0:00:02 > 0:00:05- One, two, three and...- Ten years ago, choirmaster Gareth Malone
0:00:05 > 0:00:08set out on a mission to get Britain singing.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11- I want to turn this school into a singing school.- Well, you won't.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13- But I won't, did you say?- Yes.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15- What have I taken on? - HE LAUGHS
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Since then, he's inspired hundreds of people...
0:00:18 > 0:00:19CHEERING
0:00:19 > 0:00:23Singing brings people together spiritually, socially - it's vital!
0:00:23 > 0:00:26..and created 14 very different choirs across the country.
0:00:26 > 0:00:32# Light after darkness! My wondrous star... #
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Now, to mark the tenth anniversary of The Choir,
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Gareth wants to track down members
0:00:38 > 0:00:42from all the choirs he's formed over the years for a huge reunion.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45What I really want is everyone to sing together
0:00:45 > 0:00:48in one giant performance - that would be beautiful.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50And along the way, he hopes to discover
0:00:50 > 0:00:54how being in one of his choirs has changed people's lives.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Music was definitely a dream for me. Gareth just realised it.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02It was just a moment in my life. I'll thank him forever for that.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05If I can sing in front of the Queen on live telly,
0:01:05 > 0:01:07then I can pretty much do anything in my life.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11But with just four short weeks to pull off his ambitious plan...
0:01:11 > 0:01:13This is The Choir times 100.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15..can he gather all his choirs together
0:01:15 > 0:01:17for one final celebratory performance?
0:01:17 > 0:01:20It's like holding a birthday party...
0:01:20 > 0:01:22and I haven't got enough canapes!
0:01:25 > 0:01:31# And all the people rejoice
0:01:31 > 0:01:33# Rejoice! #
0:01:33 > 0:01:36A decade ago, 30-year-old Gareth Malone
0:01:36 > 0:01:38was an unknown community choirmaster.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43I was fresh out of music college, I was hungry for a big challenge,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47and this came up - this opportunity to make people sing -
0:01:47 > 0:01:50and it felt absolutely right. I just... I leapt at it
0:01:52 > 0:01:53Gareth's mission was
0:01:53 > 0:01:55to go into a typical secondary school
0:01:55 > 0:01:59with no tradition of singing and set up a choir.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01BELL RINGS
0:02:01 > 0:02:03LOUD OVERLAPPING CHATTER
0:02:03 > 0:02:07He settled on Northolt High School in North West London.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09We're just waiting for one or two
0:02:09 > 0:02:12to please come to silence, so we can make a start.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14But this wasn't to be ANY choir.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Gareth was determined it would hold its own with the very best.
0:02:18 > 0:02:23We plan to take part in not just a sort of, like, local competition,
0:02:23 > 0:02:30but a Choir Olympics - it's the World Choir Olympics 2006 to China.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Are we cool? Are we ready to go? I think we are.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37'Walking into that school on that first day, with so much at stake.'
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me. I need to get through.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45Can I get these kids to sing at an international level?
0:02:45 > 0:02:47'The fact that it was going to be on television
0:02:47 > 0:02:50'made it much more risky for me.'
0:02:50 > 0:02:53- We are in an area of relative social deprivation.- Mm-hm.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55That would include a fair sprinkling of kids
0:02:55 > 0:02:57with some of the disadvantages
0:02:57 > 0:02:59- that can...- Yeah. - ..trip them up later in life.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03- We don't have a formal musical tradition.- Yeah.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06So I hope you're coming into some fertile
0:03:06 > 0:03:09- but as yet unploughed ground. - HE LAUGHS
0:03:09 > 0:03:11'I felt like I didn't really know what I was doing.'
0:03:11 > 0:03:13If I'm honest.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18'It's slightly alarming that there's no history of music making.'
0:03:18 > 0:03:20They're not going to know what I'm talking about.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22I'm going to say, "mezzo forte,"
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and they will be just giving me the blankest looks.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29MUSIC: Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Not unsurprisingly for a school with no musical tradition,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35auditions to join the choir were hit and miss.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Can you sing this note?
0:03:37 > 0:03:38FLAT NOTE
0:03:38 > 0:03:40FLAT SCALES, HE LAUGHS
0:03:40 > 0:03:41WHEEZY NOTE
0:03:41 > 0:03:43NOTE DISAPPEARS, HE COUGHS
0:03:43 > 0:03:46'And I was having to weed out who's actually interested in singing?
0:03:46 > 0:03:49'Who'll be passionate about this? Who's got the potential?'
0:03:49 > 0:03:51And very few of them actually did
0:03:51 > 0:03:54have the potential to get all the way to China.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56# Tainted love!
0:03:56 > 0:03:58# Don't touch me, please!
0:03:58 > 0:04:02# I cannot stand the way you tease! #
0:04:02 > 0:04:06That took balls to come in here and do a dance. Ha-ha!
0:04:06 > 0:04:09# Tainted love!
0:04:09 > 0:04:11# Don't touch me, please! #
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Rhonda's audition - I thought... I just...
0:04:14 > 0:04:18That really stood out for me, as somebody who had personality,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21who wasn't afraid, and she was, immediately,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23as soon as she started dancing,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26I felt like that was the kind of person I wanted in the choir.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30# Say 'em loud, say 'em clear... #
0:04:30 > 0:04:33'She was on side from day one.'
0:04:33 > 0:04:35For me, she was the team leader.
0:04:35 > 0:04:36- Let's do it for England. - CHILDREN: Yay!
0:04:36 > 0:04:38- Do it for Northolt. - CHILDREN: Yay!
0:04:38 > 0:04:41- Do it for our friends, our family. - CHILDREN: Yay!
0:04:41 > 0:04:44- Let's do it for Gareth. - APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:04:45 > 0:04:47That's much better than I could've done.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50She practically brought me an apple.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53TUNEFUL SINGING
0:04:56 > 0:04:57Eventually, Gareth recruited
0:04:57 > 0:05:0125 of the school's best singers for his choir.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08But it wasn't plain sailing - the pupils struggled
0:05:08 > 0:05:11with the technical challenges of choral singing.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Let me tell you, it is worlds away from where it's got to be by July.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20It is nowhere near good enough at the moment to win anything.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22There were so many points where I just thought,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25"This is not working!" and in particular the tenors.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29LOW SINGING
0:05:29 > 0:05:30OK...
0:05:30 > 0:05:32OTHERS BEGIN, SOME OUT OF TUNE
0:05:32 > 0:05:34OK, hang on, what's your first note, tenors?
0:05:34 > 0:05:36- SOME SING THE NOTE - Can you all sing it?
0:05:36 > 0:05:39- ALL SING THE NOTE - One, two...
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Ahmed, can you sit up and look like you're in a rehearsal,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44not like you're watching EastEnders?! Here we go.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Pathetic! Wasting my time! You're wasting my time.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Frankly, I feel like walking out and going home.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54I was under massive pressure and I was putting that pressure on them.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57I can't believe we're in this position
0:05:57 > 0:05:59where people don't know their part.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00I had to kind of go now and again,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03"This is real! You need to learn this stuff!
0:06:03 > 0:06:05"You need to know what you're doing! You are on stage!
0:06:05 > 0:06:08"You will look like idiots and so will I!"
0:06:08 > 0:06:11And, sometimes, that pressure just exploded
0:06:11 > 0:06:14and, when it exploded, it was Kodi.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17- HE SIGHS LOUDLY - I'm at a loss!
0:06:17 > 0:06:19You're just sitting there being quiet, yeah?
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Then why did you audition for this, then?!
0:06:21 > 0:06:24- Cool, I'm going out. - BOY: Sit down, man.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Kodi, please don't...
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Kodi! Kodi!
0:06:28 > 0:06:31- Kodi, come back! - DOOR CRASHES
0:06:31 > 0:06:34'Everyone's been kind of stressed for a few weeks,'
0:06:34 > 0:06:36but they haven't really been saying anything,
0:06:36 > 0:06:41for fear of causing arguments, so everyone just exploded today.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Oh, this is a really nightmarish situation!
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Today, with just four weeks until his great choir reunion,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Gareth urgently needs to spread the word.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58And the ex-pupils of Northolt are first on his list.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Of all the people in the choir who I would call on,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03I think Rhonda's a good place to start.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06She was always a group leader, so I'm going to give her a call.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07RINGING
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Ah, hello!
