The Choir: Sing While You Work is a British television show broadcast on BBC Two, a spinoff of the 2006 series The Choir. In Sing While You Work choirmaster Gareth Malone creates and trains amateur workplace-based choirs, ultimately to compete against one another. The series first aired in 2012 and began a second series in November 2013.
Format
In Series 1 cameras followed Gareth Malone as he created four amateur choirs, formed from employees of four very different workplaces. Malone auditioned potential choir members at their workplace, assembled a choir of 30 using some of the better singers, then trained the singers to a semi-professional standard in only a few weeks. In contrast to previous The Choir formats, Sing While You Work introduces a competitive element. While the early programmes followed the early days of each choir, the final two programmes of Series 1 consisted of a semi-final and a final competitive event when an overall winner was eventually chosen.
In Series 2 the number of choirs was increased to five, while the size of each choir is reduced to 22. A quarter final stage is introduced.
The winners and losers are chosen by a panel of three musical experts.
Series 1 (2012)
Participants
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
Bristol Royal Mail
Manchester Airport
Severn Trent Water
In Series 1 each choir consisted of 30 singers. Manchester airport choir were eliminated at the semi-final stage. The three remaining groups performed for the final at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in Llangollen. Severn Trent Water choir won the final.
Judges
Ralph Allwood, Manvinder Rattan, Ruby Turner
Transmissions
Series 2 (2013)
Participants
P & O Ferries - the choir was drawn from P&O staff in Dover and Calais, with singing in both English and French. Birmingham City Council - played against the background of major budget cuts in the council. The choir's first major performance is in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in front of colleagues, friends and the judges. Sainsbury's - using staff from a store in Walthamstow, the Waltham Point distribution centre, and the Store Support Centre in London. Cheshire Fire Service Citi Bank, London
The quarter final was held at the Royal Academy of Music, where each choir had to perform a piece of classical music. Sainsbury's choir, singing Ave Maria, were eliminated at this stage.
The semi final was held at El Shaddai Church in Golders Green, each choir performed a gospel song. Birmingham City Council Choir were next to fall from the competition. They sang 'Down to the River to Pray'.
The grand final was filmed during the last week of September in Ely Cathedral, to be broadcast on 22 December 2013. P&O Ferries were crowned winners in front of an audience of 1200 people.
Judges
Paul Mealor (royal composer), Sarah Fox (singer), Ken Burton (conductor)
Transmissions
Reception
Viewing figures increased for the 2013 series. 2.7 million people watched the first programme on 4 November 2013, up 200,000 on the 2012 opener.
Media criticism
The first programme of the initial series, following the fortunes of the Lewisham NHS trust choir, was warmly received. The Telegraph described it as "an emotive piece of television, in the best possible way" and a "pleasurable programme", its only criticism being the "slightly heavy-handed attempt to shoehorn in a bit of hospital-based class warfare". The Guardian reviewer described Malone as "slightly annoying" but admitted the programme melted any cynicism and left him "blubbing like one of those babies on the neonatal ward".
A controversy over editing emerged during the first season when a member of the Lewisham NHS trust choir, Eddie Chaloner, complained that he had been presented in a "misleading" and "mendacious" way. Mark Lawson of The Guardian commented: "There's no doubt producer-director Pete Cooksley has imposed a storyline on the documentary." However, he concluded that SIng While You Work "is a fascinating debate about the role of the heart in different arts. It is enjoyable general viewing but could be a useful teaching aid in medical schools."