CORONATION CHOIR: BBC REVEALS FOUR CELEBRITY MENTORS

Across the four corners of Britain, on stages and behind closed doors, thousands of communities, friends, neighbours and colleagues are getting together to experience the power, joy and togetherness singing in a choir brings.

Now, as the nation prepares for the Coronation of His Majesty The King, a very special choir – made up of singing groups of all shapes and sizes to give a true representation of the diverse range of faces, places and voices that makes up modern Britain today – will be given the once in a lifetime chance to sing their hearts out for The King and Queen Consort at the Coronation Concert, as well as the millions who will be watching around the world.

Ready to roll up their sleeves and put the choirs through their paces are celebrity mentors Gareth Malone, Motsi Mabuse, Amanda Holden and Rose Ayling-Ellis.

Drawing on their individual areas of expertise, they will coach, challenge and inspire the choirs to give a pitch-perfect performance and overcome the inevitable nerves that come with singing in front of royalty at Windsor Castle.

The final 300 strong choir will feature singing groups ranging from London Cabbies, an all-deaf sign performance group, a Northern Irish farming community and an LGBTQ+ choir; to a Gaelic choir hailing from the Western Isles of Scotland, Hull’s NHS choir, a traditional male voice choir from Caerphilly and a refugee choir, also from Wales.

We’ll also hear Yorkshire’s only female South Asian choir, the London Fire Brigade and a troupe of RNLI sea shanty singers from Portishead – all of whom provide a highly-valued community for their members and serve a meaningful purpose beyond singing alone.

As the documentary draws to a close, and with the concert performance just days away, we’ll see the final Coronation choir meet at Windsor Castle where all 300 will sing together for the very first time in an uplifting and emotional final rehearsal.

The Coronation on Saturday 6 May will be the centrepiece of live coverage with ceremonial events including the Westminster Abbey service broadcast across the BBC. On the day, Kirsty Young will be in a studio at Buckingham Palace and JJ Chalmers will speak to members of the military as they prepare for one of the largest parades in living history.