stand there. This is Imogen, everyone.

That's it, stand up to it.

-Um...

-Go for it.

GARETH PLAYS PIANO

# You've been on my mind

# I grow fonder every day... #

Oh!

With the boys all watching, shy Imogen forgets the lyrics.

# Losing myself in... #

# Losing myself in time

# You're the only one that I want. #

-How do you think she did?

-Brilliant.

-What do you think of her voice?

-Fantastic.

-Amazing.

-It's a nice voice.

It really is a nice voice. Any words of advice?

Try and be more confident with yourself,

because you're just amazing at it. Just be more confident.

I think now I can conquer anything

because I've just performed in front of six boys

and I did it, so I can do anything, really.

She did it, she passed.

But she did fluff some lines and the worry is, at the wedding,

she cannot afford to do that.

But I'm really proud of her.

As they arrive at the wedding venue,

the countdown to show time begins.

Weddings are one of the most emotional occasions

in anyone's life, so the group must put on a memorable performance.

When under pressure, soloist Imogen forgot the lyrics

so Gareth calls a last minute rehearsal with the band.

We are singing to them on the most special day of their entire lives.

So it's got to good, but I think more than anything it has to be heartfelt.

So we've got to forget about our worries,

forget about ourselves and put them first.

HE PLAYS PIANO

# You've been on my mind... #

Come on, where's the Sergeant Major? Yeah? Go for it.

Sergeant Major.

LOUDLY: # You've been on my mind! # And go!

# You've been on my mind... #

Great!

# ..I grow stronger every day

# Lose myself in time

# Just thinking of your face

# God only knows... #

Hallelujah!

# ..Why it's taking me so long

# To let my...doubts go... #

Don't worry, keep going.

# ..You're the only one that I want... #

Sorry, sorry, sorry. Who was that? Was that Imogen?!

'It was really cool. I, like, turned up the volume.'

I felt really proud of myself.

I was so happy to hear Imogen sing properly, with a loud voice,

in front of everyone

and really get the solo exactly as it should be.

It's a great final rehearsal for Imogen, but will she lead the group

and sing her heart out when it matters?

MUSIC: The Wedding March

The vows have been made and it's just moments until the shy singers

have to perform to the newlyweds and all of their guests.

I'm feeling quite scared about doing a solo at the wedding,

but if I can do this, I can do anything.

'I'm excited now, but really scared.'

I don't know, I've got every single emotion mixed up. Ooh!

They cannot get this wrong.

This has got to be fantastic and if it's not, we're in trouble.

Can Imogen dig deep and sing with real emotion to the bride and groom?

This song is dedicated to you.

It's called The One And Only by Adele.

PIANO PLAYS

# You've been on my mind

# I grow fonder every day

# Losing my mind

# Just thinking of your face

# Nobody knows

# And it's taking over me

# My doubts go

# You're the only one that I want

# You'll never know if you never try

# To forget your past and simply be mine

# I dare you to let me be

# Your one and only

# I promise I'm worthy

# To hold in your arms

# So come on and give me the chance

# To prove I am the one who can

# Walk that mile

# Until the end starts. #

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Despite a few mistakes with the lyrics, they did it.

Their first formal gig and this time

the only tears were in the audience.

Imogen is amazing. Yeah, she made me cry.

We were very impressed.

It was very nice to have that as part of our wedding.

Smile, guys!

'I kind of mucked it up because I forgot some words,'

but I covered it up and followed Gareth's voice

and I just gave my performance.

I think they liked it, especially the bride

because she was crying.

I think, hopefully, it was with happiness.

'I'm not sure that they absolutely slammed it.'

It was good and they were pleased,

but I know that they can do much better

and I have to keep getting them to aspire

to be as good as they possibly can be in front of the audience.

That's the problem.

I'm really pleased with how far Imogen has come,

because she seemed so timid when they started.

As much as I'd like to give her a high, as her voice

sounds really nice, she was a little bit unreliable in performance.

So I'm giving her a medium chance of being a Big Performance soloist.

Next time, Gareth gets tough.

We perform for the entire nation

in a matter of weeks.

Their final performance is thrown into jeopardy.

Their first performance on a massive scale, and look at the weather!

-Can Rizzle Kicks save the day?

-It's all about confidence, right?

You've got to show you know what you're doing.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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