P&O Ferries The Choir

Two, three and... Are you going to be the best choir? Yeah. Come on, then.

Choirmaster Gareth Malone wants to help Britain's workers

find their voice.

This is Gareth Malone here.

TANNOY: I'm here to start a choir.

Are you interested in joining a choir? Maybe, yeah.

In search of hidden talent,

he's creating choirs in five of Britain's biggest workplaces...

I would like you to be in the choir, please.

Yay!

This proves that bankers can rock.

If you are ever going to have a firefighting calendar,

we've got them in the choir.

..as they compete to be this year's best workplace choir,

Gareth's demanding musical excellence.

Going to sing real music.

Crescendo, diminuendo.

# Where you going to rock? #

If they're going to do justice to music,

it's got to just pour out of them.

The choirs will face huge public audiences...

The appetite to win is now on. Bricking it at the moment.

..and be judged by three world-class musicians.

You are never together. Wonderful, wonderful tuning.

Judgement day's coming.

This means that I will sing for the rest of my life.

Other than getting married,

it is one of the best experiences in my life.

The workplace choir of the year is...

I am so excited.

It's like when I went on the French exchange.

I'm going to France on a ferry.

Here we are. Welcome to Dover.

Gareth is on his way to set up a new company choir.

His destination, the port of Dover and P Ferries.

and is the UK's largest ferry company.

They carry ten million customers a year from Britain to the continent.

Many of them on the iconic Dover to Calais crossing.

In less than two months, 22 workers from the company

will be performing in front of the three world-class judges.

But first, Gareth has to find his singers and mould them into a choir

worthy of competition standard.

Morning. Good morning.

I'm going to France. You're in the right place, then.

That's good. OK. I'm starting a choir. Are you a singer?

I do sing a little bit but only in the car and that kind of thing.

Would you care to give me a few bars of singing?

# We are sailing, we are sailing. #

But I hope they're all that happy.

Gareth begins his search for the company's best singers

with the employees who work out at sea.

He's boarding the Spirit of Britain, the fleet's biggest ferry.

I think we've left quite a lot of the company behind there,

and I'm sure there's quite a lot of the company over there as well,

and then there are all these people that go backwards and forwards,

so it's a company in three parts, and trying to unify that and bring

everyone together for the choir, I think, will be the major challenge.

Good morning, I'm Gareth. Pleased to meet you.

He needs to create an ensemble that represents the whole company,

so he's scouring every deck

to meet as many of the ship's 230-strong crew as possible.

Are you a singer? No, merci. No merci, pas de tout? No, no, no.

Hello, I'm Gareth. Hello, Gareth. Alan, pleased to meet you.

and crew safely across, is the captain, Angus Morrison.

I joined the Merchant Navy 33 years ago.

I've just progressed through the ranks,

just waiting for a captain's position.

Wow. Hello, Gareth. Gareth. Thanks for having me.

So this is the bridge? This is the bridge.

I have to say there's a lot of boyish glee going on here.

And what's this fantastic screen here? This is the radars.

What are these little things? They are targets.

They're either ships, boats. You call them targets.

Is that a radar term? It's a radar term, yeah, targets.

Right, from the early days of radar, presumably.

Do you sing at all? I do actually, yeah.

Oh what do you sing? Country and western.

Oh, yeah. Could you give me a few notes? No, no, I couldn't possibly.

Come on. Yeah, everyone wants to hear. Possibly.

I might pop down later and watch you doing it.

Oh, that'll be great, yeah. Thanks. Bye-bye. Hello, Grant.

Also on the bridge is the quartermaster,

Just give me a "la". # La. #

I'm a little bit nervous at the moment. It's like a drain.

Yeah, you put me on the spot. It's deep.

Let me sing with everybody else. It's very good to meet you.

I will see you at your audition later. What was your name? Grant.

I look forward to your audition.

Having drummed up interest from port to starboard,

Gareth sets up for auditions in the ship's club lounge.

He's getting his first sense of the company's character.

This is very hierarchical. It's like the military.

