Episode 1 Gareth's Invictus Choir

Years of armed conflicts have created

a battalion of the battle-scarred.

My right eye was down here somewhere and the left eye was damaged.

I was found in a ditch with a radio antenna embedded in the back of my skull.

Let's get that right, come on!

Choirmaster Gareth Malone is taking on his biggest battle yet.

I want to give a voice to the people who have served our country

and come back with shattered lives who deserve to be heard

and who deserve to tell their stories.

He's joining forces with Prince Harry...

-Please, come in.

-Thank you.

..founder of the Invictus Games, a sporting competition for wounded veterans.

It's about providing new opportunities,

and a lot of these guys have never, ever stepped outside their house.

Together, they want to form an Invictus Choir.

Hello!

The goal is to inspire the world.

HE SINGS LOUDLY

Whoa! Easy, tiger.

# Life... #

Now with a face that doesn't look like an axe murderer.

HE LAUGHS

I want it to be a choir of people with life-changing, extraordinary stories -

even if they can't sing - because I want this to really pack a punch.

I want it to tell people what everyone's gone through.

My best friend who died in my arms.

I was sleeping in disused stairwells by choice,

whilst my youngest was learning to crawl.

Gareth has never had to work with problems as serious as these.

I'm not listening to what you're saying, it's painful in my head.

There's another emotion for me and that actually is quite a lot of anger.

I just needed to get away, it was all a bit too much.

I'm having a wobble.

They're sounding awful.

More energy! Let's get that right, come on.

That section almost was good.

They've got seven weeks until they perform for a global audience,

opening the 2016 Invictus Games in America.

Welcome to Invictus.

I think this is what we are very good at as a nation,

we're great at building beautiful memorials to those that have fallen

in the various conflicts that we've been involved in.

But we are less good at remembering those that come back

with horrible life-changing injuries and mental trauma.

Prince Harry's trying to change that with the Invictus Games

and he's invited me to go and put together a choir

of wounded, injured and sick servicepeople

to perform at the Invictus Games

and I'm hugely honoured and incredibly excited

because I think it's very important.

We shouldn't forget those that still have something to give

and still have lives to lead.

It's just two months until the Invictus Games.

Today, Gareth has a royal appointment with Prince Harry.

What do you call Prince Harry and do I have to keep saying Prince all the time?

I'm going to find that very difficult.

I'd be fine if he wanted to call me Gareth.

There's absolutely no problem with that. He doesn't need to use mister.

# Gloria, gloria... #

Kensington Palace.

I feel really nervous, actually.

It's like going for a job interview.

Hello!

-Who let you in?! Hi, Gareth. How are you doing?

-Hello.

-Please, come in.

-Thank you. It's a very intimidating place to come.

-Hello.

-Very nice to meet you.

-Very nice to meet you, as well.

-After all this time.

-Yeah.

-Welcome.

-Thank you.

-Come in, please.

-Thank you very much, Your Royal Highness. Is that...?

-No, no, no. Call me Harry, please.

-Harry. Thank you very much. Nice place you have.

After you.

Prince Harry's served in the Armed Forces for ten years,

including two tours in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter pilot.

You must feel very lucky to have got through those experiences unscathed?

There was a few...a few close calls.

Being in a helicopter was probably a lot safer.

-It's not my idea of safe!

-No, no, no.

We always said to ourselves, you know, we weren't the guys having to

kick people's doors down and be confronted with a guy with an AK-47.

Or, you know, a mine just outside, or an IED down an alleyway.

That's a really hard thing, to have to wake up and know that

every single day it could be your last day with two legs.

I mean, some of the guys were preparing themselves

and actually putting tourniquets on their legs

before they went on patrol, just so that if they lost a leg,

-they'd be ready to...

-Strap it up.

-Strap it up.

Those are horrific things to see.

Was it that that made you want to start the Invictus Games?

I think after spending ten years in the Army, you naturally end up

sort of wanting to help - wanting to give back.

Dave Henson in that photo, for instance,

double amputee from Afghanistan, and that's the cost.

But then you look at the smile on his face

and you realise that actually no matter how these people

have basically had their lives cut in half - quite literally -

they've managed to bring themselves back

and, as they always say to me, there is life beyond injury.

Can we talk about where you see this performance sitting

and what you want it to say?

I think it's about providing new opportunities in their lives

and thinking - right, this is all about getting back on track.

Because a lot of these guys have never, ever stepped outside their house.

Major anxiety - and if music is that way of being able

to give them that opportunity, then absolutely fantastic.

I'm just glad I'm not having to sing and it's them with you.

-I can see I'm not going to persuade you into this.

-Er, no.

-Are you musical? Do you sing?

-I'm tone deaf.

-Totally?

Yeah, totally tone deaf. Well, I like to think I can sing,

but people who stand next to me normally say...

-You were never picked for choir?

-I wasn't.

-I'm pretty good on the triangle!

-Oh, great!

I take my hat off to you, it's going to be a challenge.

If you can get a bunch of military people who don't normally sing to sing in tune...

-That will be inspiring in itself. Lovely to meet you.

-Cheers, Gareth.

Thank you so much and I'll see you soon.

He's so passionate in everything that he says

about the Invictus Games and the inspiration that these guys offer to the world.

These guys have been cruelly injured

and their lives have been so...

I was going to say ruined, but what Invictus brings is that they're not ruined -

they can come back from the most extraordinary difficulty.

I'm excited. I've got fire in my belly for this now.

Gareth Malone - creating a choir of injured, wounded and sick service personnel.