0:07:09 > 0:07:11- Hello, how are you?- I'm all right. Let me turn this up.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- Hey, how are you doing? - I'm very well. How are you?
0:07:14 > 0:07:17I'm extremely well. Nice to see your face!
0:07:17 > 0:07:20So I'm getting the choir back together.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22That sounds amazing!
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Are you, are you keen?
0:07:24 > 0:07:25I'm overly keen!
0:07:25 > 0:07:29MUSIC: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Gareth's heading back to Northolt, where Rhonda still lives.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39Really excited to see her. We spent so much time together
0:07:39 > 0:07:42at such an important stage in their lives.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46But unbeknownst to Gareth, Rhonda's not alone.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- Ah! Look! - LAUGHTER
0:07:49 > 0:07:50Aw!
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- Mate, how are you?- I'm great! - Surprise!- I'm really well...
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Tenor Kodi has also turned up.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00- Hello!- Hello!- How are you? That is a nice surprise.- I'm glad!
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Aw, I'm so pleased to see you!
0:08:03 > 0:08:05- So how are you? How have you been? - I'm very well.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- Very good.- What are you doing? - I'm doing design at the moment,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12- just doing roadworks and things like that.- Roadworks?- Yeah.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15- You're designing roadworks? - I know, it's very interesting.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17# All of me... #
0:08:17 > 0:08:21But music is still a big part of Rhonda's life.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25'I sing in a few jazz bands and...'
0:08:25 > 0:08:27I've done a few gigs.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29I've always wanted to perform.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31That's why the choir was a stepping stone for that,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34because it made me realise this is what I want to do.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39# All of me! #
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Kodi, what impact did the choir have on you?
0:08:41 > 0:08:45The choir had a massive impact on my life personally, um,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48as you probably can tell, back then, I was a bit of a troubled teen.
0:08:48 > 0:08:49I had some definite issues.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53It was a famous thing and everyone calls me "Door Slammer Kodi" still!
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- My Christmas cards, I still get DSK. - DSK?!- Absolutely, absolutely!
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- I'm so sorry!- Watching myself back and seeing how I carried myself,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03and you were the first adult that had said that music
0:09:03 > 0:09:07wasn't a complete waste of time and it was a plausible option to pursue.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10It was a massive, massive change for me, the choir,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- it stemmed who I am now, pretty much.- Hmm, wow.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15LOUD DRUMMING
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Kodi now works in the music industry.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19I've been drum teching
0:09:19 > 0:09:23for artists such as Laura Mvula and, in the last 18 months, Paolo Nutini.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26I've been touring with them around the world
0:09:26 > 0:09:27and doing festivals like this.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31Music was definitely a dream for me. Gareth just realised it.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36So I plan to have a reunion, not just of your choir,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39- but of all the choirs that I've been involved in...- Brilliant.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43- ..for the last ten years.- Wow, OK! - And I think it would not be right
0:09:43 > 0:09:45if you didn't make an appearance there.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- Let's do it!- Yeah. - Why not?- Yeah, let's do it!
0:09:48 > 0:09:50- Good! Oh, well, that's good, so I've got two!- Yes.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- OK, well, will you help me find all the others?- Yes.- Absolutely!
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Next on Gareth's hit list -
0:09:57 > 0:10:00one of his most challenging choir members ever.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04# At night, I think of you
0:10:04 > 0:10:08# I want to be your lady, baby! #
0:10:08 > 0:10:12The student that really stands out in my memory is Chloe Sullivan,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15with whom I had my ups and downs.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19I don't think I'm naughty compared to some people that I know,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23but I don't think I'm completely obedient either.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25You're about there, between those two.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29MUSIC: Theme from Carmen by Georges Bizet
0:10:29 > 0:10:31- Interesting choice!- Yeah.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33I have to say that she's one of the girls in Year 11 that we are
0:10:33 > 0:10:37- most concerned about...- Right. - ..in terms of academic outcomes.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Not unable, but, um, her disaffection is
0:10:40 > 0:10:44shown typically, I'm afraid, in lateness to school,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48- so you might want to think about commitment.- Uh-huh?
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Is she genuinely committed to attending and to turning up on time
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- and all those sort of things? - Uh-huh.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59Ashley Mills. Yes. Cathy Surrey? Charlie? Yes. Chloe Sullivan?
0:11:01 > 0:11:07And answer came there none. Any idea where Chloe Sullivan is?
0:11:07 > 0:11:10She was late, she wouldn't answer the phone,
0:11:10 > 0:11:11so I couldn't get hold of her
0:11:11 > 0:11:14and, at one stage, I did think she would leave.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- Hello? - MUSIC ON THE LINE
0:11:17 > 0:11:18Hmm, I'm going to try again.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- She said hello and then... - PHONE BEEPS
0:11:21 > 0:11:24She probably heard my voice and then went, "Oh!"
0:11:24 > 0:11:27'It ran out of battery when he called.'
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Just as he said, "Hello, is that Chloe?" it cut out.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39If you can't engage a girl like Chloe
0:11:39 > 0:11:41with a musical activity like this,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44then what hope is there for her? And I felt like, if I gave up on her,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47then it's kind of like the last line of defence. If the arts fail...
0:11:47 > 0:11:49you know, she's got no chance!
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Gareth's patience eventually paid off.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56- Give her a clap, everyone. - APPLAUSE AND CHEERS
0:11:56 > 0:12:00# There's a calm surrender to the rush of day... # Here we go, ready?
0:12:05 > 0:12:09- SOULFUL SINGING: - # There's a calm surrender
0:12:09 > 0:12:12# To the rush of day
0:12:12 > 0:12:16# When the heat of the rolling wind
0:12:16 > 0:12:19# Can be turned away
0:12:20 > 0:12:24# An enchanted moment
0:12:24 > 0:12:27# And it sees me through
0:12:27 > 0:12:31# It's enough for this restless warrior
0:12:31 > 0:12:34# Just to be with you. #
0:12:36 > 0:12:39SHE LAUGHS, HUGE CHEERS AND APPLAUSE
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Well done, Chloe. That was great.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49That took...that took a lot of nerve. Well done.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54That was a massive change and I felt like actually rewarding that effort.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57So Gareth decided she should have a leading role
0:12:57 > 0:12:59at the World Choir Olympics.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02There's a long solo on page nine.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04I think... Chloe?
0:13:04 > 0:13:05Well done.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08CHEERING
0:13:08 > 0:13:10'I'd love her to be part of this reunion,'
0:13:10 > 0:13:13because she was a huge part of Northolt.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17- 'Hello?'- Hello, Chloe, it's Gareth. - 'Oh, hi, Gareth, how are you doing?'
0:13:17 > 0:13:21- I'm really well, how are you? - 'Yeah, I'm good, thank you.'
0:13:21 > 0:13:22I remember all the days of phoning you
0:13:22 > 0:13:25- and just getting your answerphone. - SHE LAUGHS
0:13:27 > 0:13:28Since leaving school,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Chloe's been forging a career as a development worker
0:13:32 > 0:13:34as well as studying for a degree
0:13:34 > 0:13:36and Gareth's gone to meet her after work.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38How is singing in your life?
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- Have you been doing any? - Um, no, not really.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43I went through patches of singing in, like, a church choir
0:13:43 > 0:13:48and then, um, I helped out on some, like, singing classes as well.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51- So you became the teacher? - Yeah!- How was that?
0:13:51 > 0:13:53- It was OK. The young people were nice, so...- Right.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56..they wanted to be there and, yeah, they got on with it.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58- Just like you(!) - SHE LAUGHS:- Yeah!
0:13:58 > 0:14:01How does it feel, looking back to that time?
0:14:01 > 0:14:03It's really strange! I don't recognise who...
0:14:03 > 0:14:06- I can't identify with who I was then.- Really?
0:14:06 > 0:14:10So what...what changed in your life to get to where you are now?
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Um, probably, to start with,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- the experience of being in the choir.- Really?
0:14:15 > 0:14:20It kind of broadened my perspective of what's achievable and, also,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24when I looked back on how I was, I wanted to change that,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26- so I took responsibility of changing that.- Yeah.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28- Did it make a difference going to China?- Yeah.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32It opened up a broader perspective of the world.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35- The world is bigger than Northolt. - Yeah, it's huge, yeah!
