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.”

The choir was started eight years ago by Mr Rhys-Evans who wanted to create a young male voice choir unafraid to tackle music not usually performed by traditional male voice choirs.

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.’

“Now I’m a total convert. It’s exactly the sort of programme the BBC should be making. And, let’s face it, no one but the BBC would do a show like it.”

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.

The choirs who polled the lowest number of votes were Bath Male Choir and Revelation, meaning that they had to sing again for a chance of staying in the competition.

Singing for their survival in the clash of the choirs Bath Male Choir performed The Beatles’ Something and Revelation performed Love The One You’re With.

It was then down to the judges to save the choir they felt have given the best performance.

Making her decision, Sharon D Clarke said: “They’ve uplifted my soul, they’ve done everything I’ve asked of them. The choir I’m going to save tonight is Revelation.”

Suzi Digby commented: “Because they sang to their real strengths and because they really moved me, tonight I’m going to vote for Revelation.”

And Russell Watson made the decision unanimous, saying: “It was very close for me, I thought they were both fantastic. It was a level playing field but I think they just scraped through on penalties – it was Revelation for me as well.”

Speaking about Bath Male Choir’s first performances the judges’ comments were:

On Can’t Take My Eyes Off You –

Sharon D Clarke said: “I thought that it was better but I’d still like a bit more passion, I was only really getting it from the front row. Just because you’re not in the front row doesn’t mean that you don’t give it your all, but still a great sound guys.”

Suzi Digby said: “Well what I got this week which I didn’t get in the previous weeks was a depth of sound and definitely some subtleties coming into your singing, so a step upwards in that respect. Also the words are so much better. That’s what I was asking for last time and that’s what I got, but it was still a little bit flat in places with the tuning.

On Wonderful World –

Suzi Digby said: “My problem with that was it was flat and I think it was a bad arrangement. It was thin, there were places where the cording was ok but on the whole I think it was a very unfortunate arrangement and the tuning suffered throughout.”

Sharon D Clarke said: “I have to agree with Suzi, the tuning in that was so dodgy. The solo, God bless you, it wasn’t a great solo. When the guys came in, the entrance from under the solo was messy. It just wasn’t happening this week guys.”

Russell Watson said: “You know that I’ve been a big supporter of you from the start. I don’t want your wall of sound to crumble. Get back to where you started, I want to hear that big five-geared machine that I know you’ve got.”

The remaining four choirs – ACM Gospel Choir, Ysgol Glaneathwy, Only Men Aloud! and Revelation – will face the public vote again next week as they sing once more for the chance to be crowned the Last Choir Standing and the nation’s favourite singing sensations.

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.

In Sunday’s results show Sense Of Sound and Revelation were revealed as having polled the least votes, meaning that they had to sing again for a chance of staying in the competition.

Singing for their survival, Sense Of Sound performed Gabriel and Revelation performed Lovely Day.

It was then down to the judges to save the choir they felt had given the best performance.

Making her decision, Sharon D Clarke said: “The harmonies were sweet, the arrangement was beautiful, I felt the joy in my heart. The choir I am saving tonight is Revelation.”

Suzi Digby was of a different opinion: “Because their performance was innovative, brave, imaginative and they have the potential to go all the way, the choir I’m going to save is Sense Of Sound.”

Left with the deciding vote, Russell Watson said: “They raised their game and they lifted me spiritually. It was amazing – they gave me the tingle factor on the back of the neck.

“The choir, and it has been incredibly difficult to make this decision, but the choir that I will be saving this evening is Revelation.”

Earlier, the judges had given their comments on Sense Of Sound’s first performance, when they sang Smiley Faces by Gnarls Barkley.

Suzi Digby said: “Well it’s a really weird experience because it felt like being in a little aeroplane and going in and out of the clouds and occasionally I’d come out into some blue sunshine and the rest of the time it was just a little bit foggy.

“And I felt that every time the tune came back it needed something different. I liked it when the tune was with the men – that was really a thrilling sound but the rest of the time was a little bit uninspiring.”

Sharon D Clarke said: “I thought all the elements were there but it just didn’t gel for me this week.