I'm looking for a group of singers...

First Gareth needs to recruit his choir.

He's come to British Forces Broadcasting.

He wants to get the word out to the military community.

Tell us about the Heroes Choir.

I've got a hunch that it could be really good for people,

people that feel like this could be the challenge that gets them back on their feet.

And what about the quality of their singing?

This is not about a group of excellent singers.

I'm looking for people who have a voice,

who've got something to say, to represent our nation through music.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you so much, that was great.

Within a few days the first video applications are coming in.

# There would be no reason why... #

I'm looking for about 12 singers who can come with me to America.

# We all need somebody... #

Because I want to choose people who are going to benefit

from the experience and people who represent this community of injured people.

-WITH STRONG VOICE:

-# Have I told you lately that I love you... #

So, this guy - yeah, he can sing.

# Sittin' on the dock of the bay

# Watching the tide roll away... #

Multitasking. Stayed pretty much in tune

and also managed to cook a cheeseburger at the same time.

# Chantilly lace had a pretty face... #

Why is he wearing a tutu?

# A wiggle in her walk A giggle in her talk

# Makes the world go round... #

He seems really fun. Great guy to have on the team.

But he hasn't sung a note yet!

# I sure do... #

# Oh, liberation comes in whatever form to save me... #

There's a really good voice in there.

# Comes and whispers in the breeze... #

You can sense the amount of emotion that are in the lyrics -

obviously meant something to her.

A degree of emotional vulnerability is needed in something like this.

They've got to stand up and sing about themselves

and bring some of that emotion to the performance.

Yes, she gets two ticks.

Before Gareth decides on his final line-up,

he's meeting some of the applicants in person.

Former rifleman Paul lost his sight

as a result of the conflict in Afghanistan.

Hello, good morning.

Paul received the George Medal for bravery in 2010.

He's now working as a journalist

and training to compete as a blind boxer.

Maybe it's my prejudice, but I hadn't expected to find a blind person boxing.

No. I run, I climb, swim, cycle.

It's great. It's great to see and I didn't come here expecting to find

somebody who was self-pitying, because of your tutu, frankly.

I just thought, you know, that looks like somebody who's up for a laugh.

-Look, I want to be very honest...

-OK.

..that I didn't hear tremendous vocal potential.

Would it be OK just to sing something simple like a nursery rhyme?

# Twinkle, twinkle, little star... #

# Twinkle, twinkle, little star... #

We're approaching the right zone.

# How I wonder what you are... #

# How I wonder what you are... #

-I thought you was going to say something.

-No. I was just... That was a smile you heard.

HE LAUGHS

Good ears. Do you mind telling me a bit about what happened to you?

-I was a rifleman.

-Yeah.

I was out on a patrol. I realised once the dust had settled

I was laying in an IED field. So, that means a daisy chain.

So, all the IEDs are connected.

A couple of IEDs were connected, so if one goes off... Boom, boom.

So, yeah, somebody else come out to bolster up the team and then he...

-He set them all off.

-He set it off and he got blown in half

and I got blown up and, yeah, two men dead -

and me - my right eye was down here somewhere

-and the left eye was damaged and my face was all blown.

-Wow.

And they had to scoop me up in a JCB, erm...

Oh, because of the risk of more IEDs.

Apparently, I would have died, do you know what I mean? But they obviously saved me, so...

You've just got to keep going. We're human, we can overcome anything.

You know, my attitude is that you don't need sight to have vision.

-You should have that tattooed.

-I don't think I've got space!

THEY LAUGH

-Listen, it's really very inspiring to meet you.

-Thank you very much.

That is a challenge.

That is a challenge.

Not the greatest singer.

Actually, one of the most off-the-note people I've met.

It's quite astonishing to hear what he's been through

and see what incredible spirit he's got.

Paul is what this is all about.

Somebody like him is exactly what I'm looking for.

Headley Court in Surrey is one of the military's leading medical rehabilitation centres.

In operation since the Second World War, it's treated 16,000

service personnel coping with life-changing injuries and trauma.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Nice to meet you.

Gareth's meeting two retired officers and patients here

who are hoping to be recruited into the choir.

-This is what you had.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Days and days and days sitting on these benches

being fitted with legs.

Retired Captain Bernie is one of the many who have been injured

away from the battlefield serving their country.

He lost his lower right leg on a military fear training exercise

eight years ago.

It was a race - inter-regimental race -

I was on the skeleton toboggan, I went round a right-hand corner

and it hit that post and it took my foot clean off. So...

-I was doing about 80 miles an hour, so...

-Wow!

-Yeah.

I got to the bottom and I won my race.

-Oh, great.

-Every cloud, you know.

Hello, how are you?

Stewart was a company commander leading 160 men in Afghanistan

when an IED exploded.

-The shrapnel smashed through the back of my brain.

-Ooph.

I was found in a ditch with a radio antenna embedded

in the back of my skull.

And so I've got difficulties and impairments

in this part of the brain here.

What does it affect, then? Exactly?

It's just exhausting. So, my brain, it's as if it's running on just a tiny battery.

-We'd better get on with it before your batteries run down.

-No, no.

I'm better than I was, yeah.

Would you mind singing me a song?

Erm... OK.

# We got sunlight on the sand, we got moonlight on the...sea - trees

# We got sunshine and bananas you can pick right off a tree

# We got volleyball and Ping-Pong and a lot of dandy games

# What ain't we got?

# We ain't got dames. #

-I don't know the rest of the chorus.

-That's fine.

