The Choir - Episode Guide

It has been ten years since choirmaster Gareth Malone first set out on a mission to get Britain singing. Since then, he has inspired hundreds of people, creating 14 very different choirs across the country, from schools to entire towns to military wives. Now to mark the 10th anniversary, he has a dream - to track down and bring together all the choirs he has formed for a huge reunion party. As a centrepiece for this party, he wants to put together his choir of choirs, a super-group of the most talented singers he has encountered over the years. He has got just four short weeks. Can he bring them together in time? And can they pull off a performance that is worthy of a decade's work getting the nation singing? As we follow Gareth on his latest mission, we rediscover the characters and stories of ten years of The Choir.

In the first of two episodes, Gareth tracks down ex-pupils from the first two choirs he created at Northolt High School and Lancaster Boys School. He discovers how being part of the choir changed their lives, and how they have gone on to successful careers, many in music. When he gets a group of them together to start rehearsing for the big reunion, they immediately feel the old bonds of camaraderie, and Gareth can't resist suggesting an impromptu performance for friends and family.

Gareth continues to spread the word of his reunion to the remainder of his choirs and tracks down some of the best singers from South Oxhey Community Choir, the Military Wives and the nine workplace choirs he formed for his choral contest Sing While You Work. Frenzied rehearsals and preparations for the reunion culminate in a hugely emotional and joyous reunion party with choir members from across the country coming together to celebrate ten years of The Choir.

In episode one, principal David Benson invites Gareth to spend the summer term in KAA's temporary home – a collection of swiftly assembled portacabins a mile away. David hopes the school will return to their original site in September and wants to mark the occasion with a concert. KAA specialises in performing arts and David believes passionately in the value of music and singing. He asks Gareth to help the students produce a performance that will celebrate their pride in the community, their happy memories and the courage and resilience they have shown.

In the second episode, staff and pupils are back in their building after more than a year away. The uncertainty around the return is now behind them and they focus on the concert.

Gareth Malone faces a challenge which will test him like no other – to form a choir in one of the toughest prisons for young offenders. What he learns takes him by surprise.

With just three weeks to go, Gareth has only seven performers and a handful of half-baked songs. Gareth is still hoping to get a performance together but in prison things never go to plan.

Gareth Malone sets out to bring the nation together through music during the Coronavirus lockdown, by getting people from all walks of life to perform a specially composed song. The first episode focuses on frontline workers, all of whom have a courageous story to tell.

Gareth Malone sets out to bring the nation together through music during the Coronavirus lockdown, by getting people from all walks of life to perform a specially composed song. Gareth collaborates with the nation's key workers on the second stage of his project, discovering stories of unsung heroism and uplifting optimism.

Gareth Malone sets out to bring the nation together through music during the Coronavirus lockdown, by getting people from all walks of life to perform a specially composed song. Gareth employs technology to bring the voices of performers from across the country together online even if social distancing makes large gatherings impossible. The final episode features the country's most vulnerable people, who have contributed to the project while self-shielding, and discovers their personal stories of finding hope during isolation.