Gareth Malone whittled eight amateur vocal groups down to one across six Saturday-night heats in autumn 2015. Each episode eliminated a choir on the strength of a single unaccompanied set, the jury sitting in front of a studio audience at Greenwich’s Painted Hall. The twist, advertised in the title, was that every note had to come from human throats: no microphones, no backing tracks, no safety net.
The regional split pitted southern ensembles against northern rivals in the first two weeks, trimming Spinnaker Chorus and Flight of the Phoenix before the national rounds began. Mid-series challenges demanded barbershop, gospel and pop rearrangements; the semi-final forced the last four choirs to shoot a viral music video in 48 hours, a task that sank Southampton sextet Restless Symphony. In the 27 October final, Birmingham University friends The Sons of Pitches took the crown with a three-song medley pivoting from Britney Spears to John Denver to Rudimental.
Ratings slid from an opening 2.83 million to a low of 2.06 million before rebounding to 2.45 million for the finale, enough to place the series inside BBC Two’s weekly top five throughout its run. A one-off, it was never recommissioned, though Malone recycled the competitive format the following year for Best in Britain.
Production Details
BBC Two / 1 Season / 6 Episodes / 2015
Producer(s): Gareth Malone
Main Cast
Gareth Malone as Himself - Presenter
