Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service The Choir

Are you going to be the best choir?

THEY CHEER: Yeah!

Come on, then!

Choirmaster Gareth Malone wants to help Britain's workers find their voice.

This is Gareth Malone here...

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. Yeah!

Whoa!

This proves that bankers can rock.

If you were 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.

We're going to sing real music...crescendo, diminuendo...

# Where you going to run to? #

If they're going to do justice to music,

it's got to just pour out of them.

# Power to the Lord... #

Singing brings people together spiritually, socially...

It's vital, it's vital!

I have to tap into that part of my mind where all those horrible

things that I see at work are kept.

You've got to step it up one notch.

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're never together. Wonderful, wonderful tuning.

Judgment 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 of my life.

The workplace choir of the year is...

I've been asked to go to a lot of workplaces but this is probably the

most exciting, going to firefighters in Cheshire, it's going to be great!

Who doesn't want to be a firefighter when they're growing up?

All that kit, all those fire engines,

it's life and death stuff.

It's really exciting.

SIREN BLARES

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service employs 700 firefighters.

They don't just deal with emergencies.

Fire prevention and community work is an important part of the modern fire service.

Now, who wants to have a go at putting this on?

The one thing I'm worried about going to a fire service is that

traditionally I think that's quite a male preserve

and are there going to be any women there?

I'm not here to start a male voice choir.

Gareth is starting his recruitment drive in Chester,

home of Cheshire's biggest fire station.

That's my choir. Don't look like choristers, do they?

Hi!

He has less than two months to create a choir

capable of performing in front of the contest judges.

Hi there!

Hi, are any of you interested in joining a choir?

No.

Guys, hello, hello! Are you interested in joining a choir?

Maybe, yeah. Do you want to come down?

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

Hello, John, are you a singer?

Yeah, I sometimes get up and sing a bit of karaoke.

Could you give me a quick blast, so I can hear your voice?

I couldn't really, honestly. Who's your favourite singer?

Er, Frank Sinatra. Give me some Frank Sinatra.

Can't do it, seriously. No? No, honestly.

You could run headlong into a burning building

but you are too frightened to sing to me. I cannot do it, honestly. Really?

Too scared to sing... Who'd have thought it?

I don't know why but I'm really drawn to this, I really like it.

More fire engines.

Serving a population of over a million,

the firefighters are constantly preparing for the next call out.

Would you like to be in a choir? No?

Hello... Are you interested in being in a choir? No. Not at all?

Not at all. Are you going to come and audition? No.

Oh, dear, it's like pushing a rock uphill here.

Great. Well, this is going well.

They seem to be really embarrassed about the idea of singing, just generally.

Literally all of them.

Hiya! Hi, hello...

Luckily for Gareth, Ant McCarthy who lives in Wales is on shift.

Don't laugh, Matthew. There's a lot of sniggering. There is a lot, yeah.

Can I hear a bit of your voice?

# Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi

# Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri... #

Good to meet you. Yes, and you. You're going to come and audition?

Yes, absolutely. Good stuff. See you later.

Next stop is 16 miles away, at the service headquarters in Winsford.

This is the fire HQ, which is not the frontline staff,

it's not the people that run into fires, it's office people.

So I might actually find some women here

because I haven't found very many in the fire stations.

Hello, Gareth Malone. I'm here to start a choir.

HE WHISPERS: Is this where you do the 999 calls? Yes.

The control room is where the business of saving lives begins.

Are you a singer? No, I'm not. Not at all? No.

Do you sing? Badly. Could you sing me a few notes? No. No? No.

You coming to audition? Yes. Oh, great. You can wait.

SHE LAUGHS

The next day, Gareth's hoping his call for action brings a full

turn out to the auditions.

HE SINGS A SCALE

SIREN BLARES

What kept you? What kept you? Sorting out danger? Yeah. Welcome.

Hello. How are you? I'm all right. Here to audition? Certainly are.

Smoke signals have reached all the fire stations in Cheshire,

and the service shows up in force.

I'm really pleased by the reaction.

Lots of women and actually lots of men as well, which is surprising.

I think there's quite a lot of singing going on here.

I don't think they're prepared to admit it

but now they're coming out the woodwork.

OK. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to your audition.

I'm looking for people whose voices are really going to make

an impact in the choir.

So, let the fun begin!

Matt, hello. Hello, Gareth. What do you do?

Firefighter at Macclesfield Fire Station.

Ride the trucks, drive the trucks... Put out the fires.

Put out the fires, that sort of thing, yeah. OK, Matt, let's hear...

Gareth's chosen a song every firefighter should know,

and given it a local twist.

# Cheshire's burning, Cheshire's burning

# Fetch the engines, fetch the engines

# Fire, fire! Fire, fire!

# Pour on water

# Pour on water... #

What you can't see is the look of surprise.

LAUGHTER

It's fear!

Hannah. Hello. You're a female firefighter? I hope so. You are.

One of the few? Yeah, there's not a huge amount, but yeah, one of a few.

Would I be right in saying it makes absolutely no difference?

No, not at all. One, two...