You've got the captain at the top. Well, it's the Navy.

Hello there. Hiya. Welcome, go on in.

Captain at the top, people scrubbing the decks down the bottom.

That might be one of the challenges.

We all know our roles, we all know our jobs

and we never step outside of that.

Good afternoon. ALL: Afternoon.

to bring everyone together and do something for your company.

So are you ready? ALL: Yes.

Grant. Really?

Yes, really. Go on, Grant! Go on!

So, before you sing, Grant, is anyone steering the ship at the moment?

No. No, we're parked. Oh, OK.

No, I'm joking. We're safe. We're safe. So let's hear it.

One, two, go.

# We are sailing. # Great.

# We are sailing. # Yeah.

# Home again

# Cross the sea. #

APPLAUSE

Well done. Well done, Grant. Thank you very much.

So, Jeff, you're related? Brothers.

Are you very similar? GRANT: No.

LAUGHTER

Grant's brother, Jeff, has worked for P for nearly 20 years.

Paul, this one's away.

He started as a trainee and is now sous chef in the brasserie,

# We are sailing

# Home again

# Cross the sea. #

Jeff is really feeling it, I can see, that's good.

Thank you, Jeff. Well done.

'I'm not up for singing, never have done.'

So, yeah, for me this is a big thing. Yeah, it's really good.

And having done it, I'd be gutted now if we didn't get through. Yeah.

# We are sailing, we are sailing. #

Over the next two hours,

Gareth auditions 50 crew members from across the fleet...

# We are sailing We are sailing. #

..including one of the company directors...

# We are sailing. #

..and even employees based in France,

including Calais accounts manager Sophie Clabaut.

Ah, en francais. Sailing de Rod Stewart.

Hiya. Do I need to speak to you in French? German?

No, just English is fine, yeah. Great. And what about your singing?

Do you do very much?

I've sung nearly all my life since I was about three, but now

I get really nervous like right now, like I'm shaking like a leaf.

I don't think you're alone in that. Here we go. Two, three.

# We are sailing

# We are sailing, home again. #

22-year-old Mercedes trained to be a classical singer

before she became a stewardess.

Hot chocolates, yeah?

'Singing's very important to me.

'As I got older, I started doing different shows'

and I was getting knocked back like a lot

and then I started questioning myself.

But it was the death of her grandmother six years ago

that really put an end to her musical ambitions.

Without her there pushing me to go forward, it wasn't the same.

So, yeah, I think it knocked me quite a lot.

Just getting them together on this boat was fairly miraculous.

I didn't feel that this was a group of natural singers.

I've got some, but the search continues.

It's a new day at P Ferries.

Gareth's search for choir members continues.

It's pretty breathtaking up here.

As well as passengers, they transport over 80 million tons

of freight a year, providing a vital conduit for the British economy.

Up here you really understand what the business does.

People come in down that hill, onto the ships and away they go.

'I'm here to start a choir.

'If you're interested in singing in the choir, make yourself

'known to me, and we'll be coming round in the next few minutes.'

I got a little tiny thrill from that.

I've never pressed a bing-bong before.

Guys, hello. Are you interested in being in a choir at all?

I have not got one vocal bone in my body.

You have got one vocal bone. It's call the hyoid bone.

I don't feel confident.

Last stop, Channel House, the nerve centre of the company.

Would you like to come and audition for my choir?

Oh, yes, I'd love to.

Have you applied? Yes, I have, yeah.

Well a couple of people saying that they're going to go for it.

Quiet office types. Lean pickings.

Having completed his tour, Gareth's holding his landside auditions.

This is an office here. We're not on a ship.

A very different type of person working in an office

and hopefully we're going to get some good singers.

# Across the sea. #

SHE WARBLES

Oooh, fancy!

LAUGHTER

Joe. What do you do?

I am a call-centre man... Not manager, well, agent, sorry.

You've got aspirations.

LAUGHTER

# We are sailing

# We are sailing, home again. #

Earlier on I was a bit worried about the standard of singing,

but this afternoon, I've had some of the best singers.

