Welsh male singers Only Men Aloud! have triumphed in the final of BBC One reality show Last Choir Standing.
The 18-strong group from Cardiff won the public vote ahead of fellow finalists Revelation, from Surrey, and north Wales choir Ysgol Glanaethwy.
Only Men Aloud! sang Cwm Rhondda and Don’t Rain On My Parade, from the musical Funny Girl. All three choirs performed Never Forget by Take That.
The finalists had been whittled down from 60 choirs since 5 July.
Only Men Aloud! musical director Tim Rhys-Evans said: “I’m absolutely elated and very emotional and just grateful to everyone who’s voted for us.” Read more & comment »
August 30th, 2008 by Lisa McGarry. Tags: Nick Knowles
Nick Knowles who is currently presenting ‘Last Choir Standing’ on Saturday nights, revealed that when he was first approached to host the show he thought it would flop.
Knowles told the Daily Mail: “When they first approached me, I said, ‘You’re mad. Who’s going to watch a Saturday night entertainment show with the word ‘choir’ in the title?’ It conjures up images of Songs Of Praise.
“But they convinced me to have a look at some of the early footage – the back stories about some of the entrants. I was blown away. One of the first things I saw was this group of WI women singing ‘I Predict A Riot’ by the Kaiser Chiefs. I thought, ‘This is brilliant; funny and inspiring. Superb telly.’ Read more & comment »
In tonight’s second knockout show in the competition Bath Male Choir was voted off BBC One’s Last Choir Standing.
In Saturday’s live show, hosted by Nick Knowles and Myleene Klass, the five remaining choirs in the competition each performed two songs in a bid to win over the viewers at home for the public vote.
After performing their songs each of the choirs were given feedback by the expert judging panel – opera superstar Russell Watson, actress and West End star Sharon D Clarke and choral guru Suzi Digby.
The choirs then faced an anxious wait for the viewers’ votes to be counted. Read more & comment »
Sense Of Sound was the first choir to be voted off BBC One’s Last Choir Standing as the final six choirs in the competition faced the public vote for the first time.
In Saturday’s first live show, hosted by Nick Knowles and Myleene Klass, all six choirs sang one song each as they went all out to impress not only the judges but also the viewers at home.
After performing their songs, each of the choirs were given feedback by the expert judging panel – opera superstar Russell Watson, actress and West End star Sharon D Clarke and choral guru Suzi Digby.
The choirs then faced an anxious wait for the viewers’ votes to be counted. Read more & comment »
People in Hull are being invited to join a free giant city centre sing-song in conjunction with Last Choir Standing, BBC One’s new Saturday night search to find the nation’s favourite choir.
Offering viewers of the BBC One singing show the chance to have a go themselves, the event will involve a mass singing workshop for the audience, along with performances from local choirs.
World-class choral trainer Mike Brewer OBE, a leading figure in the choral world, director of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and musical director of award-winning chamber choir Laudibus, will lead the mass singing workshop at The Big Screen, Queen Victoria Square, Hull on Saturday 9 August at 3pm. Read more & comment »
A talented presenter, Nick Knowles is well known to TV viewers as the host of DIY SOS, City Hospital and Who Dares Wins. Nick has presented a range of programmes across news, sport, quiz shows, documentary features and entertainment in a TV career that has spanned Sydney, Phoenix, Arizona, and Maidstone.
Recent travels have included a visit to Nairobi for Comic Relief and he presented a heart-rending report from Zambia for Sport Relief. Equally at home fronting a series of wedding programmes, BBC One’s The Big Day, and highlighting the plight of Orang-utans in Borneo for the BBC’s Saving Planet Earth series, Nick will be bringing the versatility and zest he brought to his singing on Fame Academy to his co-hosting duties on Last Choir Standing.
Nick is mad about music and, before he got into television, he played in several bands – teaming up with his brother at various bars and clubs in London and the Midlands.
Musician and TV presenter Myleene is no stranger to national talent searches, having beaten thousands of hopefuls to be a finalist in ITV1’s Popstars, going on to be a member of the band Hear’Say.
Myleene’s passion for music started early – she began playing the piano and the violin when she was four. She went on to study voice at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama before winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where she later graduated.
Since splitting from Hear’Say, Myleene changed direction in 2003 releasing Moving On, her debut solo classical album ,which went to No. 2 in the classical charts. In the last year, she has released two classical No.1 albums, Myleene’s Music for Romance and Myleene’s Music For Mothers. A versatile television presenter, Myleene’s credits include both BBC One’s The One Show and New Year Live, while her fame was cemented by her appearance in the 2006 series of ITV1’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
BBC One embarks on a brand new weekend entertainment show as choirs from all walks of life – from handbag-wielding Cheshire housewives performing Britney Spears to a group of gay men giving the Pussycat Dolls a new spin – go up against each other to find out who has the passion, power and performance necessary to be declared Last Choir Standing.
Singing in choirs is one of the nation’s favourite pastimes with over 25,000 registered choirs and at least half a million members.
Following a callout to choirs across the country, some of the UK’s best will be going head to head in this exciting new talent search to find the nation’s favourite choir. Read more & comment »