0:14:35 > 0:14:39Well, look, I'm having a reunion and there's a rehearsal next Tuesday.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42- Can't do that! - Can't do Tuesday?- No.- Oh, no!
0:14:42 > 0:14:45- I'm in Portugal next Tuesday. - Portugal? Oh, no!- Yeah.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48- If I send you some notes, will you learn them?- Yes.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50- You're diligent now?- Yeah.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53- I'll be in the sea and the pool... - This is Chloe 2.0.- Yeah!
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Well, um, if you can't come to the one on Tuesday,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- will you come to the next rehearsal?- Yeah.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01- And I'll send you some stuff.- OK. - I'll see you soon!- Yeah.- Bye.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03- I'm really glad you're doing it. - Great to see you.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04- You too, bye-bye.- See you.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12Back in July 2006, Gareth's Northolt choir jetted nearly 5,000 miles
0:15:12 > 0:15:17round the world to China to compete in the World Choir Olympics.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Welcome to China.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25I was elated. What 15-year-old goes to China? Unbelievable!
0:15:26 > 0:15:29It's really different. It's, like, mad.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33I had only ever been abroad once before,
0:15:33 > 0:15:38so it was quite strange being in a new culture that we had to learn
0:15:38 > 0:15:40and everyone kept bowing around us and things like that,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43'so it was an eye-opening experience.'
0:15:43 > 0:15:46It's very different from Wembley market.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49This was huge! The biggest thing that had ever happened to them!
0:15:49 > 0:15:51And I felt like aspiration was something that was
0:15:51 > 0:15:55missing in some of their lives and here was a chance to excite and
0:15:55 > 0:15:59to make them aspire to do something that they'd never done before.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06The contest was attended by 400 rival choirs.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08And, for the pupils of Northolt,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11who nine months previously had never sung in a choir,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14just being there felt like a monumental achievement.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21- # Sail on, silver girl - Sail on, silver girl
0:16:21 > 0:16:26- # Sail on by- Sail on by
0:16:26 > 0:16:31# Your time has come to shine!
0:16:31 > 0:16:35# All your dreams are on their way
0:16:35 > 0:16:39- ALL:- # See how they shine! #
0:16:39 > 0:16:43'I was very proud of the choir's achievements and what we did -'
0:16:43 > 0:16:47how we worked together and how we improved over the time.
0:16:47 > 0:16:53# Like a bridge over troubled water
0:16:53 > 0:16:58# I will ease your mind. #
0:16:58 > 0:17:01MUSIC STOPS, APPLAUSE
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Well done! Yey!
0:17:04 > 0:17:07To get from there, when we've never sung in a classical choir before,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11to this point now, is just amazing.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- Really good. ..Come here. - It was beautiful!- It was beautiful!
0:17:14 > 0:17:18The Northolt choir didn't bag a medal at the Choir Olympics.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22But the pupils all returned home with a new sense of self-confidence.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26I look back with such fond memories about how, over a course of a year,
0:17:26 > 0:17:31all of us could change so much in regards to the confidence
0:17:31 > 0:17:37and just wanting to sing and having this dedication to do
0:17:37 > 0:17:41something completely different to what we would've done normally.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43I'm really going to miss them.
0:17:43 > 0:17:44This is what being in a choir's about.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48It's the most moving thing, to stand up with a group of people like this
0:17:48 > 0:17:52and you get to know them, you get to know them in a wonderful sense,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55in a sense that you don't get to know people, everyday people.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57I think, in those kids' minds,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00choir was something that happened in other schools. Not for them.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03And I absolutely proved that it could be for them,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06that it could matter to them, that they could get all the way to China
0:18:06 > 0:18:09and they could stand on that stage with integrity,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13and it would mean something... to them.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16MUSIC: Concerto For Two Pianos & Orchestra by Karl Brazda
0:18:19 > 0:18:23It's just over three weeks now until the big event and, so far, Gareth's
0:18:23 > 0:18:27only managed to persuade three old faces to come and sing.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29It feels a bit thin on the ground.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32I don't really have enough people to warrant calling it a choir.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Um, I've got a few numbers to phone.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36I'm going to see if I can gather people together.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38RINGING
0:18:38 > 0:18:39Hello, can you hear me?
0:18:39 > 0:18:41- RINGING - Come on!
0:18:41 > 0:18:43- 'Hello?'- Hello, can you hear me?
0:18:43 > 0:18:46- 'Welcome to the EE voicemail...' - Argh! ..Hello?!
0:18:46 > 0:18:48FAST-PACED VOICEMAIL GREETING
0:18:48 > 0:18:53- Hello?- '..is not available.' - Argh!
0:18:53 > 0:18:57- 'Yes?'- Hello, it's Gareth Malone. - HE LAUGHS:- 'Oh, hello, Gareth!'
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Just checking you're up for coming and having a reunion
0:19:00 > 0:19:02- and doing some singing? - 'Yeah, absolutely.'
0:19:02 > 0:19:03Yes!
0:19:03 > 0:19:07- Are you coming tomorrow to the rehearsal?- 'Yes, I am, I am coming.'
0:19:08 > 0:19:11I think I've got about nine now.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Nine is... It's too small.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19With the reunion looming, and only a handful of singers signed up,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Gareth now plans to track down one of his most challenging choirs.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26I'm off to Lancaster School for Boys,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30which is where I formed a choir of 100 boys.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33I'll be very interested to see whether the atmosphere
0:19:33 > 0:19:37around singing is the same as it was when I left.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39I hope it hasn't gone back to the one that...
0:19:39 > 0:19:42to what it was like when I arrived. It was very negative.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45MUSIC: William Tell Overture by Rossini
0:19:45 > 0:19:49In 2007, Gareth chose the Lancaster School -
0:19:49 > 0:19:52one of the biggest single-sex comprehensives in the country -
0:19:52 > 0:19:56to confront a serious image problem he'd identified with singing.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00It's not really kind of a boys' thing,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03cos boys prefer, like, football and sports.
0:20:03 > 0:20:04Singing is for girls.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Boys are a problem in choirs.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08They were when I was at school and they certainly were
0:20:08 > 0:20:11when I turned up in Lancaster School for Boys in Leicester.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- I want to turn this school into a singing school.- Well, you won't.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16- I won't, did you say?- Yes!
0:20:16 > 0:20:18They did not want to sing!
0:20:18 > 0:20:20- I tell you now, I ain't singing. - Flat refusals!
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Choir singings boring, innit?
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It's like church singing!
0:20:25 > 0:20:26Church singing's boring as well!
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Gareth needed to grab their attention from the off.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44# She's like the swallow that flies so high
0:20:44 > 0:20:49# She's like the river that never runs dry...#
0:20:49 > 0:20:52It was a last-minute decision to stand up and sing a song.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54'You've got to lead from the front,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57'and so, I stood up in that assembly hall and I sang'
0:20:57 > 0:21:01possibly the girliest song ever, um, totally unashamed.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04# I love my love
0:21:04 > 0:21:08# But love is no more. #
0:21:14 > 0:21:17There was no red on his face or anything!
0:21:17 > 0:21:19I mean, I saw a few boys laughing and that,
0:21:19 > 0:21:20but I thought it was very good.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23I just thought it was good. It wasn't funny, it was just good.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Eight years later, Gareth has returned to Leicester
0:21:31 > 0:21:35in the hope the school can put him in touch with some of its ex-pupils.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37I can hear singing - that's encouraging.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39SCHOOL CHOIR PERFORM
0:21:41 > 0:21:45SINGING AND LOUD DRUMMING
0:21:50 > 0:21:52SINGING AND PLAYING STOPS, CHEERING
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Sweet.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Sweet. The gutsy singing!
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Just quickly, we have a very special visitor.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02- Good morning, Mr Malone.- Morning.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04- Morning, boys. - ALL: Morning.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08And thank you very much, gentlemen. That was really lovely.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13Um, it feels very strange to be back here. I think you should all sing.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16- Would you all like to sing a song? - ALL: Yeah!- Yeah!
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Right, let's try it! Here we go, one, two, three...