# Lond... Cheshire's burning, Cheshire's burning

# Send the engines, send the engines

I forgot the words...

# Fire, fire... # Fire, fire! Fire, fire!

# Pour on water... #

FIRE ALARM RINGS There's a fire!

Good luck, boys!

He was going to audition.

SIREN BLARES

Come on in. No-one's wearing a fire helmet.

Gareth moves to a less action-packed location.

# Fire, fire... #

The offices at HQ, where the support staff is based.

Erin, hello.

Oh, there's a face.

LAUGHTER

Let's have a listen, shall we?

# Cheshire's burning, Cheshire's burning

# Fetch the engine

# Fire, fire!

# Pour on wa... ..ter!

LAUGHTER

Ant, up we get. Hello.

Hello. What do you do? Crew manager. Crew manager. Yes.

Ant McCarthy leads teams of up to ten firefighters during emergencies.

People say, "Don't you just sit around drinking tea and rescue cats from trees?"

Well, we do like a cup of tea, but at the drop of a hat everyone

will just be focused on helping people who need us.

They look at us and they think, ooh, fire service's here,

we're in really good hands here.

And they really are cos I know them, I've worked with them for 15 years.

They are in good hands.

OK, Ant, let's hear it.

# Cheshire's burning, Cheshire's burning

SHOUTY: # Pour on water, pour on water

Can we lighten off a bit... Yeah.

# Fire, fire! # LIGHTER: # Fire, fire! #

LAUGHTER

Is that your impression of me? Probably, yeah... Very dainty.

All right, so, Helen, shall we have a listen?

# Cheshire's burning, Cheshire's burning

# Fetch the engine, fetch the engine

Almost a tenor. And sometimes a lady tenor can just... A's the top.

It's possible. I'm now known as the tenor lady(?) Tenor lady.

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

The auditions are over. Thanks, Ant, well done.

And the fire service is ready for action.

Whoever the other companies are, be worried. Be very afraid.

We're coming.

Strong, strong...

Not sure about you...

So the men are great here. Really, really good.

There's a lot of firefighters in there.

They're physically fit, these guys, and they've got good voices.

The women are more timid and fewer in number.

Gareth wants his choir to represent the entire service.

HE SIGHS

This is a workplace choir contest.

It can't be just all firefighters or all office staff.

And I think this is a good... This is a good spread.

Two reserves, one, two, three, four, five, six. That's it.

24.

Of all the bits of my job, this is the most fun.

The next morning,

Gareth's on a tour of Cheshire to round up his new choristers.

The county's 24 stations are spread over 900 square miles.

OK, perfect, thank you.

Gareth's back at HQ.

Is there news? There might be.

Ssshhhh...

It's a secret.

Hello, sorry to disturb.

Could I grab somebody very quickly? Is that all right, do you mind?

Erin. I'd like you to be in the choir.

CHEERING

Congratulations.

Are you sure you're happy? I'm speechless. She's in, everyone.

CHEERING

The last time I sung in public was in a school choir

and actually I didn't sing, they made me play the glockenspiel.

I didn't know you could sing. I can't.

KNOCKING ON DOOR

Gareth's next two choristers work side by side.

Hi. Can I come and have a quick word with those two? You can, of course.

The emergency control operators handle

over 300 calls like this a week.

Put your duvet - take your duvet off your bed,

put it up against the door. Just block your door.

'The smoke's still coming under it, I need help.'

'This is the nerve centre of the whole operation. It's very quiet and calm.'

Listen to me... ALARM SOUNDS

Is that another one?

'Those women are very much in control.'

So what can you see on fire? No, don't do that, close the door.

We're telling the fire crews, all right? Bye.

It's all going on today!

You've got emergency calls, AND choirs. Yeah.

How did you feel it went? I really enjoyed it. Did you?

Yeah, I loved it. I thought you did well. Thank you.

And I thought YOU did well as well. Thank you very much.

And I'd like you both to be in the choir.

Woo-hoo! Yes!

Congratulations.

Thank you very much. Well done.

ALARM SOUNDS Is that a 999?

Fire and rescue control?

I'm really glad they're in.

And that's control well represented as well,

and that's a big part of this organisation.

Really, really big.

Can you smell any smoke, or can you see any signs of fire?

Helen Alton's worked here for the last eight years.

There are definitely calls that stay with you.

Is there anybody else inside the property with you?

'You get somebody who is that distressed,'

they can't tell you where they live. They can't even give you their postcode.

All right. Are you injured?

'All they can do is shout and scream.'

They're the hardest calls, because you want to get to them,

you want to...save them.

Thanks, all right, we're on our way.

Roger Charlie zero two Papa one...

There's that sense of achievement when you've turned out to somebody who's in distress.

You can't get that in any other job, anywhere.

I love it.

This is it, I'm bringing the choir together.

The next day, the choir gathers for its first rehearsal.

Look at that.

If you were ever going to have a firefighting calendar,

we've got them all here in the choir.

This lot could be quite hard to handle

because there's a real energy and raucousness about them.

They're firefighters, they're...

LIVELY LAUGHTER They're full of personality.

Wish me luck!