That's good. That's good, there is a voice there.

Let's hear you now, sir.

# O'er the hills and o'er the main

# Through Flanders, Portugal and Spain

# King George commands and we obey

# Over the hills and far away. #

-Good.

-All right?

-Yeah, good. Very good. There's a nice tone there.

-There's a bit of rushed nervousness, as well!

-Yeah, of course.

Well, you're very much a part of the team for me. So...

-Fantastic, brilliant.

-Well done. Good.

-And you, sir.

-Really?

-Yeah, definitely.

-Thank you.

The explosion in Afghanistan brought Stewart's 18-year Army career to an end.

I loved it, I just really did enjoy soldiering.

I'd just been selected for promotion to colonel,

so on paper I was doing everything to have a very good career.

Everything that I loved about the military has been taken away

because of my injury. I've lost my identity.

The damage to certain functions in Stewart's brain

makes simple, everyday tasks problematic.

The first time I came home, I was put in the bath by my wife,

she then heard me crying and so she came in and asked what was wrong

and I did not know how to wash my hair.

I couldn't work out shampoo, hair, water - what do I do?

You should see me when I'm cooking lunch, Sunday roast -

all gets very stressful.

The problem that I've got with my brain injury

is that I struggle with planning and organising,

with problem-solving.

I've tried to work and I can't hold down a job.

This is one way of showing to people that it's not just the visible injury.

I am an invisible injury

and it is about having a voice, telling my story.

One in five veterans suffer with mental-health problems

and some in Gareth's choir have battle scars that are psychological as well as physical.

The thing that actually frightens me about the project is dealing

with people with PTSD - post-traumatic stress disorder -

because that's a mental-health issue

and that's unpredictable

and I don't know how those people are going to...

You know, they might give every appearance of being completely fine

and totally able to take part in the project,

but are they actually going to be able to get all the way

to stand on that stage?

I've got no idea.

Morning.

He's come to mental-health charity Combat Stress to meet retired squadron leader Alison...

-Hello.

-It's lovely to meet you.

-Pleasure to meet you, too.

..who's receiving treatment here for post-traumatic stress disorder.

-Did you sing as a kid?

-I've always enjoyed singing.

-Did you stop, then?

Yeah, I kind of stopped everything. I lost...I lost everything

and I lost any confidence I'd ever had in myself.

So, this could be potentially something else that will help with that?

Absolutely.

13 years in service and a tour of Kosovo

left Alison severely traumatised.

She suffered a breakdown and was discharged from service five years ago.

The breakdown - it's quite a complex issue that triggered the PTSD.

Really, I'm not ready to talk about it yet.

Alison developed a fear of leaving the house alone

and has become dependent on her family.

About six years that I haven't been anywhere by myself.

I lean on Mum and Rhys quite a lot.

Alison does suffer from anxiety and sometimes panic attacks

and anything can be a trigger, and that's unbelievable.

That's not my daughter.

She can't do very much independently.

Lots of phone calls during the day.

I'm glad she's on an unlimited limit on her mobile phone,

because there's just so many.

I don't like to classify myself as a carer, because it's my wife

and it's something that I believe I should be doing.

Alison is hoping reconnecting with her love of singing

will help with her recovery.

-I'd love to hear you sing.

-OK, just here, now?

-No time like the present.

-Whilst we're chilling.

# The only one who could ever reach me

# Was the son of a preacher man

# The only boy who could ever teach me

# Was the son of a preacher man

# Yes, he was, he was Oooh. #

Great. You've got a strong voice. I don't know if you can hear it,

-but you've made all the guitars vibrate.

-Have I?

-Yeah.

-Good, that's great. You're in, congratulations.

-Really? Thank you.

-That is amazing.

-Well, thank you so much. I think it's going to be great.

Honestly, I'm so excited.

Gareth now has a choir of ten

and is starting with three days of intensive rehearsals

at Tedworth House Recovery Centre for members of the Armed Forces.

I don't know how I'm going to deal with them.

They're a very different group of people from any I've worked with before.

He's got just seven weeks to get them ready to perform

at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games.

We're going to America to perform on an international stage.

It's a hugely, hugely pressured thing that they're going to do.

Before we get anywhere near that, I want to train them,

I want to find out what they're capable of.

This is the Gareth Malone equivalent of boot camp.

Gareth's new recruits are drawn from the last 50 years of conflict.

Tedworth House is familiar to some of them,

who've spent time here in treatment.

But today is the first time the choir are meeting each other.

A bit anxious this morning.

I haven't engaged, really, with military people for a long time.

-Geoff.

-Hi, David. I'm Gemma.

Andy, welcome.

Exciting. There's a varied bunch of people and the common thing is,

you know, we've lost bits and bobs, and we're still here, aren't we?

It is emotional, really.

-This is Paul.

-Hey, Paul.

Yeah, I'm feeling optimistic.

Something could come of this.

Just work hard and keep your head down.

I think we're waiting on one more.

Last to arrive is Alison.

It's the first time in six years

she's travelled anywhere without a member of her family.

-Nice to see you. Welcome.

-Thank you.

-Are you all right?

-You're here!

-Yeah. I know.

-Are you OK?

-Yeah, it's the first time I've done that on my own, so...

-Well done.

-It's a good step already.

-Brilliant. Right, first of many, I think.

-Hopefully.

-Come in, come and meet everyone. Don't be nervous, it's fine.

-OK.

This is Alison, everyone.

-So, welcome, everyone.

-ALL:

-Thank you.

Welcome. You are now the Invictus Choir. Congratulations.

