The virtual choir keeps singing for our Britain

What does singing in a choir mean to you?

Unless you’re one of the thousands bitten by the performing bug, chances are it brings to mind memories of standing around in dusty halls, being forced to sing hymns in school assemblies or concerts when you’d rather be spending time with your mates.

But for a growing number of people, participating in group singing is a stress-busting, joyful event. That’s because in recent years, choirs have undergone something of a renaissance. As a result, Gareth Malone’s BBC series have gone down a treat, and have inspired thousands to join local organisations.

It all began at the end of 2006, when Malone’s first programme, The Choir, began. It saw him take on the mammoth task of putting together a singing group comprised of students from a typical comprehensive, Northolt High School in Middlesex. He then spent the next nine months trying to turn them into a team capable of competing in The World Choir Games in China.

“I love the excitement of aiming for something impossible,” he explained at the time. “I’ve spent most of my working life in youth centres, schools, theatres and concert halls making music from nothing, so I jumped at the chance when the BBC asked me to create a choir in an ordinary secondary school.

“I knew it could do wonders for those involved – not just improve their singing and open their eyes to other musical possibilities, but also improve their confidence. I was nervous that I would fall flat on my face, though – who wouldn’t be?”

After filming, he claimed he’d loved the experience and would happily take up a similar challenge in the future. Luckily for him, the show was a huge hit and it wasn’t long before the BBC came calling again.

Subsequent shows have seen him encourage teenage boys to perform in Boys Don’t Sing, giving shy youngsters confidence in The Big Performance and Gareth’s All Star Choir, in which he worked with celebrities to produce a charity single for Children In Need.

But Malone’s biggest success to date came in 2011 with The Choir: Military Wives, in which the partners of service personnel joined forces. The subsequent single, Wherever You Are, was that year’s Christmas No1.

His latest project has the potential to emulate, or even beat it.

If you caught last week’s opening episode, you’ll have seen him linking up, via the internet, with various people keen to take part in his new virtual choir, which he hopes will lift morale via a specially composed song. Those who volunteered were all frontline workers with courageous stories to tell. This time around, key workers take centre stage, and they have tales of unsung heroism to share too.

Expect to have leaky eyes by the end of the show. Malone himself admits he cried during filming, and even the hardest hearts will be shedding a tear or 10 either tonight or after next week’s final episode.

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