Choir master Gareth Malone set challenge of turning top chefs into choral experts for Comic Relief

By Steve Hendry

GARETH MALONE is not someone who is used to failure.

He has picked up a clutch of awards thanks to his efforts in
bringing together people who don’t sing and turning them into
first-class choirs.

He has brought his particular brand of magic to schools and
council estates and picked up two Baftas and the Freedom of the
City of London for his efforts along the way.

But the 35-year-old choir master’s latest venture will see him
play to his biggest audience yet for Comic Relief when he brings
together a group of celebrity chefs and tries to turn Rick Astley’s
1980s hit Never Gonna Give You Up into a choral classic.

It’s all a bit of a laugh, which is exactly what Gareth is
afraid of – he doesn’t mind wearing a red nose, but he doesn’t want
to fall flat on his face to get it.

He said: “I want it to be good. I don’t want it to be funny in
the wrong way. “I’m all for people raising money for Comic Relief
but I would like this to be a serious moment and a surprisingly
good one.”