THEY CHEER

And the goal is to inspire the world...

..with your voices and with what you've been through and what you are now doing.

I'd like for you to say why you're here.

My service career was in the Royal Military Police.

I was blown up by the IRA in 1989.

I was going shopping on a Saturday morning,

my wife and I jumped in the car and there was a bomb underneath the front.

It changed my life -

but singing, I'm very keen on singing, but I'm rubbish!

-Alison.

-Hi, I'm Alison. I...

-I don't think I can do this.

-You're here. That's fine.

-I can't.

That's all right.

I'm just glad you're here and I'm glad that we're going to start singing,

we're going to start making music and it's going to be good for you. Thank you.

I was an aircraft engineer in the Royal Navy.

I left in 2002 and I was never really able to settle.

Nightmares started coming back with PTSD

and then house repossessed, homeless.

I have no history in music other than two tunes

I learned on the harmonica and that's about it.

-We won't be needing that!

-No. Thank God.

I need to sort you into a choir,

and for that to happen I need to roughly establish

what your natural range is. Shall we just go this way?

Would you like to stand up? Here we go!

HE SINGS SCALES OPERATICALLY

Hey, hey! Go on, again.

HE REPEATS SCALES

-OK, that's enough, Pavarotti. Thank you.

-THEY LAUGH

Very good. Paul. Ready, and...

HE SINGS OUT OF TUNE

You've inserted a new one in the middle that doesn't belong.

-It's good. He's creative, I'll give him that.

-Thank you.

-Good.

OK, Stewart. Ready?

HE SINGS FORCEFULLY

Yeah, can you just do that one more time? Just more softly.

HE SINGS OUT OF TUNE

OK, we'll come back to that. Softly we'll do next week. Good.

Geoff, up you get.

HE SINGS LOUDLY

Whoa! Easy, tiger!

THEY LAUGH

So, I am sure that you are itching to find out

what we're going to be singing.

I want to start with a song that I think is absolutely ideal for you.

It's an absolute modern classic.

I'm sure that when I say the name of the band to you

it's going to fill you with joy -

because who here cannot claim to be a One Direction fan?!

-I love One Direction!

-You're not a One Direction fan?

-I'm not a fan, no.

-No.

I actually didn't want to do anything too sappy

and sentimental for you guys.

Right, here it is.

# Nobody can drag me down

# Nobody, nobody

# Nobody can drag me down. #

That's the song. So...

# I've got a fire for a heart... #

Ready, two, three, and...

# I've got a fire for a heart... #

You seem to like the word "fire" in here.

It's a good lyric for you, I think.

"I've got a fire for a heart," and, like, feisty. Why don't we stand up? Up we get.

Paul, my purpose in life is to point at people to say come in.

The best way for me to get you that cue -

-if he just kind of gives you a nudge when it's about to be you.

-Yeah.

If we hold hands, I'll squeeze.

-HE CHUCKLES

-Oh, Navy boy!

And, go.

# All my life you stood by me, when no-one else was ever behind me

# All these lights They can't blind me

# With your love, nobody can drag me down. #

-Has it gone there? Bloody tune!

-Almost! OK.

-That was all right, wasn't it?

-It was going in a right direction.

There's only ONE DIRECTION to go in! Hey, hey!

I was surprised.

One Direction - not an immediate go-to band for me.

My daughter will be made up, she absolutely loves One Direction.

-And my daughter...

-What will your daughter think?

-She'll think it's hideous.

-Will she?

-Totally uncool.

They are not awful.

The biggest thing for me was that Paul sang a note in tune.

It was only one, or maybe two, but it was the right note

and it just proves to me that he can do it.

That's a bold claim.

HE LAUGHS

I think that most of the things that come out of my mouth,

in terms of singing ability, doesn't sound quite right.

I don't want to make a fool of myself, basically.

If I'm going to do it, I want to do it as well as I can.

I really felt their lack of confidence and lack of security.

It's definitely the most vulnerable group I've ever dealt with.

One of the least confident is Alison, and Gareth

wants to work with her one to one.

-You had a little wobble there earlier, didn't you?

-I did, yeah.

-OK, but you're all right?

-Yep, I'm good.

Let's put that one behind us. Can I hear you do the beginning?

Three and...

SHE VOCALISES

-Nope.

-There is a sort of Zen-like place where you go...

HE VOCALISES

And you get that clean concentration just on the note and the vowel

and it's magical.

Try it again. Three and...

SHE VOCALISES

Yeah, good. That's really nice. As soon as you relaxed it was much better.

-I do get the sense for you that this is in your comfort zone.

-Singing?

Yeah. And that you're comfortable in here

and it's the outside world that's more difficult for you.

-Yeah, I just want to get over myself.

-Good. All right.

-..With a bit of 1D.

-Who better? Thanks, Alison. You may go.

Thank you.

I think today's been really good.

When I first met her she was so terrified and nervous

and through the day I think she's calming down

and is finding strength in the fact that she is good at singing.

She's got a lovely voice, she's going to be really useful in this.

I think that will give her a massive boost.

# Since my baby left me

# I found a new place to dwell... #

The first day of rehearsals is coming to an end.

# I've been so lonely, baby

# I've been so lonely

# I've been so lonely I could die. #

Singing in a choir,

it's an opportunity to be involved in a team again.

That's been missing from my life.

The Army has been part of my family's history for six or

seven generations.

Unfortunately, my career came to an end when I was injured

and those are the cards that you're dealt.

In many respects I'm a househusband.

