The Choir: Sing While You Work – Series One DVD – Gareth Malone 

TV series in which choirmaster Gareth Malone sets out to assemble a choir from some of Britain’s most demanding workplaces. On his quest Gareth visits Lewisham Hospital, the Bristol branch of Royal Mail, Manchester Airport and Severn Trent Water. Having examined the potential and formed a choir at each workplace, Malone invites them to attend the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen where the choirs will sing before judges and a packed audience to find out which is the most tuneful workplace in Britain.

Following the extraordinary phenomenon that came from his choir of Military Wives choirmaster Gareth Malone wants to get staff in some of Britain’s busiest workplaces singing while they work. Travelling across the country he sets out to create four unique choirs in four very different organisations which will then sing head-to-head in a contest to find the best workplace choir. At Lewisham Hospital Gareth has to engage with over 200 departments on 14 sites drawing on kitchen porters nurses surgeons and office workers as he narrows down 120 auditions to just 30 voices who can sing as one. In Bristol in The Royal Mail with 3 000 staff Gareth finds that an ever-changing work environment leads to dissent but also to a special kind of unity. Landing at Manchester Airport Gareth finds that divisions between landside and airside allows him to bring workers together like never before uncovering voices that are ready to take flight. And finally Gareth is sent to Coventry where he will draw on the 5 000 staff at Severn Trent Water from office staff to work gangs in search of a choir that can perform at competition level. Singing before their fellow staff and select judges the choirs must practice evolve and fuse their voices into a seamless thing of beauty as they compete to become the best workplace choir at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen. It’s a competition with heart where everyday people the day-to-day workers that put the Great in Britain find their voice as they Sing While You Work.