Hi, everyone.

Come on in. First rehearsal.

Hello, welcome to the choir. Hi, Matt.

They might have spark, but few read music,

and almost none has any choral experience.

Welcome. You're now in a contest.

This is a contest to find Britain's best workplace choir.

I can see that you're very excited about this

and I really want to fan the flames of your enthusiasm.

I think it's time we chose your song.

That is, after all, the burning issue of the day.

Erm... LAUGHTER

I've got more! Does anyone have any ideas?

I was thinking Great Balls of Fire. Do you think that a lot(?) Yes.

Hot Stuff. Hot Stuff. Shall we have a listen to it?

# Hot stuff, baby, this evening... #

Erin. You're not feeling hot stuff?

I'm not feeling it. We've all been looking for it for seven years.

When you say you work with the fire service, basically, people say,

"Ooh! Are they good looking?"

And your response is...? No! No?

I'm sorry. Just feast your eyes, ladies! OK, any other suggestions?

Sex on Fire. Kings of Leon. Your sex, or my sex? Anybody's sex.

I feel it's just incumbent upon me to read these lyrics to you.

# Lay where you're laying, don't make a sound

# The head while I'm driving... # This is very dirty.

# I'm driving, soft lips are open... #

This is appalling! I can't read this.

I'll just read one more line... Oh, no, I can't read that.

My mum might be listening.

Any more songs? I'll Be There.

The Four Tops you were thinking of. Yeah. How does that go?

# I'll be there, with a love that's true... #

I mean, it is what makes you you.

And the fact that you are dealing with the stuff of life and death.

Yesterday, for instance, we went to a house fire.

A lady, she'd nipped out for half an hour, came back,

and her house was on fire.

It was a case of putting your arm round them

and giving her a bit of care and love, saying to her,

"Look, at least you and your child are safe.

"Your house can be replaced, but you can't."

All those in favour of doing Reach Out, I'll Be There by The Four Tops.

It's a unanimous verdict. Well done.

ALL: # Darling, reach out

# Come on, girl - reach out for me

# Reach out # Reach out for me!

# I'll be there...

# I'll be there

# To love and comfort you... #

Slightly softer, gentlemen.

# I'll be there... #

Ah, good. That's the first time I've heard the girls.

Good. So, first things first. Even when we're just singing through

I'm already aware that we've got a really strong male section.

Are you getting that feeling? Yeah. It's a fantastic, solid, manly sound. Good.

You may go. Thank you very much. Well done.

We're all still very giggly and very nervous

and very "What are we doing here and what have we done?"

It could be us, couldn't it?

Those guys, that's a serious, serious weapon.

It's not a sophisticated sound, but it's got depth.

You know, I think this choir could go on the biggest journey in this whole contest.

I think they could really go from not being great to actually

having something very special.

One, two, three, four.

# I'll be there... #

Gareth's brought in a local choirmaster to help with group rehearsals in between his visits.

That was better, wasn't it?

But he's also expecting the individual

sections of his choir to become close-knit units.

For the bass and tenor sections, bonding is easy.

# When you feel lost and about to give up... #

It is really like a family. It's difficult to describe it any other way.

You rely so much on each other in emergency situations,

it's like that family bond where your family won't let you down, and it's the same at work.

# Darling, reach out

# Reach out

# Reach out... #

That bit sounds horrible.

But for staff in the altos and sopranos, becoming a team is harder.

The firefighters really are a tight bunch.

But when it comes to support staff,

then you tend to work in your little silos.

It's a completely different situation.

# I'll always see you through... # No, I've got that wrong.

# Through. Through. # I've got that bit wrong.

A week later, Gareth's back in Cheshire.

I look forward to going back to the fire service

because they are such fun. They're very outgoing. The ladies less so.

And I think that's not just in their personalities, it's in their singing.

I hope the women are starting to hold their own because those men are dominant.

Morning! ALL: Morning. Hello, hello, hello.

So, how is it sounding?

Excellent. Excellent. What do you need(?)

Are you playing your cards close to your chest

because you're concerned that I'll savage you?

Yes! Really?!

OK, let's stand up. Let's get ready to sing.

One, two, three, and...

# Now if you feel that you can't go on

# Because all of your hope is gone

# And your life is filled with much confusion

# Darling, reach out

# Reach out # Reach out... #

That's not bad, actually.

Matt, you're overpowering everyone there and I've got to hear...

You've got to hear them and think, they're making a bigger noise.

"I need to up my game."

'I'm looking for a balance of voice parts, but this choir is challenged.'

I'll tell you what I think I might do.

I'd like to focus on the gents for a little bit

so why don't we let the ladies have a quick break here.

'I want to spend a little bit of time with the men,'

they're singing like it's a shopping list at the moment.

'So I need to find a way to access that slightly more sensitive

'way of singing. They're not all macho,'

they're just strong. But it takes a particular kind of strength

to show your vulnerability in singing.

We discussed this when we chose this song, that it was about the reaching out,

the caring side. This is the moment for that kind of singing.

Can you read the words - "When you feel lost..."