# We are sailing We are sailing... #

Last person to audition, onboard steward Harry Hughes.

# ..across the sea. #

Done some singing before? Canterbury Cathedral Choir.

EVERYONE MURMERS

OK. Just going to make a note of that.

LAUGHTER

I've got a couple of officers.

I've got a little bit of a balancing job now to do to make it work.

Up to 24 singers are allowed in each choir and Gareth wants

to ensure they reflect the character of each company.

Each choir in this whole contest is supposed to be different,

and it's supposed to feel like the company,

and when I look at Jeff the chef and Grant, I really feel like

I'm seeing P Ferries, and it would be very tempting to just go through

all the people that work in the office and sing nicely,

but what I want is that you hear a sound that sounds like the sea.

To achieve a balanced sound he's looking for an equal mix of bass,

tenor, alto and soprano voices.

And two reserves. That's it. That's my choir.

Today, workers from all corners of the company are gathering

for their first ever choir rehearsal.

Most have never sung in public before.

We are walking into an unknown thing here.

Could be this, we could be doing that,

what songs we might be singing and where does it go from here?

There's a lot of excitement going on, so...

Come on in.

Hello. ALL: Hello.

Hello, welcome to your first rehearsal.

APPLAUSE

Before we start, we need to get you into position.

I would like all the sopranos on port side,

I'd like the basses on starboard side

and I'd like the tenors midship on the starboard side. Go!

That is a shocking situation.

I hope you're better at singing.

Gareth wants them to choose their first song themselves.

Something that reflects their company.

OK. Any ideas of a song that could represent P Ferries?

Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay. Do we all know it? Let's sing it.

# Sitting on the dock of the bay

# Watching the tide roll away. #

How many of you actually spend a lot of time sitting on the docks?

LAUGHTER

Is it the snappy version of we're sitting on the dock of the bay,

waiting for our passengers?

Don't Stop Me Now by Queen,

cos we're always crossing, 45 times a day.

I think that's a great song.

It does include the lyric - "I'm a sex machine ready to explode."

LAUGHTER

Cliff Richard, we're all going on a summer holiday.

Yes, sir? Rock The Boat.

Oh, how's that go?

# Rock the boat Don't rock the boat, baby

# Rock the boat Don't tip the boat over

# Rock the boat Don't rock the boat, baby

# Rock the boat. #

That's good.

I mean, that kind of gets to the whole point, doesn't it?

Al' right hands up for Rock The Boat.

I've got two hands. It seems like a decision has been made.

I think Rock The Boat.

Let's have a break, and we'll come back when I've printed it.

Thank you very much.

# So I'd like to know where you got the notion

# Say I'd like to know where you got the notion

# Our love is like a ship on the ocean

"I'm not singing that!"

Let's work, pick through this a bit.

'Despite my best efforts,

'we've ended up with a camp song for a bunch of quite burly, butch men.'

'It was never my favourite song, ever, growing up.'

In fact any sort of disco song when I was growing up I used to hate.

# Rock the boat, rock the boat. #

Interesting, the song choices. Some of them are a little different.

Painful, some of them were painful, I have to admit. I didn't like 'em.

# Rock the boat. #

I couldn't really give a monkeys what the song is.

Let's just sing it.

# Rock the boat. #

I don't know, it's not quite what I expecting, the sound.

It sounds quite English choral.

I didn't really think, I thought it was going to be all like, "YEAH!"

and it's not at all, it's not brash.

Have a seat, well done, thank you.

Yeah, I thought we sounded like a choir as well, straight off.

I think it could end up sounding really good, let's hope so.

We've just all got to get our heads round it a bit and practise.

I now need to work with the arranger to make sure this arrangement,

it blows their socks off, cos when I come back,

we're going to be performing it faster than they realise.

With five different companies in the contest,

Gareth is limited to a day a week with each choir.

In between his visits,

a local choirmaster is on hand to help with their training.

My colleagues have been working really,

really hard from early in the morning.