“In the verses the three girls continuously sang in unison and nothing else happened in the verses so it became a bit monotonous for me and I’m not used to having that with you guys… you’ve risen the bar before and I feel you’ve dropped it this week.”

Russell Watson said: “Everything which you’ve done so far has been incredible. For me this felt a little bit like that difficult second album where you’re not quite sure what you’re going to put on it so you stick something on that you think they’re going to like.

“I felt for one moment there that you weren’t quite making the connection that you normally make with us. It was almost like you were doing it for yourselves.”

The remaining five choirs – Ysgol Glaneathwy, Revelation, ACM Gospel Choir, Bath Male Choir, and Only Men Aloud – will face the public vote again next week as they sing once more for the chance to be crowned the Last Choir Standing.

Watch as Ysgol Glanaethwy earn a place in the Last Choir Standing ‘knockouts’ with Lean On Me by Bill Withers.

Watch as Ysgol Glanaethwy sing “Adiemus” by Karl Jenkins on BBC’s Last Choir Standing.

Any fans out there?

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.

The workshop, involving the audience and local performing choirs, will be interspersed with performances given by the local choirs. The whole event is expected to last about 90 minutes.

BBC event producer Simon Ashwood said: “We’re delighted that Mike has agreed to come along and lead the workshop, he is a world-class choral trainer and has the ability to create incredible, participative singing experiences.

“I really encourage everyone to apply for free tickets and pop along to enjoy the event, which promises to be a lot of fun.

“During the workshop Mike will work with the choir and audiences, teaching them at least two contrasting songs, an African chant and a gospel song.”

The event will be hosted by BBC Look North presenter Peter Levy and will be relayed on to the Big Screen.

Highlights will be posted on bbc.co.uk/lastchoirstanding, and an audio recording of the mass sing-along will be made available to download.

Five hundred tickets for seats at the event will be available from 7am on Friday 11 July until midnight on Sunday 27 July. To be in the seated audience, members of the public will need to register for tickets either on the Last Choir Standing website or by telephone on 03700 100 150 (calls cost no more than calls to 01/02 geographic numbers).

In the event that more people apply for tickets than are available, a lottery system will be used to select successful applicants.

Queries about the events and application process for tickets can be sent to lcs-events@bbc.co.uk.

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.

How did you get involved in the show?

Well, I’ve always had an involvement with music. Oddly enough, all my family have been involved with either dancing or music – my three sisters are dancers, my brother’s a musician. I played in bands when I left school, I play guitar myself and my brother writes musicals and I’ve been involved with producing, helping him produce those.

I have a general love of music but without having ever had any proper training or technical ability. And I think they decided that with the fantastic wealth of technical ability that is on our judging panel – and with Myleene presenting who is, of course, fabulously talented and well trained, too – that they needed the man on the sofa’s view. I think I’m the guy at home who doesn’t necessarily have any particular training but loves music, and I think that my job is to be there from that point of view.

What can viewers expect from Last Choir Standing?

I think that the first thing that viewers can expect is the unexpected.

I wasn’t aware that it [being in a choir] was the second greatest participation activity in this country – after sport comes being a member of a choir, which is amazing. And choirs aren’t what I remember when I was at school, singing Ave Maria, or whatever it happens to be. It is that, of course, and it is male voice choirs and it is traditional but also now you’re getting young choirs that are almost doing choral versions in the way you might put mixed tracks together and DJ-ing where you’re taking different sections of songs and putting them together to create amazing sounds. Some of the arrangements have been gob-smacking. It’s full of surprises. It’s a genuinely amazing, amazing experience.

What are you looking for from the choirs taking part?

What’s nice is how it actually affects you, that’s all it is. I have no specific musical training, I can’t tell whether the three-part harmonies aren’t quite matching right or whether the tenors are pushing the sopranos too hard. None of that makes any sense to me. All I do is sit there and whatever makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, whether it makes me feel emotional, whether it makes me proud.

There are times when you sit there listening to the choirs and you think alright and then all of a sudden they move into a different rhythm, or they do something and the sound just makes you smile.

From what you’ve seen so far what’s impressed you about the choirs which have auditioned?