0:22:19 > 0:22:24- # And darling... - Darling, stand by me
0:22:24 > 0:22:28# Oh-oh, stand by me
0:22:28 > 0:22:31# Oh, stand...
0:22:31 > 0:22:34# Stand by me. #
0:22:34 > 0:22:35APPLAUSE
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Thank you very much, boys.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44I really enjoy singing.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47I've been doing it for, like, a good couple of years.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Boys can sing and we've proven it today.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51It is not just a girl's thing.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Singing is for all genders and all people.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56It does feel very different now.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59I felt this morning singing in that assembly that you...
0:22:59 > 0:23:03that it was sort of OK and there were 20 boys on stage
0:23:03 > 0:23:05and they were all singing and no-one really minded
0:23:05 > 0:23:07and that is so different.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09That would not have happened when I arrived.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11BELL RINGS
0:23:11 > 0:23:15Back in 2007, when Gareth became choirmaster for nine months,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18his vision was to create a huge boys choir
0:23:18 > 0:23:21capable of performing at the Royal Albert Hall,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24one of the world's most iconic stages.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Don't throw it at me. Come over here, pick it up
0:23:26 > 0:23:29But it proved an uphill struggle.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31It was systemic!
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Everyone had this attitude in that school that singing was toxic.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Even the boys that sang didn't want to sing.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40You know, there were boys that sang in the local churches or cathedrals.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Would they sing within school? Not a chance.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48Even the GCSE music students were reticent to let loose.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51UNENTHUSIASTIC SINGING
0:23:54 > 0:23:57SINGING GETS QUIETER
0:24:00 > 0:24:02'They need a lot of cajoling, a lot of persuading,'
0:24:02 > 0:24:05a lot of, um, a lot of praise, I need to...
0:24:05 > 0:24:07"You're very good, you're doing very well,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09"let's do it again just a little bit better."
0:24:09 > 0:24:12It's going to be a softly-softly approach with this lot, I think.
0:24:12 > 0:24:13He's got a very positive attitude.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16He's not just like, "OK, now, I know no-one wants to,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19"but we're going to do some choir singing."
0:24:19 > 0:24:21MORE ENTHUSIASTIC SINGING
0:24:23 > 0:24:27After weeks of intensive group teaching and one-on-one lessons,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30slowly the school started to sing.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33- ALL:- # Sometimes in our lives - GARETH SINGS LOUDLY
0:24:33 > 0:24:36# We all have pain
0:24:36 > 0:24:39# We all have sorrow
0:24:39 > 0:24:42# But if we are wise
0:24:42 > 0:24:46# We know that there's always tomorrow... #
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Eventually, Gareth assembled a choir
0:24:49 > 0:24:52and the first recruits started to practise.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54One, two, three...
0:24:54 > 0:24:56- Oh... - HE SLAMS THE KEYBOARD
0:24:56 > 0:24:58I'm a stickler for the first word.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01I need to hear "It's been a..." or else...
0:25:01 > 0:25:03- HE MUMBLES:- "It's been a hard..." ..doesn't make any sense.
0:25:03 > 0:25:04One, two, three...
0:25:04 > 0:25:08# It's been a hard day's night
0:25:08 > 0:25:12# And I've been working like a dog... #
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Back at the Lancaster School today, Gareth's trying to and find out
0:25:19 > 0:25:21what happened to some of his former choir members,
0:25:21 > 0:25:25with the help of headmaster Mr Kennedy.
0:25:25 > 0:25:26To jog their memories,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Gareth's brought a picture of the entire choir
0:25:29 > 0:25:32at their final performance at the Royal Albert Hall.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37- TUNEFUL SINGING - Three...
0:25:37 > 0:25:39I'd love to find Tojan. Do you know where he is?
0:25:39 > 0:25:44Tojan is touring at the moment with a cruise liner.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47- # When the night has come... # - 'What about Whachi?'
0:25:47 > 0:25:50I don't know where he is, but I understand family
0:25:50 > 0:25:52have still got a business in the locality.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54- We could find out from there. - It was a chippy?- Yeah.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57# Another day has gone... #
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- Imran - do you know where Imran is? - No.- No.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02- He's disappeared.- In Leicester?
0:26:02 > 0:26:05- # What would you think...? # - 'There's Lewis Meagor.'
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Do you know what he's doing?
0:26:07 > 0:26:10- Studying. I understand.- Studying.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Lewis, can I have a quick word?
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Gareth awarded 13-year-old Lewis
0:26:18 > 0:26:21with a solo at the choir's first ever public performance.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- Oh, thank you.- Well done.
0:26:23 > 0:26:24'I'm very, very happy!'
0:26:26 > 0:26:28I just can't believe it, cos there were so many good singers!
0:26:28 > 0:26:31# You'll forget the sun... #
0:26:31 > 0:26:35'Fields Of Gold is a very important song to me,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37'because it's my nan's favourite song'
0:26:37 > 0:26:41and my mum knows it very well as well and she likes it.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43SINGING CONTINUES
0:26:43 > 0:26:46I've been singing around the house, when mum isn't here,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48cos I just want to surprise her.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51He must know that he's got something good going on,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54because he's desperate to show me, but wants it to be when he's ready.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58I love my mum to bits and, um...
0:26:58 > 0:27:01I'd be really proud if she thought I could sing really good.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07Eight years on and Lewis is studying for a degree in acting.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11- Hello!- Oh, hey there.- How are you?
0:27:11 > 0:27:15So Gareth's counting on him to come and sing at his big choir reunion.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17What difference did being in the choir make to you?
0:27:17 > 0:27:18It made a massive difference,
0:27:18 > 0:27:23because, like, actually going on stage was just like that moment
0:27:23 > 0:27:26where you realise, "That's what I want to do!"
0:27:26 > 0:27:29So was that your first experience of performing on a big stage, then?
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Properly, yeah, like a proper big stage,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34- and that's the scariest moment of my life.- Really?- I think.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Lewis' solo opened the choir's first performance at the school.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45# You'll remember me when the west wind moves
0:27:45 > 0:27:49- # Upon the fields of barley... # - CHOIR HARMONISES
0:27:49 > 0:27:53# You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
0:27:53 > 0:27:58# As we walk in fields of gold
0:27:58 > 0:28:06ALL: # When we walked in fields of gold. #
0:28:06 > 0:28:08CHEERING
0:28:10 > 0:28:11Are you still singing?
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Yeah, we do choral stuff and then we do solo stuff.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17- Great, so actually studying it? - Yeah, four hours a week.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21# Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends... #
0:28:21 > 0:28:24'The choir's changed my life. I wanted to be a sportsman'
0:28:24 > 0:28:26and I still carry on my sport, I'm a really keen cricketer,
0:28:26 > 0:28:30but I actually genuinely see a career in performing
0:28:30 > 0:28:31and acting and singing.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35People get their moments different times in life - I got mine early.
0:28:35 > 0:28:36- It's good to see you. - Good to see you.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39It's nice to know that the choir had such an impact on him.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42That's the thing - put the stage in front of somebody at that age
0:28:42 > 0:28:46and, if they're right for it, you just get the bug for life.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Another Lancaster boy profoundly affected by joining Gareth's choir
0:28:52 > 0:28:53was 11-year-old Michael.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56He has been bullied quite badly.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59He'd come home, he'd been punched on the way down the corridor.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01One day, he'd been kicked in the stomach.
0:29:01 > 0:29:02That's fine.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06'A very tearful little boy coming home sometimes, confused.'
0:29:06 > 0:29:09At the time, I was going through a difficult time period in school.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11Um, the choir was really kind of my outlet
0:29:11 > 0:29:12from that difficult time period.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14And...
0:29:14 > 0:29:16HE HARMONISES
0:29:16 > 0:29:18- And mah... - # Mah-ah-ah-ah... #
0:29:18 > 0:29:20'I'd wake up in mornings, I wouldn't want to go into school,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22'but the only reason I went in was knowing,
0:29:22 > 0:29:24'at the end of the day, I had a choir rehearsal'
0:29:24 > 0:29:26and actually that was going to be a positive thing.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29# The rain in the mountains... #
0:29:29 > 0:29:31'Gareth, yeah, he really helped me, he spent a lot of time with me.'
0:29:31 > 0:29:33He was always a very kind of a positive person
0:29:33 > 0:29:37'and, as such, you know, it kind of helped you to believe in yourself.'