Some of them are going to be still working

when they get home tonight to get those words in their heads.

# Said I'd like to know where you got the notion. #

When I left, there was a decided feeling of being unimpressed

with the song, and I sort of left with a slightly worried feeling.

If they go for it, it'll be really fun.

If they look embarrassed and they shuffle through it,

it will be a disaster for them.

I'm going to learn a lot about their general attitude today, I think.

Before launching into the next rehearsal, Gareth wants

to get to know his singers more, so he's dropping in on them at work.

I'm here to see Dean who works in the warehouse.

Morning. How are you? I'm very well. You?

Dean is one of the tenors

and has worked in the warehouse for six years.

This is the warehouse to which I am a shift manager.

We have staff here in the warehouse that pick all the stock

and we send it down to the ships.

Scourers, the people on the kitchens that scour that pans, they're here.

Plastic little stirrers you get with your tea that don't make sense

cos you need a spoon, they're here.

You name it, they're here.

I am always here. You never get out? Never on the ships?

They don't often let me out.

You now know a few more faces within the business. Yeah.

I know Jeff through Jeff in black writing on an email.

Oh, really? And that's how I know Jeff the chef. Yeah.

And it'll be quite often, "No, you can't have it."

"Well, I want it." "No, you can't have it." "Well, I want it."

"But you can't have it, cos we ain't got it." "But I need it."

And that's the kind of communication me and Jeff would have.

Don't you feel that when you sing with someone it's different,

it's much easier to communicate with them?

When it sounds rubbish, it doesn't.

When it sounds good,

it really does feel like you've known each other a long time.

And that's the time to sort out all your disputes.

Yeah. That was good, "Oh, by the way, where's my chips?" Yeah.

It's a very busy job. We have 46 crossings a day.

There's not much rest in a controller's position.

Once the ship is loaded, they set sail,

and the onboard crew takes over.

Down on his galley is Jeff the chef. Hello.

Hello, Gareth. How are you? Yeah, not too bad.

So do you spend your whole life down here, Jeff? Pretty much.

Yeah? So you never get to see the actual sea.

No, not unless we go and take a look out the port hole.

And how are you enjoying the choir? I love it, actually. Do you? Yeah.

Have you always sung with your brother?

We've never sung together before. Really? How funny!

In your entire life? No.

I just sang Happy Birthday to the rest of the family,

but that's about as far as it goes.

The rest of the day is set aside for choir rehearsal.

Having had five days to work on their first song,

LAUGHTER

Let's get started. On your feet. Let's get ready to sing.

One, two, three and...

PIANO STRIKES UP

# So I'd like to know where you got the notion

# Said I'd like to know where you got the notion

# Rock the boat Don't rock the boat, baby

# Rock the boat Don't tip the boat over

# Rock the boat Don't rock the boat, baby

# Rock the boat

# Aah

# Ooh-ooh. #

OK, well done. Have a seat.

Lots of good things and what I'm really hearing is potential.

I don't think it's there.

I think what's lacking at the moment is that overall sound

absolutely coming together, just feels a little bit piecemeal.

One, two, three and.

# Rock the boat, don't rock the boat baby, rock the boat. # Listen.

That's going sharp there, and it's because you're not listening.

'The sopranos are really sharp.'

It just sounds like they're trying a bit too hard.

Can I hear Lorraine and Julie together?

# Rock the boat. # Yeah, Julie you're slightly sharp.

Can you hear? You're all going, "Oh, shit!

"Gareth's looking at me, and I'm doing it wrong and I'm in trouble."

You're not in trouble.

'When they listen and when they relax, it's a phenomenal sound.'

# Said I'd like to know where you got the notion

# Rock the boat Don't rock the boat, baby

# Rock the boat Don't tip the boat over. #

Much better.

# Rock the boat Don't rock the boat, baby. #

And listen. # Aaah-aaah. #

Ah!

Yeah.

I'm just interested, what's the perception of people who go to sea

from the people on the land and vice versa.

