Choirmaster Gareth Malone is taking on an enormous challenge: he's coaching eight people with no experience of classical choral music to sing Handel's Messiah alongside the world-class BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Chorus of Wales, at Cardiff's Llandaff Cathedral, in aid of BBC Children in Need.In the first episode, he heads to a local cinema on Penarth Pier, with pianist and vocal coach, Jane Samuel. There, they face the important task of going through hundreds of tape auditions of Scarborough Fair to find the best candidates.After whittling down the applications to the chosen eight - Foo Seng, Nia, Harry, Rosie, Aaron, Ami-Louise, Naomi, and Richard - Gareth meets them in Cardiff for the first rehearsal. All eight have their own personal stories and motivations, including Naomi, who has been diagnosed with secondary breast cancer, and Richard, who recently lost his wife to the disease. All are showing promise. But with only six weeks to go, can Gareth and his new recruits handle the Handel in time for the performance of their lives?

Starring:

Gareth Malone

Genre:

Music