Gareth Malone's Easter Passion

Editorial

The BBC South region started on 5th January 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South.

BBC One South HD

Music: Classical: Choral

Gareth Malone coaches eight amateur singers to perform Bach’s St John Passion.

Choirmaster Gareth Malone takes on his biggest challenge, coaching eight amateur singers to perform Bach’s St John Passion alongside a world-class orchestra and professional choir.

Series 1

BBC Two

The BBC North East & Cumbria region started in 1959 (tbc) as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One North East & Cumbria.

BBC One North East & Cumbria HD

BBC One Channel Islands

Simulcast of network BBC One in high definition. From 03/11/2010

BBC One HD

BBC One North West HD

BBC One North West

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

BBC One South West HD

The BBC West region started on 1st September 1957 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One West.

BBC One West

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC One Cambridgeshire HD

Simulcast of BBC One Scotland in high definition. From 14/01/2013

BBC One Scotland HD

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region that included London and part of the South region. Separated from BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One South East

BBC Northern Ireland region started on 19th April 1955 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One Northern Ireland.

BBC One Northern Ireland

BBC One Oxfordshire

BBC One South

BBC One West HD

The BBC East region started on 1st May 1959 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One East.

BBC One East

BBC One Wales

Wales

BBC One Channel Islands HD

BBC One West Midlands

BBC One West Midlands HD

BBC One South West

BBC One South East HD

BBC One London

London

Simulcast of BBC One Wales in high definition. From 29/01/2013

BBC One Wales HD

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands HD

BBC One Cambridgeshire

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region. Separated as BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One London HD

BBC One East HD

BBC One Oxfordshire HD

Simulcast of BBC One Northern Ireland in high definition. From 24/10/2012

BBC One Northern Ireland HD

BBC One Yorks & Lincs HD

BBC One Yorkshire

BBC One North East & Cumbria

BBC One East Midlands

BBC One Yorkshire HD

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

Gareth Malone

Richard Farmbrough

Owen Rodd

Dave Huw Jones

Somersault Studio

Gareth Malone's Easter Passion: Series 1: Episode 1

Episode 1

BBC One - Gareth Malone's Easter Passion, Series 1, Episode 1

Gareth auditions new singers for his choir before intensive rehearsals get under way.

Gareth chooses from hundreds of applicants and auditions new singers for a special performance of Bach’s St John Passion before an intense eight weeks of rehearsing gets under way.

Gareth Malone stages Bach’s St John Passion with the help of amateur singers.

This Easter, acclaimed choirmaster and broadcaster Gareth Malone takes eight novice singers and stages Bach’s St John Passion on the 300th anniversary of its first performance, alongside the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the BBC Singers. 

This is a rare television foray into the world of classical music for Gareth – better known for series like The Choir: Military Wives and Boys Don’t Sing – but he is a massive Bach fan. He will be putting his own twist on this choral masterpiece that tells the dramatic story of Jesus’s final days. 

This first episode sees Gareth encouraging people from all walks of life to apply – his only requirement being that they love singing and have a good voice but no classical training or background in a classical choir. Hundreds of applications flood in, which leads to Gareth auditioning, amongst others, a drag queen from Port Talbot, a train conductor from Newport and a flute- and saxophone-playing fitness enthusiast from Cardiff. 

With the eight singers selected, an intense two-month training and rehearsing schedule kicks off, with the group learning to follow a complex music score and beginning to tackle four-part harmonies. Alongside group and individual lessons, Gareth is also keen for his singers to understand the Passion. Jesus’s arrest, trial and crucifixion form the backbone of a musical work that covers betrayal, suffering, grief, but also hope – timeless human themes that the eight singers find they can relate to.

Gareth too is facing his own challenge, having never conducted a work like this before, but this project has been a dream of his for decades.

As part of his preparations, Gareth pays a visit to Leipzig, where Bach first performed his revolutionary Passion on Good Friday, 1724. Gareth now hopes that his performance – which he decides will be sung in English, not German – can bring Bach’s musical interpretation of the Easter story to a new audience.

The amateurs have just one month to prepare before they take to the stage at Cardiff’s Hoddinott Hall alongside the BBC Singers and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Three of Britain’s finest soloists also perform – tenor Nicholas Mulroy as Bach’s Evangelist, Bach specialist, soprano Julia Doyle, and baritone Roderick Williams, who sang at the King’s coronation, in the role of Jesus.

The full performance is broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Two Wales on Easter Sunday evening, with the series available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Gareth Malone's Easter Passion

Series 1

Episode 1

Contributors

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC One South HD

About BBC One