Possibly the guys that work ashore don't quite understand

how difficult the logistics are with working on a ferry

and getting hold of stores and communication, how important it is.

It's easier on shore side, cos you can run into the office next door.

We still have to call and do the, "Yes, it is urgent."

And we have to put the stores on for the ships.

If there is a role for the choir,

it's a perfect opportunity for you guys to get together

and actually talk about these sorts of things,

cos you know people on a personal level.

Do the heads of the company know you as individuals? No, no.

Well, depending on who it is. Some.

This is a fantastic chance for you as a choir and as individuals

to be known by the heads of the company, which is really exciting.

So, listen, my feeling is that

you're not really a choir until you've performed.

So Gareth scours Head Office for an audience,

inviting managers and staff to the atrium to hear them sing.

Hello. The choir are going to sing.

I'll be watching from over there. Great.

Cinq minutes. D'accord. Merci.

I think the choir's ready.

We just need to basically remember and think whilst we're singing

and not get carried away with ourself. Hello. They're performing,

ten, 15 minutes, downstairs. Oh, brilliant.

You going to come? Oh, yeah, love to.

Piece of cake.

Piece of cake, yeah. Well, if we're ready or not, we'll see.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Hello, ladies and gentlemen of P Head Office here.

It's very good to be here. This is YOUR choir.

APPLAUSE

We're going to sing a really wonderful song for you called

# Rock the boat Don't rock the boat, baby

# Rock the boat Don't tip the boat over

# Rock the boat Don't rock the boat, baby

# Rock the boat

# Oh-whoa

# Ever since our voyage of love began

# You're touch just thrilled me like a like a rush of the wind

# And your arms have held me safe from a rolling sea

# There's always been a quiet place to harbour you and me-e-e-e

# Our love is like a ship on the ocean

# We've been sailing with a cargo full of love and devotion. #

So emotional.

In the space of a week, I couldn't believe how far they'd come.

They were brilliant, they were absolutely brilliant.

I think the performance was great.

I'm not sure we followed all the instructions and small details,

but the big lines were there.

I thought the performance was pretty good, actually.

A lot of the detail that we've done in the rehearsal disappeared,

but the general sound was good.

I'm optimistic about this choir.

I'm going to rubber-stamp that and say you are definitely a choir,

and now it's about making you a really good choir.

The choir has successfully delivered their first ever public performance.

Good job. Give yourselves a round of applause.

Now they must begin to work towards their next goal,

learning a brand-new song to be sung in front of the contest judges.

Beyond The Sea.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

C'est en francais aussi.

It's in two languages. The whole of the beginning is in English

and the whole of the middle section is in French.

So have we all now got to learn French?

Yes, you've also got to learn French as well as being a choir.

Here we go. Beyond The Sea.

Composed in 1946 by Frenchman, Charles Trenet,

Beyond The Sea, or La Mer, is a song about the romance of the sea.

Good. OK so, Beyond The Sea. Shall we just have a blast through?

# Somewhere beyond the sea

# Somewhere waiting for me

# My lover stands on golden sands

# Voyez

# Ces oiseaux blancs

# Et ces maisons rouillees. #

There you go.

That sounded horrendous.

My French is petit, nah.

Bonjour. That's it.

Pres des etang... What? Yeah, it could sound like roadkill.

'Everybody else, apart from me,

'is quite worried about how they're going to go on with that song.'

I will help them as much as I can,

because they've been helping me much about the English song, so...

You know what I'm looking for now, and I will communicate that as well

to your choirmaster who will then continue that work.

Well done. Bye-bye.

APPLAUSE

'This choir only started one week ago today,

'so we've done an awful lot in a very short space of time.'

it's down to choir member Sophie Clabaut to teach them

the correct pronunciation while Gareth is away.

'It's very difficult for them,

'because some sounds are very different.'

The "Y", the "R"...all of those sounds are quite tough for them,

but they are doing very well.

ALL: Et ces maisons rouillees.

APPLAUSE

A few weeks later, and Gareth is back in Dover.