I'm a sourdough-baking, yoghurt-making ninja househusband.

Do you know this one?

# No more do I see the starlight through. #

-You're a proper crooner, aren't you?

-It's been known.

It's nice to meet up with them after so many years

because it's 50-odd years since I served.

There's a camaraderie there, that never, ever...

You don't ever get that in civilian life.

You're always a brother.

# No more feel the tender kisses that we used to share

# I close my eyes and clearly my heart... #

It's the second day of rehearsals at the recovery centre.

I've tried to pick a song that has something that will mean

something to them. I know it's a One Direction song

but it actually has lyrics that are charged and are apt for them.

I want them to engage with the music emotionally.

It is about celebrating everything they've done.

-Come in, come in.

-Morning.

-You all right? Hello, how are you?

OK, so we are now going to crack on with our song.

And I think the first thing I would like to do is to

think about what this song means for us.

It's so easy to put that barrier up

and not actually think about what the words mean to you.

And I can sniff the difference between it meaning something

to you and not meaning something to you and you doing it by rote.

So who would like to volunteer to read them out?

Yes, sir. Go on, then, Stewart. Do you want to stand?

I've got fire for a heart I'm not scared of the dark

You've never seen it look so easy You taught me how to be someone

-Yeah...

-LAUGHTER

Let's have some other people read. Anyone else?

When I first read this I was, like, relating it to my daughter.

So when I read it I'm thinking of my daughter

-and how she's been there for me.

-Supportive.

-Through the tough times.

-Could you read it now?

-No.

Not now having just said that, I can't.

-Give it a go, this is what this is about.

-Oh, sh...

All my life you stood by me When no-one else was ever behind me

All these lights They can't blind me

With your love, nobody can drag me down.

Good. That's really good. And that's what I'm looking for.

You OK?

Sorry.

-It's all right.

-There's another emotion for me

and that actually is quite a lot of anger.

Um...

Cos I think when you're doing well and you're wearing the beret

-and you're wearing all the rest of it, everyone's around you.

-Yeah.

And then when the wheels fall off...

-They're not.

-Yeah, there is a sense of being on your own, actually.

Yeah, of course.

But with that the gratefulness of the unconditional love of...

for me, those closest to me whilst the phone kind of stopped ringing.

Yeah.

This business of connecting to the lyrics

and connecting to the song is so important.

It just takes that little step into singing with heart.

But I think we've taken an important one this morning.

Go and get a break. Off you go. Thank you. Very good.

When I was dragged down to the lowest level my daughter was

the purpose in my life. She was the reason to...

..get better, to be better.

And to make a life for myself.

Shit.

Um...

My first taste of how difficult this is going to be for them.

If this is to be an experience that does something for them and

does something to the audience

that's inspiring we've got to go there.

How are you feeling?

Quite surprised at the level of emotion that I'm feeling today.

-Are you?

-Which I hadn't quite...

It's only day two, for God's sake.

You see, I think that was me yesterday.

-So we're obviously just going to take it in turns.

-Yeah.

The two women in the corner.

Get your wellie boots on.

Gemma was the first woman to be awarded with

the RLC Carmen Sword for outstanding young officer.

Aged 25 she served as a captain during the Kosovo war.

We were going out daily...

..observing the most horrendous ethnic cleansing you can imagine.

These were kids and you'd arrive, they'd implore you because you

were somehow this beacon of hope and they'd implore you to help them.

And yet really you could do nothing.

The toughest thing for me was when we evacuated people that had

worked for us and local villagers were rounded up.

And many of them had a bullet in the back of the head.

I still struggle with that now, actually.

Certainly the guilt of it now.

When Gemma returned home she struggled to cope.

I was sleeping in disused stairwells by choice whilst my youngest

was learning to crawl.

And other people were looking after him

and I'm swigging out of a bottle and choosing to sleep rough.

I haven't forgotten the past but I have moved on from it.

Before Kosovo Gemma was an accomplished singer

and pianist but hasn't played since.

Letting it go and really singing from the heart...

The fear is I'll open some of those boxes that are firmly padlocked.

I'm anxious but I feel ready to do... Yeah, to do it.

Down - two, three and...

# Down

# Nobody, nobody... #

Gareth's new recruits are due to perform

at the Invictus Games in just

six weeks and they're struggling.

Ah!

It sounds like an accident at the moment.

We are going to take a pause there.

For the next few hours he's splitting up his troops.

It's time for your one on one.

-You make a great guide dog.

-Excellent

GARETH BARKS

He wants to drill them individually.

No, what I want you to do is copy just what I sing.

# If I didn't have you there would be nothing left... #

Nope.

-# If I didn't have you there would be nothing left... #

-Nope.

# Yeah, all my life... #

-# My life... #

-Yeah.

Now with a face that doesn't look like an axe murderer.

HE LAUGHS

Paul is still struggling with the basics.

PAUL VOCALISES

GARETH VOCALISES

-That's what I'm doing.

-No - that's RIGHT.

If you think I ain't good enough then you just got to tell me.

I would. You're working hard. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Can you do the next bit?

THEY VOCALISE

Good.

Yeah!

There's a nice voice in there.

Whereas when you're trying to make a massive, manly...

GARETH YELLS

..it's just not nice. You're not used to the more sensitive side...

No, I've been roughed around and beaten up all me life.

I'm just used to being smacked around the head and get on with it.

-It's not really my approach.

-No, I don't suppose it is.

PAUL LAUGHS

I've got fire for a heart

I'm not scared of the dark.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Stewart, who has severe traumatic brain

injury, has spent the afternoon trying to memorise the lyrics.