ALL: When you feel lost and about to give up

Cos your life just ain't good enough...

It was a little bit like an assembly.

ROBOTICALLY: "Good morning, everybody!"

Now sing it. Stand up, please. Here we go.

One, two...

# When you feel lost and about to give up... #

Why?

# Cos your life just ain't good enough... #

# ..Can't go on... #

Softer. Ready, and...

# ..Hope is gone... #

Is that all right?

It's not uncomfortable, is it? No.

Ladies! Hello, ladies.

You won't actually recognise this soft-hearted bunch that you're about to hear singing.

Right, so I think that you aren't really a choir until you perform.

You have to get in front of an audience before the sound really comes together

so I think that we should go and do a performance.

Today? Today. Actually, now. Don't let that frighten you, Erin.

Do you want to go?

It's going to be fine. OK, follow me.

Having tempered the male voices, Gareth's hoping this performance

will give the women a chance to shine.

He's decided to piggyback an event going on outside the fire station.

The mayor has come to watch a training drill

and present some student awards.

So, um... Sh! Sh!

Can we all squeeze in towards Erin?

That's good. So show them that you're not afraid to sing

and that it's OK to be sensitive and wear your heart on your sleeve. Just stand there and wait.

Hello! We've got a little surprise for you.

The Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service choir are going to perform for you.

Would you like to come in? Come on in.

Hello, everyone. A little treat for you.

A group of people behind me that you don't normally expect to sing,

the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service choir, are now going to perform

a song that I think really typifies what they do.

Reach Out, I'll Be There.

THEY SING OPENING MOTIF

# Now if you feel that you can't go on

# Because all of your hope is gone

# And your life is filled with much confusion

# Darling, reach out, reach out

# Reach out

# I'll be there

# With a love that will shelter you

# When you feel lost and about to give up... To give up

# And your life just ain't good enough... Just ain't good enough

# And you feel the world has grown cold

# Darling, reach out... #

'I think the men responded quite well to being told to soften up.

'But, the women are a problem.'

My heart was racing, I don't know how I got through it, to tell you the truth.

It was terrifying. Actually, I mimed a bit of it!

# ..To always see you through. #

I was surprised at some of the girls, perhaps

they just got a bit of stage fright and they panicked and bottled it!

They are...the Fire Service!

'The altos are so vulnerable. It's really painful.'

Confidence is such an issue. They are the weak link in this choir.

After a less than perfect first performance,

Gareth heads to Knutsford Station to tackle the alto problem.

I'm going to go and see Hannah,

who is my alto, who is also a firefighter.

I'm going to discuss what to do about the women with her.

I'm not testing the whistle, you don't know where it's been!

Hannah is one of 24 female firefighters

out of nearly 700 in the Cheshire service. Yeah, that works.

And she's the only one in the choir.

I love my job, and I think it's brilliant and it's so different and I'm terrified of the choir.

I'd rather go into burning buildings any day of the week!

We're trained to do what we do,

but nothing in the world could train you for Gareth.

Hannah works where they do all the high ropes

and the rescue at altitude.

I've got a horrible feeling she's going to dangle me

off the side of a building by my feet!

Aah!

This is safe, right?

I'm not good with heights, I don't like heights.

Right, can you lower me all the way down...

Gareth's confronting his own fears,

before asking Hannah to do the same in the choir.

Keep calm, and don't panic.

There's a lot of choirs out there that will be very glad to see me suffer like this.

Gently, gently...

Yup, off you go.

It's quite an adrenaline rush.

Do you think performing is a similar adrenaline rush?

That's fear! Really? This isn't fear, this is adrenaline.

What I don't understand is, why are you frightened of singing? I just am.

Aah, terra firma.

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

He needs Hannah to draw on her frontline experience

and bring out the same courage in the altos.

I don't get nervous when I go out to perform, because I trust the team.

You're used to working in a team as a firefighter.

You have to apply the same principles to being in the alto section.

And I think the whole of the alto section has taken a sort of

immediate nosedive. Mmm.

You've looked around and thought "No-one is confident."

We're winding each other up. Yeah. So we've got to turn that round.

Get to know each other, get to trust each other. Good, right, those are your orders.

Thank you! Good, that's right.

Hannah gathers the most nervous altos to start the confidence-building.

We put him up the tower, and he's terrified of heights!

So bless him, he was shaking.

The look on his face, he was proper scared, bless him.

That's probably what we look like when we're singing. That terrified... Aaah!

You're probably right. We've got to woman up and do it.

# Darling, reach out...

# Love that will shelter you...

# I'll be there...

# Just ain't good enough...

# Reach out...

# Has gone cold...

# To always see you through. #

See? We're doing it!

THEY CHEER

With one performance under its belt,

Gareth must now focus the choir's attention on the contest.

Hello! ALL: Hello! How are we? OK. All right?

I think we need to really realise your potential now.

I think we've got a lot of hard work to do.

First on the agenda,

are the altos holding their own in the balance of the choir?

THEY SING SCALES

Right, good, there. Did you hear that?

That's the closest you've been to balanced.

I think altos, you're winning on this occasion.