He's heard that creating an "entente cordiale"

is proving a challenge for the choir.

Good morning. I'm taking an enormous party of singers onboard.

A day trip to France.

Morning, everyone. Morning. Hello, how you doing?

Hurry up! We've a ship to catch!

I'm taking the choir to Calais today,

because they need to experience a bit of the French atmosphere.

Gareth's hoping some joie de vivre will rub off,

because in France, he's holding auditions for the solo section

and he wants to try something different.

Because it is such a romantic song, and they are singing about

the romance of the sea and the romance of travelling between England

and France - I think it needs to be a duet,

because it's about two people.

# Somewhere. #

That's not too bad. It's not too shabby.

# Somewhere waiting for me. #

No. No? Do it again.

and a little bit croony, so I need someone who gets the style.

I don't really know what to expect of them individually.

I know what they sound like as a choir.

For stewardess Mercedes, this will be her first shot at a lead part

since giving up her classical music dream at the age of 16.

It took a lot of persuasion to apply for the solo auditions.

Enter!

Hello. Come on in.

But then I thought, maybe one last shot and to see how it goes.

How you doing? Yeah, OK.

Ready, here we go.

# Somewhere beyond the sea

# Somewhere waiting... #

If I'm honest, it's very careful,

and you don't look like you're having a good time.

I'm trying to not get it wrong. # Somewhere. #

# They'll go sailing. #

It's got to be fun.

You weren't enjoying it. No, because I get too nervous.

You were trying too hard.

I'm worried I'll get it wrong and then I can't enjoy it any more,

because I think, "Oh, what if I mess it up?"

# Somewhere. #

# Beyond the sea. #

# Somewhere. #

# Waiting for me. #

Over the next hour, Gareth persists with his search for a leading duo.

# And watches the ships that go sailing. #

How did you do?

'Very often, I know, as soon as that person comes in, it's you,

'and I didn't really have that sense.'

# Somewhere. #

# Waiting for me. #

Yeah, it was nice enough, but this is a contest,

# Somewhere. # So much better.

# Beyond the sea

# Somewhere waiting for me. #

If we sing it together and we was happy,

and we smile like we did that one, I think it'll sound all right.

And we even got the high notes. Yeah, as long as we smile.

The last one was brilliant. Got to smile.

I'm a bit disappointed really with the quality of the solo singing,

because, actually, together, they make a really good noise,

but just individually, none of them really had any style.

Perhaps Mercedes, maybe Jeff?

I don't want to make a snap decision here, because I don't really feel

like anyone's really leapt out and said, "Yes, it has to be me."

As part of the ongoing drive to unite the choir,

Gareth is taking them into Calais to sample some French culture.

Can I propose a toast, not only to the P choir,

but to bringing France and England together a little more.

To the choir!

APPLAUSE

Coming down to Calais is really nice.

Nice to have a good beverage.

Yeah, I've come to Calais ten times a day usually doing my job,

but it's the first time I've been into the town.

Sophie is based full-time in Calais

and must make the 90-minute crossing for every choir practice.

Do you think this is helping your English?

Yes, because I've been talking a lot of English since I've joined

this choir, but I've been improving their French as well.

Yeah, definitely there's been a lot more French spoken,

and now we're in France.

Yeah, I'm very pleased you're in France. Sante.

Well, I hope you enjoy the wine.

No, there's no Stella. No Stella?

'It's fascinating, really.

'Some of them are so staunchly English

which is to bring people to France for fun.

The social element's going well.

I think the singing is not really getting there yet.

Three days later, and Gareth is back at P to announce

who will be singing the duet.

'I'm surprised at this company, that seemed to be quite

'a flamboyant lot in rehearsal, but when they stood up in front

'of me in that situation, all the personality seemed to go out of it.'

Hello, how you doing?

'Nobody wowed me. That makes it more difficult for me to decide.'

Good morning, everyone. ALL: Morning.

Hello, very good to see you.

Lots of you came in your pairs to come and audition.

