Last Choir Standing

14th August 2008

Hello and welcome back to the blog - and we're gearing up for another week of choral excitement, exclusive to BBC One on Saturday night!

After this week, there are only two more shows before the end of the series, so that makes this week the Quarter Final! The Olympic equivalent of getting close, but no cigar, for the choir that goes home. It's fair to say that all our choirs want this now, more than anything. They've put their summer plans of holidays and relaxation on hold just so they can sing for us and sound fantastic on our telly box.

We've been following their rehearsals during the week at home as well as seeing them back here at TV Centre at the weekends.

So far this week Only Men Aloud! made a trip to a local bar to try and emulate the suave, sophistication required for one of their songs - they wanted to be shaken, not stirred this week.

After being in the 'Clash of the Choirs' Revelation are putting the hours in working around the clock fitting in late night rehearsals around their jobs.

ACM's MD Mark is taking no chances this week - he's been putting the choir through their paces. He even singled out trios of choir members to sing their parts in front of everyone. It's all in the name of pushing the boundaries though - he really wants them to improve and this is his way of making sure they raise the bar for their performances on the show.

It would seem that Mark isn't the only one working his choir like crazy. Many of the men in the Bath choir thought they'd retired to a life of peace, harmony and a spot of gardening. Not if Grenville's got anything to do with it! No more sitting in front of the TV in your slippers if you're a member of the Bath Male Choir - oh no. The choir haven't had any time off as Grenville's determined to get back into Russell's good books.

Ysgol Glanaethwy's Ioan is experiencing a taste of the celebrity lifestyle, as he is causing a commotion in his part time supermarket job. Rumour has it that his till always has the longest queue mostly made up of choir supporters and well wishers wanting to talk to him. It's great that residents of Caernarfon are behind the choir but the management have had to move him off the shop floor and behind the scenes to maintain the smooth running of the store!

Like the athletes currently setting records and winning medals in Beijing, our choir members are training hard and putting the hours in as well as juggling their families and full time jobs before heading to rehearsals for four hours or so at a time. It's all because they are passionate about winning, and being that Last Choir Standing in our final in a couple of weeks time. I've not been this excited since Kelly Holmes clinched her double Gold in Athens 4 years ago!

James

James will be continuing his production diary next week

Tune in on Saturday at 18:15 on BBC One to watch the next knockout show. Or if you missed the last show, watch it now.