Cov choir that starred on Britain’s Got Talent sees huge spike in new members

A community choir with groups in Coventry and Warwickshire has been inundated with interest and new members since appearing on hit TV show Britain’s Got Talent. The Big Sing, founded by Rugby-based couple Howard and Gemma Francis, wowed the judges with a rousing version of Emelie Sande’s Brighter Days in their first appearance on the show.

And though the choir didn’t make it through to the live semi-finals, being screened on ITV all this week, they have enjoyed a boom in new recruits since they featured on the programme, presented by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelley, back in April.

“We were on such a high from our audition and had such a great reaction to it, with over 546,000 views on YouTube alone,” Ian Gregory, the first person to join the choir’s group in Rugby, told CoventryLive. “We are very pleased to have now welcomed a lot of new members to the choirs who saw us on the show.”

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The 58-year-old, who was among those who performed at the BGT audition at the London Palladium, added: “It’s certainly had an impact on all the choirs, including Rugby, who have welcomed new people nearly every week since. We’ll definitely be working even harder to get Britain and Coventry singing!”

Around 50 of the choir’s new members are based in the Midlands alone. While there was a ‘yes’ from each of the audition judges – Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli – The Big Sing didn’t quite do enough to make it to the semi-finals.

It’s thought the logistical challenge of accommodating close to 350 choristers was a decisive factor. The judging panel’s feedback on the night, when some of The Big Sing’s ensemble popped up among the audience, could barely have been more positive.