0:29:37 > 0:29:40- Good!- 'He built your confidence up and helped you to believe'
0:29:40 > 0:29:42that, actually, if you want to do it, you can do it.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44That's good, that's coming on well.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46- See you, sir.- 'I think Michael blossomed in the choir,'
0:29:46 > 0:29:49because he started, having been somebody bullied in the past,
0:29:49 > 0:29:52and was under-confident, but lovely,
0:29:52 > 0:29:58like really full of personality, and I saw him just become a bit happier.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03I've just dug out my old memory box with all the newspaper clippings
0:30:03 > 0:30:06and everything from all the local press and everything
0:30:06 > 0:30:08to do with the choir.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Michael enjoyed a career in recruitment before going on
0:30:11 > 0:30:14to become a team leader in a busy pub kitchen.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17I listen to music all day, everyday, working in a kitchen.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20Music's a big part of my life, music gets you through tough situations,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23it gets you through times where you're just low as a person.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25I stayed in the choir throughout my school years
0:30:25 > 0:30:27and then community choir after that.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31I do miss part of the choir, it was something that, you know,
0:30:31 > 0:30:32was a big part of my life.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40To motivate the boys' choir,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42Gareth decided to set them an ambitious goal.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46He applied for a place at the prestigious School Prom
0:30:46 > 0:30:47at the Royal Albert Hall.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50But first they would need the approval of the
0:30:50 > 0:30:52School Prom assessor Leonora Davies.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55This is the Lancaster School Choir.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59Very nice to see you all. I'm looking forward to listening.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01I'd known Leonora Davies for many years
0:31:01 > 0:31:03and she's got a formidable reputation as somebody
0:31:03 > 0:31:07from the music education world, she knows whether it's good or not.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10BOYS' CHOIR SING
0:31:15 > 0:31:17I can remember the build-up of going to the Royal Albert Hall
0:31:17 > 0:31:22and having that woman come in and we all realised the enormity.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25The more it came down the line, we realised how big this was.
0:31:28 > 0:31:33It's not perfect, it takes a long time to get to that,
0:31:33 > 0:31:39but I think you are ready to go and showcase your work
0:31:39 > 0:31:41at the Albert Hall.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47Those boys like Michael and Lewis who had joined me in this,
0:31:47 > 0:31:51they deserved to be on that stage in London because of what
0:31:51 > 0:31:54they'd risked in front of all the other boys in the school.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57- HE RAPS:- I warned you, don't step out of line, son,
0:31:57 > 0:31:59out of the limelight, step to the side...
0:31:59 > 0:32:02But one group of boys who steadfastly refused to get involved
0:32:02 > 0:32:05in Gareth's choir were the playground MCs.
0:32:05 > 0:32:11THEY RAP AND BEATBOX
0:32:11 > 0:32:15They are a group of people who really are hugely passionate
0:32:15 > 0:32:17about music and yet they're not in the choir and that's crazy
0:32:17 > 0:32:20and it's all because they think it's "a choir" and they think
0:32:20 > 0:32:23it's for someone else, it's not for them.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25And I've got to get them in!
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Guys, can I have a quick, quick chat?
0:32:30 > 0:32:32Hello...
0:32:32 > 0:32:36Oh, dear, what a shame, they're running away.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39They thought they knew everything there is about music and
0:32:39 > 0:32:41"What is this idiot coming in from the outside? He's a teacher,
0:32:41 > 0:32:44"what can he possibly know about music?"
0:32:44 > 0:32:47And I had to kind of... I had to prove them wrong.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49HE RAPS
0:32:49 > 0:32:53'The chief amongst those was Imran.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56'He just wouldn't come anywhere near a choir rehearsal'
0:32:56 > 0:33:00and I knew that he was talented, I'd heard him sing a couple of times
0:33:00 > 0:33:06and everyone said he sang and so I went all out to try and win him over
0:33:06 > 0:33:09and get him in into the choir.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12But Imran had a problem with authority.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14I don't respect any of my teachers.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16I do my own thing, I don't follow no-one.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Can I have the keyboards off?
0:33:18 > 0:33:20That's the third time of asking.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23I'm just going to, I think, make this a little simpler for you
0:33:23 > 0:33:28by unplugging it. The next one of you that talks is going outside.
0:33:28 > 0:33:33'And he'd be a little so-and-so, he was so difficult to deal with'
0:33:33 > 0:33:37because I was a teacher and he felt like he had to show he was "the man".
0:33:37 > 0:33:39It was very, very frustrating.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42Imran, the hoodie. The hoodie's got to go.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44So can you stay behind, Imran?
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Imran, wait. Imran!
0:33:47 > 0:33:49HE SIGHS ANGRILY BLEEP.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54- I could- BLEEP- scream!
0:33:54 > 0:33:56I was not going to be bested by a group of 14, 15-year-olds.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59You know, I thought, "I've got to have a trick up my sleeve
0:33:59 > 0:34:01"that is going to win them over."
0:34:01 > 0:34:03I'm very disappointed in you, Imran.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07'And finally the way I did it was by getting in a group that were
0:34:07 > 0:34:12'better than them at what they felt they were good at.#
0:34:12 > 0:34:15A cappella beatbox group Sense of Sound
0:34:15 > 0:34:18showcased Gareth's vision of choral cool.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25You could see that it was a penny-dropping moment of him going,
0:34:25 > 0:34:27"Oh, this is actually really good,
0:34:27 > 0:34:30"this is actually something that I can be involved in, this is cool."
0:34:30 > 0:34:34# Darling, darling, stand by me
0:34:34 > 0:34:37# Oh, stand by me. #
0:34:40 > 0:34:46I felt that today was...really seismic for Imran.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50He started by beatboxing and not really wanting to sing
0:34:50 > 0:34:53and by the end of the day he had been drawn into the singing group
0:34:53 > 0:34:56and he was singing his heart out.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59It was good cos I don't think I ever heard anything like that.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02I want to learn how to do that cos I'd actually prefer doing that
0:35:02 > 0:35:04than doing the beatboxing thing.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08I feel like this could be the beginning of something very exciting.
0:35:08 > 0:35:09After seven months in the school,
0:35:09 > 0:35:15Gareth had finally persuaded the MCs to collaborate with his choir.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17This is it, this is the first rehearsal
0:35:17 > 0:35:19where everyone comes together.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23Upper voice choir, lower voice choir, say hello to beatboxers.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25ALL: Hello, beatboxers!
0:35:25 > 0:35:30Beatboxers, say hello to the upper voice and lower voice choirs.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32One, two, three, four.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40Imran may have joined the choir, but Gareth now faced a new issue
0:35:40 > 0:35:44if he wanted to him to show off his talents in front a 5,000-strong
0:35:44 > 0:35:47audience at the Royal Albert Hall.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49I promise we'll help you.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52'I think there's a lot of fear for Imran.'
0:35:52 > 0:35:55He gets this sort of rabbit-caught-in-the-headlights look
0:35:55 > 0:35:59and, yeah, I think he's afraid of looking like an idiot
0:35:59 > 0:36:03and afraid of looking, you know, looking bad in front of his mates.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06But there was more to Imran's reluctance to sing
0:36:06 > 0:36:07than Gareth realised.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09I'm not scared of it, er...
0:36:12 > 0:36:16Well, I am in a way cos once...ages ago,
0:36:16 > 0:36:22I went with my dad to karaoke and I sang a song
0:36:22 > 0:36:25by R Kelly and then when I went out,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28my dad said, "Hmm, nah, that weren't that good."
0:36:28 > 0:36:31I think it was just that comment and I just, like, thought,
0:36:31 > 0:36:34"No, I'm sticking to what I can do."
0:36:34 > 0:36:38I think it was just that cos before, I thought I could sing,
0:36:38 > 0:36:41I kind of took singing quite seriously.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45If Mr Malone could take that fear away where I wasn't scared
0:36:45 > 0:36:48of singing, I thought I could sing, I probably would do it.
0:36:50 > 0:36:51Hey, Imran.
0:36:51 > 0:36:56Gareth put in the hours in a bid to boost Imran's confidence.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Why don't we try singing Beautiful Girl?
0:36:59 > 0:37:00- HE SINGS:- You're way too...