There’s one particular choir where I got to know the people – this is the great thing about this show, you get to know the people involved. You get to know why it’s important to people and when they do well it just changes your whole view. You feel connected to them, you want them to go through, you want them to go through for their community. You know that it will make a massive difference to them.

I think people will go looking to join choirs after this because the other thing is a lot of these choirs – some of these choirs are full of professional singers and some of them really aren’t – they’re people who work in a library, a maths teacher, a doctor, or whatever, and they all come together to make this amazing sound. There have been many moments where I’ve had a lump in my throat and got up and danced – bad uncle dancing. Myleene accused me of dancing like a bad uncle at a wedding, which I think was a bit harsh, especially when I was busting some of my best shapes.

Have you got any advice for the choirs taking part?

Enjoy it! The great difficulty is that some of these choirs have only sung in front of 30 or 40 people and suddenly they’re in front of a studio audience, in front of television cameras, they’re in front of a television audience.

Fear does a strange thing, it strangles your breath. Your mouth goes dry and you breathe shallow. I know that from when I work, and I have an exercise I go through before I go live on a programme that puts away my nerves. Once I get into it I’m fine, and I’m good because I can get through the first five minutes and then I don’t even think about it. But I can afford to be slightly breathless because I can smile and laugh and do things and play with it when I start a programme, but these guys can’t. They can’t afford to be breathless for the first second because that first note is all important. They’ve got to find a way to control their breathing and be confident and enjoy it, because if the joy doesn’t come through it doesn’t matter how good you are. If there’s no joy, if you don’t connect with people they aren’t going to vote.

What’s your singing voice like, have you ever sung in a choir?

There’s currently a restraining order on me ever singing in public! No, my singing voice is alright, it’s not bad, and for particular types of song it’s fine, but you know I’ve done nothing to look after my voice so as long as I’m singing Tom Waits’s songs or rock ‘n’ roll songs then I’m alright but I haven’t got a pure voice.

I sang in the school choir. I used to have leads in the school choir but basically my voice broke and went down right into my boots, and that was the end of my singing career. You don’t find many basses singing in school choirs.

You’ve presented a number of popular shows from factual series to Saturday night entertainment, which do you prefer?

I very specifically don’t do two types of shows the same. So, for example, I would never do a different type of building show, I would never do a different quiz show. I specifically try and change every time.

Are you looking forward to working with Myleene on the show?

She’s great Myleene, I love Myleene. We got together and worked at New Year and it was really lovely. She’s great to work with – very generous, very funny, not in the slightest bit diva-ish – she takes the mick out of my dancing and does rabbit ears behind my ears when we do photos. She’s just lovely and she’s beautiful and she’s talented, so what’s not to like?”

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.

How did you get involved in the show?

Well, I’ve always been involved in choirs whether it was a school choir, church choir, teaching in it, being in it, singing in it, playing in it. And when they approached me to see if I’d like to get involved in a show about choirs, I just thought that it was going to be perfect.

What can viewers expect from Last Choir Standing?

I think that it’s quite deceiving because there are probably a few people who think “choirs, it’s not for me”. Some people have an idea that choirs can be dull and it really isn’t the case. I mean, I’ve heard really clever arrangements of The Killers or Arctic Monkeys and Take That – one gospel choir sang Take That and I was just so phenomenally impressed.

And there is a reason why choirs have lasted for years, because it’s quite fun singing as a group.

What are you looking for from the choirs taking part?

A variety, really, because I would like the stereotypes to be broken down – it isn’t all about altar boys and people wearing cassocks. It’s about more of a community feel, getting together with your friends and singing.

From what you’ve seen so far, what’s impressed you about the choirs which have auditioned?

The standard has been pretty phenomenal, it really has. And I think what I’ve liked is the arrangements. There are songs that you wouldn’t necessarily think a choir was going to tackle, and then someone comes out with an Annie Lennox piece or, like I said before, a Take That song. And you just think: “Wow!” this is for everybody, it’s for the masses, it’s not just for people who think they’re going to sing some Bach or a Mozart Requiem.