THEY CHEER

Erm, it is time for you to sing a new song.

It's actually a rather beautiful song by Bruce Springsteen,

called The Rising. And it was written about firefighters in 9/11.

The choir has less than a month to perfect the song it will

perform to an invited audience and the judges.

"Can't see nothing in front of me,

"Can't see nothing coming up behind,

"Make my way through this darkness,

"I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me."

This is about going up those stairs into a very dangerous situation.

I remember, so many people died that day. 300-odd firefighters? 343. 343.

I think it's going to be hard to sing,

because it's so important we get it right, not just for the choir,

but because of the story behind the song.

We've got to absolutely nail it.

And, you know, if you consider it

not to just be a tribute to the American firefighters,

but to all firefighters, I think that's something to be...

something to be immensely proud of, when you sing this song.

Off the back of that, shall we have a go at singing it?

Two, three and one!

# Can't see nothing in front of me

# Can't see nothing coming up behind

# Make my way through this darkness... #

There couldn't be a better song for us,

for us to be emotionally attached to.

I feel really proud and privileged to do this job.

It's the same, no matter who you talk to.

# On my back's a 60-pound stone... #

It's gone from representing your fire

and rescue service to almost representing all firefighters,

and almost paying tribute to those who have fallen.

It's a nice sound, isn't it?

'If I can tap into that emotion and that pride that they have in

'their service and what they do, they will be a force to be reckoned with.'

Because which other choir is going to have this,

this heart and this level of risk in the job? You know, none of them.

I would like to put a solo at the beginning of this.

And next time I come back, I'm going to do auditions for a solo.

SIRENS BLARE

The rehearsal is cut short, but Gareth is not finished for the day.

The words of the Springsteen song

have touched a nerve within the choir.

The firefighters want to give Gareth

a sense of the difficult conditions that make the lyrics so meaningful.

Gareth, this is where you go in. OK.

OK? It's dark and smoky!

How many fingers have I got up?

I can't see any hands, never mind fingers. That'll do for me, then.

OK.

The smoke house reduces visibility to practically nothing,

and trains firefighters to depend on each other to get the job done.

Er, door handle!

Hang on, hang on, have a look... I've got a door!

'It is intensely claustrophobic.

'You genuinely cannot see anything in front of you.

'Going through the darkness, it's incredibly frightening

'and intimidating.'

I'm going through some kind of door.

There's...something down here. What is that?

It's a person, get her! I hope we can remember the way we came in!

Aim for the door. Here we go.

Aah! A 60-pound stone. 60-pound stone. Now I feel it!

That was so intense. Yeah, yeah.

But Gareth is yet to take in

the full gravity of the training exercise.

This was the door that you initially identified.

Quite a bit smaller, isn't it? Yeah, this felt about 100m.

Then I came in here.

Oh, look.

The adult casualty had got the child,

and was affording it protection, yeah, because it was trapped,

couldn't get out, and it was giving itself some sort of protection.

It's chilling. Yeah, yeah. It really is.

I know it's only a dummy, but it's actually genuinely upsetting.

It's what you'll find, they're often in wardrobes,

under beds, but you've got to be really methodical

with your checks and just, you know, aware of everything. Hm.

HE EXHALES God.

'You know, these guys, their responsibility is just so huge.'

It's amazing, what they do, it really is.

SIREN WAILS

Fire and rescue control. Bravo golf six two papa one.

Three weeks later,

Gareth has come back to Chester to audition for his soloist.

Join the queue. It's like a doctor's waiting room in here!

I've got 13 people auditioning for the solo,

and three of them are girls, and the rest are guys.

Which is a bit disappointing, because this is...

this is the chance for them to show their mettle, or develop some mettle.

I'm petrified, thinking, "Why am I putting myself through this?"

Lisa, hello. A lady!

Lisa's a soprano.

One of the three!

How are you feeling, Lisa? Nervous. Are you? Yes. What is it you do?

I work in Control, I'm the Watch Manager,

so I'm in charge of the control room. You're in charge. Yes.

Shall we have a listen? Let's go for it.

# Can't see nothing in front of me

# Can't see nothing coming up behind... #

Is there something you connect with?

It's very about going into a fire and things, which is not,

sort of, what we do.

Yeah, so what... Don't, cos you'll set me off. No, why...

What makes you feel like that?

Sorry.

Oh, I'm so sorry, Lisa. No, it's OK.

What's emotional about it for you?

It just reminds me of when I was working that day, that's all.

No, it's all right. You OK? Yeah, yeah.

I promised myself I wouldn't cry. Did you?

Aw-w. Thank you. I'm sorry I made you cry! It's OK.

It's a very emotional song,

and it's a life and death business,

so to sing about the emotions here is just much more powerful

than in any of the other companies.

It's just really difficult.

I mean, that's...you know, that's reduced Lisa to tears.

I think that she won't be the last.

# Make my way through this darkness

# I can't feel nothing but the chain that binds me. #

Being in a building that's on fire, it's a lonely place.

You want your team-mates... Is that what the chain is? Yeah.

We even put our hands on each other's backs

if one's going in front of us.

