Episode #1.1 - Production & Contact Info (original) (raw)

February, 2011. Choirmaster Gareth Malone has just moved temporarily to Devon for eight months so that he can start a choir comprised of wives and common law partners of military men who trained at local bases and who have just been ...See moreFebruary, 2011. Choirmaster Gareth Malone has just moved temporarily to Devon for eight months so that he can start a choir comprised of wives and common law partners of military men who trained at local bases and who have just been deployed to Afghanistan for six months. He admits he knows nothing about the military, but believes singing in a communal setting can provide strength and support to a group of women who could use such empowerment. Gareth arrives at the Royal Marines Base Chivenor three weeks before deployment, with his first impressions being that many of the wives will relish the fact of being preoccupied by doing something to keep their minds off their absent husbands, but that certain challenges exist, such as getting over the hierarchy that not only exists within the military ranks but which transfer to the wives' personal lives on base, and getting over the fact that their lives on the base are by their very nature temporary, which includes having only temporary friendships. The first rehearsal takes place immediately after deployment, which makes the base feel like a ghost town, and which plays heavily on the minds of the women. After the first rehearsal, Gareth likes the potential the women display but is surprised at how timid they as a group are, which he attributes to them literally not having a voice on the base. Gareth feels he needs to find the singing leaders to bring the others along. He also wants to foster that discipline that the husbands have in the military lives. As a group, he wants the choir to be both an integral part of the base, yet also be an integral part of the surrounding community. Because of the very temporary and short term nature of their lives on the base, Gareth feels he needs to throw them into the deep end performance wise, which also includes finding the choir's first soloist. Written by Huggo See less