0:37:00 > 0:37:02That bit.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04Let's give it a go - ready?
0:37:04 > 0:37:09# You're way too beautiful, girl
0:37:09 > 0:37:11# That's why it'll never work
0:37:11 > 0:37:16# You'll have me suicidal, suicidal
0:37:16 > 0:37:20# When they say it's over. #
0:37:20 > 0:37:23OK, can I lay my cards on the table?
0:37:23 > 0:37:26What I think is that you should...
0:37:26 > 0:37:30As part of the beatbox choir,
0:37:30 > 0:37:35I think you should do that and do it as a solo.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37Do you think you could do that at the Albert Hall?
0:37:40 > 0:37:44- Yeah. - I think that's a plan, then. Right.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48Having gone through so much to win Imran's trust eight years ago,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51it's important to Gareth that he tracks him down.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54I'd love him to be in this, because he's a great singer,
0:37:54 > 0:37:57he's really musical, had a nice voice...
0:37:57 > 0:38:01People really responded to his singing and he was such a huge part
0:38:01 > 0:38:04of everything I did at Lancaster School.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08Gareth's discovered his former pupil is now making music on the internet.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Oh, he's going loads of YouTube stuff!
0:38:10 > 0:38:13HE BEATBOXES
0:38:14 > 0:38:16That's great!
0:38:16 > 0:38:20# I was a poor wayfaring stranger... #
0:38:20 > 0:38:21I'm so happy about this.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24# Travelling through... #
0:38:24 > 0:38:27He's singing and it's sort of choral.
0:38:27 > 0:38:28I might just send him an e-mail.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31"Hi, just watched your video. Hope you're well.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33"I'd love to be in touch. Best, Gareth."
0:38:37 > 0:38:42In November 2007, the Lancaster Boys' Choir arrived in London
0:38:42 > 0:38:47to face the musical challenge of their lives...
0:38:47 > 0:38:51performing at the Royal Albert Hall School Prom in front of an audience
0:38:51 > 0:38:56of 5,000 and alongside some of the country's best choral talent.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58First reactions were, "Wow!"
0:38:58 > 0:39:00It's a bit scary, in a sense,
0:39:00 > 0:39:02to be singing in front of all of those people.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05I need to calm down cos I'm getting a bit too excited.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09- ANNOUNCER:- 'They are the young men of Lancaster School in Leicester.'
0:39:09 > 0:39:12(I'm actually slightly lost for words!)
0:39:12 > 0:39:15AUDIENCE APPLAUDS
0:39:15 > 0:39:18I'd never performed at the Albert Hall before.
0:39:18 > 0:39:24It was really exhilarating but a very frightening thing to do.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26- MOUTHS:- (This is it!)
0:39:28 > 0:39:31BOYS: Da-da-dum-dum, da-da-dum-dum...
0:39:31 > 0:39:35# You're way too beautiful, girl
0:39:35 > 0:39:37# That's why it'll never work
0:39:37 > 0:39:42# You'll have me suicidal, suicidal
0:39:42 > 0:39:45# When you say it's over
0:39:45 > 0:39:48# Damn, all these beautiful girls... #
0:39:48 > 0:39:51There's a look in Imran's eye during that solo that just says,
0:39:51 > 0:39:55"I love this" and that makes me so proud.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59# Stand by me
0:39:59 > 0:40:01# If ever you're in trouble won't you
0:40:01 > 0:40:05# Stand by me
0:40:05 > 0:40:09# Stand by me... #
0:40:09 > 0:40:13All I wanted was for them to say, "We love singing and it's OK,"
0:40:13 > 0:40:14and I finally got that.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:40:31 > 0:40:34Whoo!
0:40:34 > 0:40:37You were fantastic. You really were.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41To see them sing and really want to sing well
0:40:41 > 0:40:43that means so much.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46Really, really incredible.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50Nothing so far that I've done in my life could beat this.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53It's something I'm going to remember for a long time.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58It was a career highlight to be in the Royal Albert Hall
0:40:58 > 0:41:00on stage with those boys and to prove to those boys
0:41:00 > 0:41:02that they could do it and it could feel good
0:41:02 > 0:41:05and it could be acceptable. That was an amazing achievement.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19Gareth's Great Choir Reunion is less than two weeks away.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23He's still on the hunt for members from 12 of the 14 choirs
0:41:23 > 0:41:25he's created in the last decade.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30But today he's starting rehearsals with the singers he has contacted
0:41:30 > 0:41:33from his two school choirs.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36Members of the Northolt choir are the first to arrive,
0:41:36 > 0:41:39led by Gareth's former right-hand woman, Rhonda.
0:41:39 > 0:41:40Hey!
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Of course you're first.
0:41:42 > 0:41:43Oh, Cathy! Hello! How are you?
0:41:43 > 0:41:46For some, this is the first time they've seen each other
0:41:46 > 0:41:47since school.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51- I can't believe it's been ten years. - Neither can I.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54- Hello, Sophie! How are you? - I'm really good, thank you.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56- What are you up to? What are you doing?- I teach dancing.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58Good, glad to hear it.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01So we've got three people working in music from this choir.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04And you're teaching dance. Anyone else?
0:42:04 > 0:42:05You're a scientist.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08- And you... Do you do primary or secondary?- Primary.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12Well, that's basically a music teacher.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15Next in are the Lancaster boys who can make tonight's rehearsal.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18Hello! Welcome, welcome.
0:42:18 > 0:42:19Welcome, please, everyone,
0:42:19 > 0:42:22the boys from the Lancaster School in Leicester.
0:42:22 > 0:42:23Hello!
0:42:23 > 0:42:27Boston! Mate, how are you? Oh, my God! You are changed, as well.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30- Hello, Wahchi.- How are you? Good?
0:42:30 > 0:42:32I'm very well. Michael, look at you!
0:42:32 > 0:42:33Good to see you. How are you?
0:42:33 > 0:42:37Extremely grown-up. Say hello to the Northolt Phoenix Choir.
0:42:37 > 0:42:42- ALL:- Hello!- And this is... These are some of the members of the choir
0:42:42 > 0:42:44from Lancaster School, which was my second one
0:42:44 > 0:42:46that I did straight after you and I thought, probably,
0:42:46 > 0:42:49we were struggling a bit for boys so here you all are.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53- So, Neel, what are you up to? - I'm studying medicine at the moment.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55OK. Dr Neel. What are you doing?
0:42:55 > 0:42:56I just finished uni.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59I'm just dancing now and trying to get my creativity on, I guess.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02- What sort of dance?- Street dance. - Can you do us some moves?
0:43:02 > 0:43:03- Maybe.- OK.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05LAUGHTER
0:43:05 > 0:43:06HE BEATBOXES
0:43:16 > 0:43:17I'm out of breath.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:43:20 > 0:43:24Very nice. Love that.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26- Shall we put a choir together? - ALL:- Yes.- Good.
0:43:26 > 0:43:27All right. Let's do it.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31This will be the first time these kids have sung together in ten years
0:43:31 > 0:43:33so I don't know what this is going to sound like
0:43:33 > 0:43:34but I can't wait to find out.
0:43:34 > 0:43:36We're going to start with a song.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38It is by James Bay
0:43:38 > 0:43:41and it's called Hold Back the River.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43Good choice.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45The other thing is that this is a wonderful song
0:43:45 > 0:43:48because it's only got six notes in it and they go like this.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51# Ah ah ah ah ah ah. #
0:43:51 > 0:43:53Ready? Two, three...
0:43:53 > 0:44:00# Ah ah ah ah ah ah. #
0:44:00 > 0:44:05We've now got an enviable position of having more men than women,
0:44:05 > 0:44:07which is a rarity for choirs.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09Shall we have a little sight-read of it?
0:44:09 > 0:44:13Let's do the soprano line first, so just sopranos.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15One, two, three and...
0:44:15 > 0:44:22# Try to keep you close to me
0:44:22 > 0:44:28# But life got in between... #
0:44:28 > 0:44:30We are going to have so much rhythmic fun with this, aren't we?
0:44:30 > 0:44:34Good. Good start. Let's go altos. Three, and...
0:44:34 > 0:44:38# Tried to square not... #
0:44:38 > 0:44:41That's the only one that goes down. "There" stays up.