We'll even hold hands sometimes,

just try and get through it together and get the job done.

# Can't see nothing in front of me

# Can't see nothing coming up behind... #

Sorry, can I put my glasses on please? You can.

Yeah, that's fine. Sorry.

# Make my way through this darkness

# I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me. #

Hello, Matt. Hi, Gareth. Hi, how are you? I'm fine, thank you.

Come on in. Thank you.

How are you feeling? I'm feeling fine.

Thank you, Gareth. Yeah... Good. Not too nervous? A little bit, yeah.

A little bit edgy? A little bit edgy, that's a good word. Well, that's good.

Edgy is good. Yeah.

Can you tell me what you feel about this line,

"Can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me"?

I think that must be a feeling that Bruce has wrote,

put into the song, it must be something to do with

the realisation that something bad's going to happen.

Like there's a chain drawing you towards something terrible?

Yeah. Do you have a sense with that that you have to go forward?

Yeah, absolutely. Especially when there's people involved.

All you want to do is get in there as quickly as possible.

You just want to help people, at the end of the day.

It's got to make you scared, though, hasn't it?

At times? Yeah, there are times when you do get slightly anxious.

I remember before my daughter was born,

I went to a particularly bad fire the night before.

It was extremely hot -

mine and my partner's helmet both melted.

And I can remember thinking in the back of my head,

"Oh, my goodness, my daughter's getting born tomorrow."

Cos she was booked in for a Caesarean. Right.

And I can remember thinking,

"I hope I'm going to get home tonight!" Oh, gosh!

You know what I mean? What pressure! I remember feeling like that.

You want to be able to go home at the end of the day and... Yeah. ..give your family a hug.

That's what it's all about.

See you later. I'll pick you up from school, tomorrow. All right?

See you later, Dad. I'll see you after school, all right? Have a quiet night!

Matt's daughter Poppy is now eight.

The family lives near the Macclesfield fire station.

See you later. See you tomorrow. Bye! Bye!

Most house fires break out in the early hours,

and Matt does two night shifts a week.

I trust in Matt.

I know he's really good and professional at what he does,

but the problem is, you don't know what you're going in to,

and I know he would give everything...

..probably give more than what he should do.

# Can't see nothing in front of me

# Can't see nothing coming up behind

# Make my way through this darkness

# I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me. #

MATT LAUGHS

Well done. Goose bumps. Thanks very much.

Thank you, I really appreciate that. Thanks a lot. Thanks a lot.

Yeah, I feel really quite choked up!

Erm...

I don't know, I just... There's something so...

so admirable about what they do.

You know, you look at each one of these jackets and each pair of boots

and that represents a life and a family and a person

that could potentially be lost in the next incident.

Anyone else? Helen!

Hello.

You came! I did. I had an attack of the nerves.

I thought I only had three ladies, and now I have four. Good.

OK, ready? I'm so nervous!

Are you? Yeah.

All right. And...

# Can't see nothing in front of me

# Can't see nothing coming up behind

# Make my way through this darkness

# I... #

Sorry. It's all right.

Keep going, keep going. It's the last bit.

# Can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me. #

I think it's good, actually, Helen.

I like it. I'm too nervous!

Well, there is that. I wonder if we could get beyond the nerves.

You know, you're a tough person, aren't you?

Sometimes. You can... Yeah.

There's a seriousness required of this song

that I know you have.

Such an important song. Yeah.

You don't feel important enough in the fire service...?

No. Not right now, no. Really?

I'm going to let you go, Helen. Cos I can't stand still!

Bye.

For a minute there I thought, "She's going to get it.

"She's going to get it."

But she was holding back,

and I think it's really interesting

that she didn't feel like her version of this song

was worth anything.

I've done it. Good lass.

It was awful. I feel so sorry for him!

And I was that nervous, I couldn't stop moving.

'Everything is about the firefighters.

'The support staff see themselves as playing second fiddle.

'There is just a big split.'

It's not male-female,

it's between firefighter and support staff.

I need a cuddle.

You can come and have a cuddle!

You did absolutely fine, I'm sure. That poor fellow!

Later that day, Gareth's made a decision about the solo.

But first, he wants to give the choir a shake-up.

So I just wanted to spend a little bit of time

thinking about the altos and the sopranos.

Generally, I feel there's an imbalance in this choir

between the sound of the women and the sound of the men.

And it's something the judges will pick up on.

I think it comes down to confidence.

I feel like it would work

to have the altos and sopranos in the middle

and to surround you with the guys.

Let's try that.

INDISTINCT CHATTER

One, two, three...

# La-la-la-la-la-la-la

# La-la-la... #

Gareth's new formation puts the sopranos and altos

at the heart of the choir

so they're supported by the big-voiced firefighters on either side.

# Come on out for the rising

# Ah-ah-ah

# Ah. #

I'm feeling a sense...more of a sense of oomph about you ladies. Erin, yes?

Definitely. A bit more in it. We've got the oomph.

It's like a big hug, isn't it?

Like a big hug! Have a seat. Well done.

So, do you want to know who the soloist is?

ALL: Yes!