I've chosen a pair that I've made up,

and those people are...

'This means so, so much. I can't stop smiling.'

My cheeks are actually hurting right now, but I think we'll do great.

Shall we have a listen to it?

# Somewhere beyond the sea

# Somewhere waiting for me. #

'Sitting down, I had butterflies when he said I've got it.'

I just sort of wanted to jump up and sort of scream, really.

# My lover stands on golden sands. #

'I think the soloist voices go well together.'

They've got a bit of work to do to make the blend absolutely immaculate,

and then it's beautiful when all the voices come in,

so I think that's going to work well.

# Somewhere, somewhere

# Beyond the sea

# She's there watching for me. #

'I'm happy with the soloists,

I mean, it was brilliant, and that's absolutely it.

If you're doing that, then you've got it right,

and I don't think everyone's got the same kind of level of connection,

and that's what we have to work on.

I think it's the physicality that I'm really looking for,

so we're going out for a nice walk.

Follow me.

The iconic white cliffs of Dover are the first things seen

when you sail into port

and are regarded the world over as a romantic symbol of English heritage.

They overlook the whole business,

and it's here Gareth has chosen to bring his choir for inspiration.

That's a romantic scene, isn't it?

That ship down there is my husband's ship.

We see each other one week out of the month.

So we do watch the ships go sailing. Oh, really?

which is to take people across this amazing expanse of water.

Your song is about romance.

It's about travel across a vast expanse of water

and arriving at a destination to meet the person that you love.

Try to imagine, you know, that kind of fervent excitement that you

have when you're first in love and you're desperate to see that person.

And obviously when you're married as well.

Shall we have a little go at it. Ready, one, two, three.

# Somewhere, somewhere

# Beyond the sea

# She's there watching for me

# If I could fly like birds on high

# Straight to her arms I'd go sailing

# Voyez, voyez

# Happy we'll be beyond the sea

# Watching the ships that go sailing. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

That's feeling like the spirit is there, is it not? Yes.

The spirit of the choir.

I thought, Jeff, you were really grooving there. Really, really good.

Use these things. Have the cliffs and the birds and the sea

and the ships in your mind when you're performing.

We need an audience now. We need to just go and do it.

Well done, it's been really useful to come out here. Really good.

APPLAUSE

Ice creams anyone? ALL: Yeah!

I don't have any, but...

That's what's been missing in the rehearsal room.

There are one or two who are still not really going for it,

but we'll see, perhaps they just need an audience.

For the next few weeks, it's business as usual on the ferries.

# Just as before... #

In readiness for the big performance,

the choir practise every spare minute.

# Beyond the sea. #

# Do, do, do, do, do Do, do, do, do. #

I think it's changing the attitudes of everyone in the choir.

We can all see that we can work well together, we can sing well together.

# And watches the ships. #

As a whole company, everyone's behind us.

# Voyez. #

The choir is a really good morale booster.

The P choir came together less than two months ago.

They've spent weeks trying to master their first contest piece.

Now the day of the big performance has arrived.

Hello. ALL: Hello.

It's show time. Do we have everyone? Have we got all the sopranos?

Yes.

Altos? Yes.

Basses? BASSES: (DEEPLY) Yes.

LAUGHTER

Anchor's away!

The choir are boarding the pride of the fleet, the Spirit of Britain.

The performance will be taking place

in front of a large audience of colleagues, friends and family.

We're going to be performing in here.

I will be here, and the judges will be right in front of you over there.

The nerves haven't really hit me yet, but I think they definitely will.

With everyone on board, they set sail.

The performance will be taking place

in the middle of the English Channel.

Judging the contest are three highly distinguished members

of the classical music community.

They've got to get that French mood right, even the English bits.

The first judge, Professor Paul Mealor,

was recently voted the nation's favourite living composer.

Can they sing the harmonies together, balanced and in tune?

Do they sell the song?

What a venue for a first performance, on a ship.

The second judge is Ken Burton,

award-winning gospel conductor and performer.

Singing in two languages is a challenge.