0:44:41 > 0:44:46# Think I should have been... #
0:44:46 > 0:44:50OK, let's have a look at... We're going to call you baritones.
0:44:50 > 0:44:51One, two, three, and...
0:44:51 > 0:44:54# Tried to square... #
0:44:54 > 0:44:56Oh! That's the tune.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00So it's "Tried to square..." So don't float up to the soprano part.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02Two, three, and...
0:45:02 > 0:45:03# Tried to... #
0:45:03 > 0:45:06No! That's the tune. Here's the note.
0:45:06 > 0:45:07# Tried. #
0:45:07 > 0:45:10One, two... That's it, Michael. Very nice. Two, three, and...
0:45:10 > 0:45:14# Tried to square
0:45:14 > 0:45:17# Not being there
0:45:17 > 0:45:23# But think that I should have been... #
0:45:24 > 0:45:26A sound any choir would be proud of.
0:45:26 > 0:45:27On your feet.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31Good. OK, this is going to be great. Let's layer it back up. And...
0:45:31 > 0:45:37# Tried to keep you close to me
0:45:37 > 0:45:42# But life got in between... #
0:45:42 > 0:45:44Good.
0:45:44 > 0:45:45Got your note?
0:45:45 > 0:45:52# Tried to square not being there
0:45:52 > 0:45:57# But think that I should have been. #
0:45:57 > 0:45:59First rehearsals are terrible because you're learning notes
0:45:59 > 0:46:01but there were some really warm moments.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03They started to make a good sound.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05They looked up and they were enjoying it.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08# Hold back the river Let me look in your eyes
0:46:08 > 0:46:11# Hold back the river so I... #
0:46:11 > 0:46:15It's really nice to hear everyone's blended together again
0:46:15 > 0:46:17and especially now that we've got boys as well. We never had boys.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21I was about to say that. I'm really enjoying hearing some boys.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24# Hold back the river Hold back
0:46:24 > 0:46:27# Lonely water... #
0:46:27 > 0:46:29Singing together ten years ago was very different
0:46:29 > 0:46:31because your coolness had to come first.
0:46:31 > 0:46:32Now everyone knows who they are,
0:46:32 > 0:46:35they're not trying to be anyone else, so it's much easier.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38# Hold back the river so I
0:46:38 > 0:46:41# Can stop for a minute and see where you hide... #
0:46:41 > 0:46:43It's really nice sharing the floor with Gareth again
0:46:43 > 0:46:46and hearing him sing and just seeing him in his element.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49# Let us hold each other
0:46:49 > 0:46:50# Oh
0:46:50 > 0:46:52# Oh-oh
0:46:52 > 0:46:53# Oh-oh... #
0:46:53 > 0:46:55It's going to be so good! OK, great.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58If you want to go up the octave on that.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00# Lonely water! #
0:47:00 > 0:47:03You can totally do that. Any tenors, go for it.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07We've got a couple of guys going a bit lower than needed but not bad.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13With everyone feeling so inspired to be back in the rehearsal room,
0:47:13 > 0:47:15Gareth throws them a surprise.
0:47:15 > 0:47:20May I suggest that, as a little warm-up to our actual performance
0:47:20 > 0:47:23in front of the massed groups of choirs,
0:47:23 > 0:47:27that we have our own little reunion here
0:47:27 > 0:47:29and that we invite friends and family along
0:47:29 > 0:47:33and anyone, teachers or people that were involved along the way.
0:47:33 > 0:47:37- So, do think that's a good idea? - ALL:- Yes.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39All right. See you next time.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41I'm glad we're having a performance in here
0:47:41 > 0:47:44in front of their friends and family. I think it'll be great.
0:47:44 > 0:47:45Get them back in the zone.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47They haven't performed, some of them, for years,
0:47:47 > 0:47:50since they were at school so this will be a good chance
0:47:50 > 0:47:51to get back into it.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53Rehearsal over, Gareth gets a message
0:47:53 > 0:47:56from one of his missing Lancaster soloists, Imran.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58He's given me a mobile number.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02If you could call around 8pm I would love to chat.
0:48:02 > 0:48:03Give him a call.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06- 'Hello?'- Hi, it's Gareth Malone.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09- 'Oh, wow!'- Hello, how are you?
0:48:09 > 0:48:10'I haven't heard from you in a while.'
0:48:10 > 0:48:13I just wanted to say how moved I was by your singing
0:48:13 > 0:48:15- and I just found it...- 'Thank you.'
0:48:15 > 0:48:17I found it really, really wonderful.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19What have you been up to?
0:48:22 > 0:48:25Now 23 and a senior care officer,
0:48:25 > 0:48:28Imran has changed his name to Khaled.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30A devout Muslim,
0:48:30 > 0:48:33his faith has helped him leave his troubled schooldays behind him.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35I feel like I became a better person
0:48:35 > 0:48:37so, when I was 16, I wanted to kind of
0:48:37 > 0:48:40give that better person a new name.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43I didn't feel like I was Imran any more.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45I wanted to become Khaled.
0:48:45 > 0:48:46So it was a really big transition,
0:48:46 > 0:48:51being so caught up in my ego to where I think I'm at now,
0:48:51 > 0:48:55where I'm just kind of focused on spirituality and God
0:48:55 > 0:48:56and things like that.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59# How could this be? #
0:48:59 > 0:49:03But Khaled has never forgotten his time with Gareth.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06# For you are not alone. #
0:49:06 > 0:49:09- Good, Imran. Are you American?- No.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11Good. Don't sing with an American accent.
0:49:11 > 0:49:14See if you can do it in an English accent.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16# Another day is gone... #
0:49:16 > 0:49:18Good, it's much better.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20You could see that I was just a teenager
0:49:20 > 0:49:21working out where I fitted in life
0:49:21 > 0:49:24so his role that he played in me embracing singing more
0:49:24 > 0:49:28was definitely a vital one and who knows if I'd still be singing today
0:49:28 > 0:49:30if it wasn't for what he did?
0:49:30 > 0:49:32# You're not here with me... #
0:49:32 > 0:49:34# You're nat here! #
0:49:34 > 0:49:38It was really good. It was really English and then you went,
0:49:38 > 0:49:40"You're nat here with me!"
0:49:40 > 0:49:43Boy, you're nat here, OK?
0:49:43 > 0:49:46Despite his enduring love of music,
0:49:46 > 0:49:49Khaled's beliefs mean he doesn't feel he can sing
0:49:49 > 0:49:50in the reunion choir.
0:49:50 > 0:49:54Choirs doesn't come from Islam. They come from Christianity.
0:49:54 > 0:49:56Most choirs sing in churches.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59Not all of them but the majority, that's kind of where it stems from.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03'Unfortunately, I don't think, um, I'd want to be...'
0:50:03 > 0:50:05- That's absolutely fine.- 'I wanted you to know, you know...'- Yes.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08'I wish you the best, but it's not something that I'd want to do.'
0:50:08 > 0:50:13- All right, all the best. It's so lovely to hear your voice. Bye-bye, Khaled.- 'All right.'- Bye.
0:50:13 > 0:50:14PHONE BEEPS
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Wow, my goodness.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19That is not, that's not the boy that I knew
0:50:19 > 0:50:22and that is the most dramatic change of everyone.
0:50:22 > 0:50:24I know some of them have grown beards and cut their hair
0:50:24 > 0:50:27and got muscly,
0:50:27 > 0:50:29but he has changed to the, to the core,
0:50:29 > 0:50:33and you could see it there and I'm so happy that he's gone down,
0:50:33 > 0:50:35that he's going down a positive route.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37He's found religion and it's given him something
0:50:37 > 0:50:39that's going to be the focus in his life.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53# Tried to keep...
0:50:53 > 0:50:56To make sure they're up to scratch for their first performance,
0:50:56 > 0:51:01the choir organise extra rehearsals on their own.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03# Tried to square...
0:51:03 > 0:51:05To see that they're all giving up their time
0:51:05 > 0:51:07and that they've come back...