Never seen it...look so easy.

Who would have thought that learning a song to words would be

so hard for me?

Just the practicality of it winds me up.

'Cos it's words, plus music'

plus being amongst other people

and it's almost like...not an attack but it's a lot of pressure

on all my senses and my brain is struggling to handle this.

It can't multitask.

I've got fire for a heart

I'm not scared of the dark.

-You wanted to see me.

-Yes.

-I am at a complete blank with the words.

-Yes.

I can only remember the first line.

-OK. You're a very diligent and focused and driven character.

-Yeah.

I think that's nothing to do with your brain injury,

-that's just you, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Clearly the rank you got to, it's the kind of person you are.

Which can lead to frustration

because the brain can't keep up with that.

Then let's have the words.

I would just take the pressure off, use the lyrics for today.

That's fine. No problem for me.

Stewart, he's a high achiever.

And I could see his sense of frustration in it not just

happening for him.

I think memory, remembering all the words quickly

so that you can get them out in quick succession,

that's a big problem for people with brain injuries and PTSD.

It's a lot to contend with, but music, there is so much going on.

They've got to think about the audience, got to think about me,

got to think about everyone else, listen to the music.

It's a lot to take on board.

And I think there's problems in every single area.

You should be so lucky, baby.

Come in, come and stand by the fire.

After two tough days of rehearsals Gareth has arranged

a surprise night out.

# What I really, really want

# So tell me what you want, what you really, really want. #

I'm slightly mortified by karaoke.

# I tell you what I want, what I really, really want. #

But this is great. It's really good for them.

# All you want to do is ride around... #

It's been a really stressful few rehearsals.

The things that they've dealt with in their lives are intense

and we can't talk about it all the time,

we can't think about it all the time, we need to have some fun.

# Sweet Caroline

THEY VOCALISE

# Good times never seemed so good. #

-I'll make a big pig's ear out of it.

-Last to take to the stage is Alison.

-I can't do it.

-Why don't we do it together? Let's do a duet.

Let's do Angels, right.

# I sit and wait

# Does an angel

# Contemplate my fate?

# I'm loving angels instead

# And through it all

# She offers me protection... #

I am up on the stage singing. It's actually quite exhilarating.

I kind of almost hold some regret for the past seven years that I've

kind of cocooned myself

and shut down and stayed away from everything that I really loved,

which is music. It's quite sad. This is awesome.

Well done, Alis.

Today Gareth has a surprise lined up for the choir.

It's the last day at Tedworth House

and I think it's right that they perform.

Just a small performance, something to ease them into it, but we need

an audience, we need to stand up and see what these guys are made of.

Before they perform Gareth has an idea to improve the song's

arrangement.

I've been thinking about the song.

I think I'd like to hear a couple of people do some solos.

I feel like that first line could benefit from having a solo voice.

So, Alison, could I hear you do the first bit?

And then, Bernie, would you mind doing the first two lines of,

"If I didn't have you there would be nothing left"?

-Are you OK with that?

-Yeah.

I know you are because you did that karaoke last night.

Two, three and...

# I've got a fire for a heart

# I'm not scared of the dark

# You've never seen it look so easy

# If I didn't have you I'd never see the sun

# You taught me how I could be someone, yeah

# All my life

# You stood by me

# With your love nobody can drag me down. #

You did it.

I think what you really need now is an audience.

PEOPLE GROAN

Don't you agree?

I think you're ready and I think we should go and perform this now.

-You ready?

-Absolutely sick.

-Come on, let's go.

-Howay, the lads.

Gareth has invited all the Tedworth staff to the

choir's first ever performance.

Really anxious. Got that real sinking in the pit of my stomach.

I'm feeling the pressure, I have to say, with the whole solo thing.

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Please welcome the Invictus Choir.

Thank you very much.

We are going to sing One Direction's Drag Me Down.

# I've got fire for a heart

# I'm not scared of the dark

# You've never seen it look so easy

# I've got a river for a soul

# And, baby, you're a boat

# Baby, you're my only reason

# If I didn't have you there would be nothing left

# The shell of a man who could never be his best

# If I didn't have you I'd never see the sun

# You taught me how to be someone

# Yeah All my life you stood by me

# When no-one else was ever behind me

# All these lights

# They can't blind me

# With your love, nobody can drag me down

# Yeah

# All my life you stood by me

# When no-one else was ever behind me

# All these lights They cannot blind me

# With your love, nobody can drag me down. #

CHEERING

Whoohoo!

APPLAUSE DROWNS OUT SPEECH

That was fantastic. Yeah.

You sound terrific. Much better than One Direction.

It was absolutely amazing

to see how well they've done in such a short space of time,

and I was crying on the front row.

-I was like proper...

-HUMS TUNE

I was loving it, I was.

-Can I have an autograph?

-Yes.

'It was brilliant. I actually can't wait to get home.'

I think they'll be surprised and hopefully proud of what I've done.

-Did you enjoy it?

-ALL: Yes.

It was really, really great.

This is a slightly soft audience.

And, you know, the next audience may not understand

as much as this one did.

We will have to notch it up. At ease!

I think a lot of them were

quite overwhelmed by how powerful that was.

I mean, all we did was walk into a room.

We'd been in there all week,

and yet, having a group of people in front of you,

it changes everything with performance

and it meant something to everyone.

And that's good. It's a good first step.

# All these lights. #

The choir now have a week back at home to practise...

# Nobody can drag me... #

SHE LAUGHS

..and they are drafting in family help.