It's a completely different tone production.

A lot of English people don't like singing in French,

cos they've so many different vowel sounds.

Finally, Sarah Fox, international operatic soprano.

# Then straight to her arms. #

# That go sailing. #

# Voyez ces oiseaux. #

The bass section is doing pretty good.

God knows what we're going to be like when we actually stand there.

It might completely change.

After months of effort, the moment has arrived.

The audience take their seats

for the P choir's first ever public performance.

This is part of the contest, this is the competitive situation,

and it will count towards the next stage,

and that's where somebody will be knocked out.

So you've got to bring a bit of the magic that we found

up on the white cliffs of Dover into the Forward Bar.

APPLAUSE

It's crazy to think that all the hard work we've put in,

going home late, getting up early, one song...that's all we've got

to really show these three judges that we've got what it takes.

Let's hope we can do it.

The P choir!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

A contest wouldn't be a contest unless we had judges.

Here they are. Paul Mealor, Sarah Fox and Ken Burton.

The judges are evaluating the choir on technical ability, musicality

and performance.

Any feedback they give will help the choir through the contest.

So, the P choir performing La Mer, Beyond The Sea.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# And watches the ships that go sailing

# Somewhere, somewhere

# Beyond the sea

# She's there watching for me

# If I could fly like birds on high

# Then straight to her arms I'd go sailing

# Voyez, voyez

# Pres des etangs, pres des etangs

# Roseaux mouilles

# Voyez ces oiseaux

# Voyez, voyez

# Ces oiseaux blancs Ces oiseaux blancs

# Happy we'll be beyond the sea

# Watching the ships that go sailing. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

P choir, we want to thank you so much for that performance.

Men, don't look so...so nervous.

Your tone was very pleasing, it was very easy,

and I feel, ladies, you could take a lead from the men.

Don't let it get to your heads, men. OK.

In terms of your performance,

when you started singing in the French section,

it had a completely different energy.

Your technique was better, the sound was better,

and, particularly in this acoustic, we can hear that.

The "MS" on the end of "arms", that needs tidying up a little bit more.

Duettists, it was a bit shaky.

Maybe, think, whatever piece you're doing next time,

if there's a solo, you're the heart of this thing.

Just be aware that you're the heart of this.

We really want to try and help you, because we want to try

and make sure you're as best as you possibly can be.

Well done. I really enjoyed it.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

It's always very easy to just remember the negative, isn't it?

But every single one of them said that they enjoyed it.

We knew we're not exactly giving it loads when we're singing it,

but I think a lot of people just go "Ooh!" when they get up there.

Hello, I'm Gareth.

Hi, Gareth, I'm Jo. Hello. She's always crying. I know.

Judging's irrelevant, really,

because, at the end of the day, this is for all of us.

It was for the choir and all of our family, no-one else.

They're the ones that matter. If they enjoyed it, we're happy.

Yep. Well said, bruv. Yep.

We know we can sing better than that.

We had a little bit of nervous excitement,

but you'd expect that for a first-time performance,

but I think we know where to go from now, so...

I thought that was all right. There were no obvious problems.

It perhaps didn't have the magic of some of their rehearsals.

The basic sound is great. I think they could have done better.

A really proficient choir is able to turn its hands to any

different performance situation -

whether you're on a boat or you're in a cathedral, you have

to adjust accordingly - and I think they found it difficult in here.

You have just got fabulous, fabulous feedback from people that

really know, so the sound you're starting to get, when you're

really in your stride, that's what they want right the way through.

They heard those moments and they want more.

Rejoice, you've just done a fantastic performance under, I would say,

the most difficult circumstances of my professional career.

I've never performed anywhere worse.

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

So well done, everyone. Round of applause to you.

Hip-hip, hooray! Hip-hip, hooray! Hip-hip, hooray! Hip-hip, hooray!

It's so blinking obvious, you've only got one note to sing.

Gareth finds the perfect soloist...

It's show-time! Everyone excited?

..but will she turn up?

Er...do we have a soloist?

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