People are putting together brilliant arrangements and putting their own take on it – a few dance moves, they’ve made it fun. And I get the best job, really, because I don’t have to sit and judge, I get to sing with the choirs. When I got to sing with one choir it was fantastic – we were singing Pussycat Dolls and Abba’s Dancing Queen, it was just brilliant fun!

Have you got any advice for the choirs taking part?

I think the only advice is that sometimes some of the choirs that were technically excellent didn’t seem to have the enjoyment factor, it was like let’s try and hit every single note correctly that you almost forget why you’re singing. The whole point of singing is that it’s meant to be a way of expressing yourself. It’s first and foremost about communication and telling a story, and I think what’s been interesting for me is that people that didn’t necessarily sound so sharp on the tuning or maybe you just thought that technically they didn’t quite have the edge – yet because their story-telling was so good, and because the enjoyment factor was so high, they went straight through.

Are you glad to be returning back to your musical roots with the show?

I don’t think I’ve ever gone away from music. I presented the Classical Brits recently – before that I had another album out. I’ve even just been presenting a programme on festivals, a programme about world music and ska and things that I don’t really know much about, but I never close myself to different genres of music. One of the scariest things I’ve ever had to do was when I worked on a music programme and they sent me off to learn to rap. It was actually really entertaining and I still remember the rap because I practised it in the shower, I practised it everywhere.

All my work is around music, music is in my life every single day whether I’m playing the piano, singing nursery rhymes with Ava, presenting the Brits and now presenting this show.

Are you looking forward to working with Nick on the show?

I love working with Nick. God, the amount of women, every time I say I’m working with Nick Knowles, women swoon and men ask me what sort of hammer does he use for this, and what kind of drill does he use for that. So yes, I’m looking forward to working with him and asking his advice on shelves, which I know really annoys him but he’s wise about these things!

And he loves his music and he’s got a good sense of humour, so I think we’re going to have a good laugh together without a doubt. And he does dad dancing. A choir will start up and before you know it there’s Nick dad dancing in the corner!

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.

Presenters Nick Knowles and Myleene Klass will follow the choirs as they progress through the contest. Joining them and putting the choirs through their paces will be a panel of music experts – opera superstar Russell Watson, actress, singer and West End star Sharon D Clarke and choral conductor and director Suzi Digby OBE.

Each choir will have to prove they have the power, passion and performance to win over a chorus of approval from the judges and viewers at home if they are to be left as the Last Choir Standing and crowned as the nation’s favourite singing sensations.

The Auditions

Thousands of people from all walks of life send in their applications on tape. The only criteria for entries is that the choirs are made up of between 10 and 50 people, aged 13 years or older.

Sixty of the best choirs are invited to audition in front of the expert panel of judges at London’s Cadogan Hall.

The choirs must perform to impress the judges, but with a limited number of places available in the next round they have to pull out all the stops, showing that they not only have the technical ability but also the passion to bring their songs to life. They will need two judges to say “yes” to make it through.

The Call-backs

After making it through the audition stage, the 27 best choirs return to sing for the judges once again. This time the stakes are higher as the choirs have the added pressure of singing under the lights and cameras of a TV studio in front of a studio audience – including some famous faces – and the other choirs taking part. The judges will be looking to see just how far the choirs have progressed since the Cadogan Hall auditions, and whether they have the potential and stamina needed to take part in the rest of the competition.

With only 15 places in the next stage of the contest – The Heats – the judges then face the difficult task of deciding who has the potential to go all the way.

The Heats

The final 15 choirs now sing for a place in the next stage of the show. With three heats taking place across three weeks, five different choirs will perform each week for a chance to make it through. Two choirs, chosen by the judges, will go through from each heat leaving a total of six in the finals.

Each show will open with a rousing group performance – and with all five choirs from the heat involved it will be like nothing seen before. The individual choirs will then perform two songs each, desperate to impress the judges and earn a coveted place in the finals.

The Finals

With only six choirs now remaining, they will all perform each week in the live television finals for the public vote. Each choir will have to prove to viewers that they have the power, passion and performance to be the Last Choir Standing. Each week one choir will say goodbye, leaving three choirs still standing in the grand final.