0:51:07 > 0:51:09is wonderful, because it's,
0:51:09 > 0:51:11it's because of those friendships that they formed
0:51:11 > 0:51:13and that music that they sang,
0:51:13 > 0:51:15those experiences they had on stage,
0:51:15 > 0:51:16it's meant something to them
0:51:16 > 0:51:19and I think it will mean something to them for the rest of their lives,
0:51:19 > 0:51:22I don't think you forget being in a choir,
0:51:22 > 0:51:24Especially not when you're young.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27It's going to be brilliant. Can you see the audience going, hurray?
0:51:27 > 0:51:31And you being like, yeah? That's going to be. I know it is, OK?
0:51:31 > 0:51:34He taught me to be confident and expressive
0:51:34 > 0:51:38in a way that isn't sort of, maybe cool, when you're a younger lad.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40APPLAUSE
0:51:40 > 0:51:44We are the Lancaster School choir and we are here to sing you a song.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46It should be a great piece.
0:51:46 > 0:51:47I hope you enjoy it.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50'Being a part of the choir, it really helped me, you know,
0:51:50 > 0:51:52'as well as to communicate better,'
0:51:52 > 0:51:54it helped me with my confidence, just to believe in myself.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56# Like a bridge... #
0:51:56 > 0:52:00If you look back on to when music started to get serious for me,
0:52:00 > 0:52:03that's it, right there.
0:52:03 > 0:52:04I'm so proud, come here.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06- It was beautiful.- It was beautiful.
0:52:06 > 0:52:11I have the most amazing feeling whenever I think about what we did.
0:52:11 > 0:52:16All those memories I have will stay with me for a very long time.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24Gareth's attempts to track down his other choirs continue,
0:52:24 > 0:52:25but in the meantime,
0:52:25 > 0:52:28he's persuaded old boys and girls of Northolt High
0:52:28 > 0:52:30and the Lancaster School
0:52:30 > 0:52:33to stage their own mini concert for friends and family.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36I'm really looking forward to this performance, I think it'll be lovely.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39It'll just be a great atmosphere, everyone wants to do it
0:52:39 > 0:52:42and it's a lovely way to mark something that was so special to everyone.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45I am the person I am today because of that experience.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47It completely changed my life.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49Being with those people, performing,
0:52:49 > 0:52:54teaching people, um, intensively for, over months, that was...
0:52:54 > 0:52:57that was an amazing experience and one that I really treasure
0:52:57 > 0:53:01and one that I'm really happy to be able to mark with a performance.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Look, that's you.
0:53:03 > 0:53:04Oh, my God!
0:53:06 > 0:53:08Ah, hello. Bunting!
0:53:08 > 0:53:09CHEERING
0:53:09 > 0:53:13- I love bunting.- Buzzing. Absolutely buzzing, the atmosphere is buzzing.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16- Is that you? - LAUGHTER
0:53:16 > 0:53:19Seeing all our young, fresh faces, it's like, oh, my God,
0:53:19 > 0:53:22you can't believe it's been so long.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24I think it's emotional being a choir again,
0:53:24 > 0:53:28because we know that we've all kind of moved on in life
0:53:28 > 0:53:31and this will be just a brief moment in time
0:53:31 > 0:53:34where we get to be... a choir and sing.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37The audience start to arrive for the first outing
0:53:37 > 0:53:40of Gareth's school choirs in a decade.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45You don't need to cry this time.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47I shall try not to. I'm used to it now.
0:53:51 > 0:53:52In your mind's eye,
0:53:52 > 0:53:55they're still year eight, year nine, year ten
0:53:55 > 0:53:59and then you come and they're like...grown-up men, you know!
0:54:03 > 0:54:06It may not be the Royal Albert Hall or the Choir Olympics,
0:54:06 > 0:54:08but it's still a public performance.
0:54:09 > 0:54:10Nervous.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13Er, it's been a long time since I've sang in front of an audience.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16Last time it was, 5,000 people?
0:54:16 > 0:54:19And this one will be more intimate, more personal,
0:54:19 > 0:54:22so I think this one will be more scary for me, actually.
0:54:22 > 0:54:23I'd like to hope that we can pull it off.
0:54:23 > 0:54:24SHE LAUGHS
0:54:24 > 0:54:26Hello, everyone!
0:54:26 > 0:54:29It's time for the performance, please take your seats.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31Choir to the front, please.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39- Hello, everyone. Good evening.- ALL:- Hello!
0:54:39 > 0:54:42Hello, welcome, welcome to the school reunion choir.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45It really means a lot to me to know that you
0:54:45 > 0:54:48care about what happened in your schools
0:54:48 > 0:54:50enough to come here today and celebrate
0:54:50 > 0:54:52what we did almost ten years ago.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55- So, would you like to hear them sing?- ALL:- Yes!
0:54:55 > 0:54:58Good. We have a song for you, it is called Hold Back The River,
0:54:58 > 0:55:00and it's by James Bay.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02PIANO
0:55:11 > 0:55:14# Tried to keep
0:55:14 > 0:55:18# You close to me
0:55:18 > 0:55:22# But life got in between
0:55:26 > 0:55:29# Hold back the river Let me look in your eyes
0:55:29 > 0:55:33# Hold back the river so I...
0:55:33 > 0:55:35# Can stop for a minute
0:55:35 > 0:55:37# And see where you hide
0:55:37 > 0:55:40# Hold back the river, hold back...
0:55:40 > 0:55:43# Lonely water
0:55:44 > 0:55:46# Lonely water
0:55:46 > 0:55:50# Won't you let us wander?
0:55:50 > 0:55:54# Let us hold each other!
0:55:54 > 0:55:56# Lonely water
0:55:58 > 0:56:00# Lonely water
0:56:00 > 0:56:04# Won't you let us wander?
0:56:04 > 0:56:08# Let us hold each other!
0:56:08 > 0:56:10# Oh, oh, oh...
0:56:10 > 0:56:13# Oh-ho, oh-ho...
0:56:13 > 0:56:17# Oh-ho...
0:56:17 > 0:56:19# Oh-ho, oh-ho...
0:56:21 > 0:56:24# Hold back the river Let me look in your eyes
0:56:24 > 0:56:27- SLOW HAND CLAP - # Hold back the river so I...
0:56:27 > 0:56:31# Can stop for a minute And see where you hide
0:56:31 > 0:56:34# Hold back the river, hold back...
0:56:34 > 0:56:36# Oh, oh, oh...
0:56:36 > 0:56:40# Oh-ho, oh-ho...
0:56:40 > 0:56:44# Oh-ho, oh-ho...
0:56:44 > 0:56:48# Oh... #
0:56:50 > 0:56:53They didn't sound like that before, did they?
0:56:53 > 0:56:54CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:56:58 > 0:56:59WHISTLING
0:56:59 > 0:57:02It was amazing, it was absolutely fantastic,
0:57:02 > 0:57:04it went really well, I'm really proud of everybody.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07It's actually a very, very touching moment.
0:57:07 > 0:57:10- I think we've achieved so much in a short space of time.- Yeah.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13And you know with the boys, it feels like we've known them forever.
0:57:13 > 0:57:17It's just wonderful that the joy of singing is still there
0:57:17 > 0:57:19and there's this sort of bond that Gareth has
0:57:19 > 0:57:21sort of brought these people together
0:57:21 > 0:57:24and I think they'll always be like that.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29Love them. They're so lovely.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32It was really...it was everything I hoped for.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35So far, Gareth has reunited two of the 14 choirs
0:57:35 > 0:57:38he's set up over the past decade.
0:57:38 > 0:57:40It's just made me feel very excited about the big choir reunion,
0:57:40 > 0:57:44where I get EVERYONE together. What's that going to sound like?
0:57:44 > 0:57:47Next time, Gareth tracks down the rest...
0:57:47 > 0:57:49- Hello.- Hello!
0:57:49 > 0:57:53..and creates a choir of choirs from his very best singers
0:57:53 > 0:57:55as a centrepiece for the big reunion.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58This is a performance representing ten years of my life.
0:57:58 > 0:58:01- It would be horrendous if I got it wrong, wouldn't it?- OK!
0:58:01 > 0:58:03Everyone, back here, let's go!
0:58:03 > 0:58:05We need all the practice we can get.
0:58:05 > 0:58:07I want this performance to be the best it can possibly be,
0:58:07 > 0:58:10just for my own professional pride.
0:58:11 > 0:58:13We've got a lot of work to do!
0:58:13 > 0:58:14LAUGHTER