-# With your love nobody can drag me...

-Down.

-Down. #

# Nobody, nobody. #

Lots. Come here!

# I've got a fire for a heart. #

I've been singing a lot more.

We went climbing mountains, and I was just at the top

and just singing, because no-one else was around. Singing, yeah.

It was quite liberating.

# It looks so easy

# I got a river for a soul

# Baby, you're a boat

# Baby, you're my only reason. #

Ray Charles has got nothing on me.

The choir are singing at the Invictus Games in just four

weeks' time.

I don't think that they sound right yet.

I think there's a long way to go.

You know, they've just scratched the surface.

But Gareth needs some more voices to bolster the choir.

I want it to make an impact. At the moment, we're ten people.

And two women.

And the two women are massively outsung by everybody else.

So, I'm looking for more.

# Amazing grace. #

SHE HOLDS A LONG NOTE

I like her, because, you know, her face lights up

and she sings with intensity.

Yeah. That's great.

Retired Lance Corporal Marillia was serving in Iraq

when a missile attack left her buried alive.

When I was covered by this rubble,

what came to me, immediately, is a song that my mummy gave me

that I just hummed as much as I can.

I heard a guy saying, "Hang in.

"We are going to get you out. We're not going to leave you."

And they did.

Singing is the only thing that kept me knowing that I was alive.

HE SIGHS

This is extraordinary, somebody who, in her darkest hour,

when she thought she was going to die, sang a song.

That's my kind of person.

She's going to be great.

LIVELY MAZURKA PLAYS

Morning. It's Gareth Malone. I'm here with the Invictus Choir.

Today, Gareth is at the Royal Marine barracks in London...

It's not like my school gym.

We didn't have rifle parts on the wall.

..to give the choir their next challenge.

Tomorrow, they are going to be performing at an event

which is launching the Invictus Games.

All the athletes will be there. It's a big deal.

I haven't told them about it yet. They are a vulnerable group.

And I think if I give them too much notice of things,

it can build up in their heads.

Hello. Welcome back.

Marillia, hello. It's very good to have you on board.

Have you all been memorising your lines? What about you, Paul?

-Yeah.

-How's singing going?

-Yeah. I'm pretty squared away. I reckon so.

We shall find out.

The first thing I want to say is,

we've been invited to perform at a very exciting event.

The official launch of the Invictus Games.

This will be in front of all of the athletes

who are going to be taking part.

OK?

Can we go and see the location, please? Before we perform?

-I don't see why not.

-Just because I'll be anxious anyway.

-Yeah.

This is an important part of the preparation

for going to Orlando. Let's go for it. Here we go.

# Nobody, nobody

# Nobody can drag me down. #

..is how it should go. Building, building, building.

# Nobody, nobody

Smooth.

# Nobody can drag me down. #

Think about the words.

-# Nobody, nobody... #

-More energy.

# Nobody can drag me down

# Got a fire for a heart

# I'm not scared of the dark

# You've never seen it look so easy

# If I didn't have you I'd never see the sun... #

And...

-# You taught me how to be someone. #

-Yeah.

That's 10% of the commitment that I'm actually talking about.

# You taught me how to be someone. # Not

-WEAKLY:

-# You taught me how... #

Two, three, and...

# You taught me how to be someone. #

Yes. Question?

I'm really struggling with the noise and everything.

I'm finding I'm getting too much information coming

through my senses at the moment, I'm not listening to what you're

saying, because it's painful in my head.

-Yeah.

-I could do with a break.

-That's absolutely fine.

OK.

# Nobody can drag me down. #

Can we try that? Two, three, and...

# Nobody can drag me down. #

-SINGS NOTE

-No.

Paul, you're the least experienced singer,

and yet, in this situation, you're the loudest, at the moment.

You're singing very forcefully, and on that moment,

it's not quite right.

Are you OK?

Oh, you're stretching out. That's no problem. I'm hungry for energy.

You can't give me too much.

-Have a break. Thank you, all.

-Thank you.

PIANO CONCERTO PLAYS

-I'm having a wobble.

-There's got to be melody in there.

They're sounding awful. They're shouting it.

They're not making music. It doesn't sound good.

I've got an extra woman, but she's like she doesn't know it at all.

I've got people late. I've got people leaving.

I've got people that are, like, on medication.

There are so many things that are difficult about this.

I mean, they need energy, but the more energy I give it,

the more Stewart finds it confusing.

I mean, honestly, and we're going to be performing tomorrow.

So, I'm feeling the pressure.

Can you get louder through the phrase? Here we go.

One, two, three, and...

-# You taught me how to be someone. #

-Ooh!

Not sure we're ready, but hey. Just haven't got a lot of choice.

I suppose it's better that we get 24 hours' notice,

rather than 20 minutes.

# Whatever... # Opera!

-# All these lights. #

-That section almost was good.

Now, I think we're in that military mind-set, we are

committed and we are going to finish it,

irrespective of the pain and anguish perhaps it causes.

# With your love, nobody can drag me down. #

Hey! Good! Good!

Better.

VIOLIN CONCERTO PLAYS

It's the morning of the official launch of the Invictus Games

at Kensington Roof Gardens in London.

Right. It's in here.

The choir will perform in three hours' time.

-This will be full.

-OK.

There'll be about 200 people in here.

I don't do very well with crowded places and lots of people,

so if I can see it

when it's empty and know the format,

I'll know, you know, the lay of the land, basically,

so that should reduce some of my anxiety.

There's no-one behind you except the choir members.