Good. Well, the soloist is...

No, no, no, it's all right. We don't need a drum roll!

Erm, I think there's enough tension already, isn't there?!

So, the soloist that I've chosen

I think is going to really represent what you do very well

because this person understands, I think,

both the song but also the whole service.

So the person I've chosen to do the solo is...

..Helen. No!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Oh, my god!

You lot must have been awful!

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

I'd actually like to give you a couple of backing singers

to support you.

You're going to sing the first two lines on your own

and then you're going to be joined by two other singers.

And those singers are...

..Ant...

CHEERING

..and Matt.

CHEERING

For me, what this is about

is putting the whole fire service on display -

you guys representing the front line

and you representing control and everyone in the support staff.

Yeah? Our trio, come and stand here, please.

Let's have Helen in the middle, flanked... Just where she wants to be!

LAUGHTER There we go.

# Can't see nothing in front of me

# Can't see nothing coming up behind

# Make my way through this darkness

# I can't feel nothing but these chains that bind me

# Oo-ooh... #

'Well, I knew how nervous she was.'

I think it was touch and go whether she was even going to audition.

It's a... She'll do a great job.

And the boy band behind her will do a good job as well!

# La-la-la-la... #

Just need them now in either gold lame togas

or just their wet legs covered in baby oil. Funnily...

Funnily enough, I have one. Have you?

Well, that doesn't surprise me, Ant.

So, to finish,

you are going to be doing a performance in two weeks' time

to your friends, your families and your colleagues

and it will be in front of the judges.

This will be your first competitive performance.

I reckon you can do it. Don't you?

HESITANT AGREEMENT It's going to be good, it's going to be good!

# Come on up for the rising... #

As the countdown to the big day begins,

the choir is growing in confidence

and singing out loud at every opportunity.

# Come on up, lay your hands in mine... #

Everyone, that is,

bar one.

Why don't you sing me the lines on the phone, now?

No. Go on!

I'll disconnect you, Ant.

# Can't see nothing in front of me ALARM BEEPS

# Can't see nothing coming... # Got to go.

Helen?

She cut me off!

With just over a week to go until the final performance,

Gareth's come back to HQ

for one last rehearsal with his soloist.

'I want to get Helen's confidence up.

'I feel like there's something at the centre with her.

'She does a really difficult job.'

She has to have some personal confidence.

At the moment, she's just, sort of, all giggles.

Come closer. Don't be afraid.

I'm very afraid. Come a bit closer.

How are you doing? I'm all right. Bit nervous!

One, two, three, and...

STRAINED: # Can't see nothing in front of me... #

Good. Now, I'm hearing a little bit of tension there.

You jokingly said you were very shy. I mean, I actually wonder...

I'm not the most confident of people.

You've got some real spine, cos of what you do.

I love my job.

And I would hazard a guess as I'm good at my job.

I'd call that confidence.

I mean, you're not confident about this...

They can't see me, though, can they?

And do you feel that by not being seen...

It's easier. Is it? It's much easier.

What is it that you think people see?

I think they just assume

I'm just going to be boisterous or big and...

And so you've sort of... I just go with it.

You just go with it?! It's easier. Really?

I bet you when that call comes in to 999

and it's your voice that they hear,

there's nothing tense in your sound. No.

No fear. No fear.

Cos I need to take their fear.

I think it's the same in the choir.

Yours is the first voice that they're going to hear,

and it has to be that same voice.

OK, it's singing. But singing is just an extension...

It's the same voice.

MORE RELAXED: # Can't see nothing in front of me... #

Good.

# Can't see nothing coming up behind

# Made my way through this darkness

# I can't feel nothing but these chains that bind me. #

Better? Much better.

Really good!

So that's the key, isn't it? Yeah.

It's just to think yourself into it like it's a 999 call. Yeah.

Serious.

'Picking Helen for the solo was a leap of faith'

and I think, if she manages to do it,

which I believe she can,

it will be a huge personal achievement for her.

Hello!

It's the day of the final performance.

Everyone is saying, "I'm not nervous."

But they're saying it too many times. Yeah!

"I'm not nervous, I'm not nervous." No. "I'm not nervous, I'm fine!"

'I don't know how they're going to respond to this.

'They are cool in the face of'

the most incredible danger you can imagine.

I don't know how they're going to react

to standing on stage in front of a large audience.

CHEERING Hey! Are we excited?

ALL: Yes! Yeah? Good, have I got my soloist, Helen?

How are you doing? I'm all right, actually.

All right. A little bit. And your support team?

Right there. I've got one of them. Never far away.

Where's the other one? There he is. Don't leave me!

Are you going to catch her if she falls? Oh, we'll try. Yeah.

And everyone else OK? Yeah?

The choir's families, colleagues and the fire service top brass

are gathering in the main engine workshop.

Looks like we're all waiting to go into a court

and a public execution.

'We've started seeing people arrive

'so the nerves are starting to kick in now with everybody.'

It'd be all right if they hadn't put my dad on the front row

where I can see him!

It's a one-off thing, isn't it? And it's...

..something that she'll remember for ever.