OK.

-OK.

-It doesn't matter what happens,

it's just got to be... What happens, happens.

-Are you happy? Any more questions?

-No. I'm OK.

-Right. Let's go.

-MUSIC: Nimrod by Edward Elgar

-Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

For the rest of the choir, it's last-minute preparations.

Women tend to get a bit frisky when they see a man in a kilt.

And for some, it's the first time they've worn their military

medals since leaving the Forces.

I was thinking this morning, as I got the medals out,

actually, I do feel proud about what I gave and what I did.

That's actually a good feeling. It's something that I haven't

thought about since I left.

I just felt angry and bitter

and probably quite twisted.

This is the Rifles' regimental blazer.

When I put the blazer on, I represent not just myself

and my family but I represent the regiment and the men that fell.

My pals that never came back.

This summarises my 18 years in the military.

This is one of the only ways I can really, truly show what I went

through in terms of my career, and the proudest days of my life.

The Invictus Games for wounded members of the Armed Forces

is now in its second year, with 15 countries taking part.

It's just starting to dawn on me

what an incredible privilege it is to be a part of this team.

Team GB has over 100 athletes competing in Orlando,

hoping to bring home the medals.

Beyond the injury, we can still achieve the extraordinary.

To bring a military flourish to the occasion, Gareth has arranged

for the band of the Coldstream Guards

to perform alongside the choir.

Musical support, it's a hug, it's a beautiful, warm sound

that will help...make them feel less exposed.

But also, it's a... I think it's a nice gesture from the military

of their...of their faith in these guys.

And he's also invited their families to give support.

Before she does her first line, everything will be crossed.

Complete bag of nerves for her.

Yes.

I'm sure she can do it, I keep on sending her little messages.

I'll be deliberately trying not to scan the crowd to find my daughter,

because I'll get really embarrassed and emotional when I see her.

Choir, choir, can I have your attention?

-Quiet.

-All right, listen in.

We're very, very shortly going on stage. This is not a parade.

It needs to be fun and it needs to be spirited

and it needs to be from the heart. You deserve to be there,

you're going to do a fantastic job.

Just please enjoy it and show that in your faces,

because a couple of you are quite stern.

Best of luck. Best of British!

APPLAUSE

Hello. Hello, ladies and gentlemen, athletes.

It's fantastic to be here.

I can think of no choir in the world

that deserves to stand on this stage today alongside you.

We are going to perform a fantastic song by One Direction

as you've not heard it before, because this will be performed

not only by the newly formed Invictus Choir

but also by the band of the Coldstream Guards.

So please welcome to the stage the Invictus Choir!

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

# I've got fire for a heart

# I'm not scared of the dark

# You've never seen it look so easy

# I've got a river for a soul

# And, baby, you're a boat

# Baby, you're my only reason

# If I didn't have you there would be nothing left

# The shell of a man who could never be his best

# If I didn't have you I'd never see the sun

# You taught me how to be someone, yeah

# All my life

# You stood by me

# When no-one else was ever behind me

# All these lights

# They can't blind me

# With your love, nobody can drag me down

# All my life

# You stood by me

# When no-one else was ever behind me

# All these lights

# They can't blind me

# With your love, nobody can drag me down

# Nobody, nobody

# Nobody can drag me

-# Down

-Down

-# Nobody, nobody

-Down

# Nobody can drag me down

# I've got fire for a heart

# I'm not scared of the dark

# You've never seen it look so easy

# I've got a river for a soul

# And, baby, you're a boat

# Baby, you're my only reason

# If I didn't have you, there would be nothing left

# A shell of a man who could never be his best

# If I didn't have you, I'd never see the sun

# You taught me how to be someone, yeah

-# All my life

-Oh-oh

-# You stood by me

-Oh-oh

# When no-one else was ever behind me

-# All these lights

-Oh-oh

-# They can't blind me

-Oh-oh

# With your love, nobody can drag me down. #

CHEERING

They were amazing.

A message that means quite a lot to all of us in some ways,

we've had a lot of people around us,

supporting us through various injuries.

So, yeah, I think it's the perfect song that represents the team.

The choir's performance was just mind-blowing,

out of this world.

It was actually... became quite emotional, actually.

-Wahey!

-Well done, everybody! Well done.

Team hug?

-You done brilliantly.

-Thank you.

-Hiya, baby.

Hello.

-You were brilliant.

-Yeah.

-Was I?

I totally loved it. I totally loved it.

It was awesome.

The lyrics in that song for me are about Dave standing by me.

It's lovely to have him here.

Having a parent sing in public is probably one of the most

embarrassing things a child could have

but I was very surprised

and very proud of him.

I feel that we really smashed it.

All these different voices, but when put together,

it's creating this ultimate and... You know what?

-We're going to be untouchable out there.

-What he said.

PAUL LAUGHS

It's bang on, it's bang on.

They've come on so much.

Four weeks ago, they'd never met and now we're here.

It's great. I'm very proud.

We are part of the Invictus mission and that's...that's wonderful.

It's wonderful for them, you know,

these guys who have been so isolated in their lives

and had so many difficulties.

The look in their eyes said, you know,

we are now a team and it was great.

Next time...

-LAUGHING:

-Jesus Christ!

..the wounded warriors dig deep...

Did you always have hope?

I didn't care what happened to me.

Stick to your guns.

The last time I stuck to a gun, I got blown up.

..as they prepare for the performance of their lives...

# We come together now... #

Build.

..at the Invictus Games.

You've overcome worse.

This is doable.