My dad, this morning, he said, "It doesn't matter."

He said, "If you fluff it up, I'm still proud of you."

So a little bit of a weep when he said that.

Seeing all the families turning up and,

"Hi, Dad." "Hi, Dad!"

That's my, "Oh, God! This is for real now."

We're all really excited to hear it

cos we've been listening to it now for weeks and weeks so...

Really, really excited.

I think this is going to be...

The judges have arrived for the performance.

Composer Paul Mealor will be listening to their technical ability.

I'm concerned because it's a commemorative song, isn't it... Yes.

..for 9/11. So what you don't want

is someone to stand there and shout it at you. No!

Conductor Ken Burton's here to judge the blend and tone of the choir.

It'll be really interesting to see

how much emotion they can actually bring.

We need to feel some passion, as well. Some gentle passion. Maybe...

Soprano Sarah Fox will be assessing the performance

and connection with the audience.

It'll be interesting to see how the women are in it.

They could get drowned by it. It's blend, isn't it?

And balance. Yes, yeah. I mean, they are the big issues for this.

Hi, everyone. Right, gather round! Gather around.

Good. Everyone OK? THEY MURMUR AGREEMENTS

You've got to go for it.

Show your pride in your service

on your faces, in your body language.

You cannot stand there and look like you're terrified of it.

You understand these words better than anyone, I think.

I will be there right in front of you going,

"Knock it out of the park! Go for it."

I want you to be brilliant, I really do.

Shall we go and do this? CHEERING

Come on! Let's go.

APPLAUSE

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

It gives me great pleasure and great pride to introduce you to

the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service Choir!

APPLAUSE

A hell of an entrance.

The choir are about to perform for the first time competitively.

This will be graded and will be taken forward to the next round,

which is the knockout stage.

Please welcome our three judges - Ken Burton, conductor,

Paul Mealor, the nation's favourite living composer,

and Sarah Fox, world class soprano.

We're going to sing a song for you, today,

that is perfect for your organisation.

It's about, really, the sharp end of your business.

So here they are, singing Bruce Springsteen's The Rising.

OK, focus.

HE MOUTHS

# Can't see nothing in front of me

# Can't see nothing coming up behind

# Make my way through this darkness

# I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me

# Lost track of how far I've gone

# How far I've gone How high I've climbed

# On my back's a 60 pound stone

# On my shoulder a half mile line

# Come on up for the rising

# Come on up, lay your hands in mine

# Come on up for the rising

# Come on up for the rising, tonight

# La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

# La-la-la

# Come on up for the rising

# Come on up, lay your hands in mine

# Come on up for the rising

# Ah-ah

# Ah. #

SILENCE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Cheshire Fire Service,

we want to thank you for and commend you on

that performance.

What we got today was a really well-blended,

well-balanced sound. GARETH MOUTHS

It was a joy to listen to.

And I really want to commend you

that this sound was actually quite natural.

Be aware that in the next round,

when you have a different piece to sing,

you may not relate to it as easily emotionally

as you have done this time.

You've shot yourselves in the foot, in a way,

cos you've set yourselves such a high level,

you've now got to maintain that.

The solo was fantastic. Well done, Helen.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

There was a real gentle quality to it.

And then you were joined by these two monsters either side of you!

But, they may look strong and strapping,

but they did not overpower you.

What comes through your singing is your belief in each other.

And that's beautiful. Thank you.

APPLAUSE

Absolutely fantastic.

Well done.

Bruce Springsteen, eat your heart out.

Oh! Fantastic!

You could feel the emotion. It was amazing, really amazing.

So are you proud of your dad? It sounds lovely. Yeah. Yeah?

I don't think anybody wanted to applaud at the end

cos they were so, you know, taken with it.

So really, really good.

I had goose bumps. Yeah.

I'm thrilled to bits. I couldn't be happier with it. Yeah.

It was magical. There was a magic about that performance.

'When they finished, it was the most extraordinary pause I've ever heard.'

I felt like I'd just conducted Bach's Matthew Passion.

It was just this unbelievable silence

'and then absolutely rapturous applause.

'It was very moving.

'The pride was so evident. It gives you goose bumps'

just thinking about how much they believe in each other.

This is my dad. Dad, this is Gareth. Hello.

Pleased to meet you. I'm very pleased to meet you.

That took a lot for me to do,

but I'm really proud I did it. Really proud.

Hey, well done! CHEERING

I think that the feedback was great, and it's great for you, I think,

to have that solid start.

It was a pleasure to conduct that today.

So a great...real honour to be part of what you did today.

Give yourselves a well-deserved round of applause.

They really showed their mettle in there.

They're made of strong stuff.

I think they're ready for the contest now.

Next time, Gareth enters the world of high finance

and rock-bottom reputations...

Very weird to be in here.

It's like being in a siege.

# If you wanna make the world... #

..at one of the world's biggest trading banks.

Are we talking lots of money?

Sometimes it can be up into the billions.

You know, we're asking the world, "Are you still blaming us?"

Let me out!

But will Gareth's mission to get to the heart of the bankers

pay dividends?

Your choir, everyone!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd