Big Sing.. & bighearted
BGT choir’s blast from past for Alesha as grief-struck couple tell of romance
BRITAIN’S Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon got a massive surprise when she spotted a familiar face among The Big Sing choir.
Howard Francis, the musical director for her old girl band Mis-Teeq, was also stunned that she still recognised him.
Howard, 61, along with his wife Gemma, was at the London Palladium with their 350-strong choir, the show’s largest act, for an audition.
Ahead of appearing in the first episode of the new series tonight, he reveals: “She saw me by accident in the corridor as she was going on stage.
“She said, ‘Howard?!’ That relaxed me, it was great she remembered me.”
Howard, a keyboardist and songwriter who previously toured with Westlife and Will Young, launched The Big Sing with gospel singer Gemma as a six-week project a decade ago.
She also worked with the BGT production team to surprise judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha and Bruno Tonioli with their rendition of Emeli Sandé’s Brighter Days.
After the choir’s growth, the couple now see it as “one big family” that supports members facing struggles.
“They tell us how they’re going through illnesses or cancer treatment, and how the choir is helping,” says 41-year-old Gemma.
“We realised this was more than just a choir, this was doing something really good for the community.
“Before The Big Sing, I was going on stage every night singing songs about hope, when my world was falling apart because I was going through a divorce.
“You’re clinging on to that same hope, and praying you’re going to have that hope as well.
“That’s what music does – it’s transformative.”
As the choir has expanded, so has Gemma and Howard’s family – and their kids are also obsessed with music.
Daughter Evie, 17, performs a solo at the Palladium tonight, as does their eight-yearold son Evan.
Eden, three, gets a shoutout from the judges for being the youngest choir member – the eldest, Pat, is 83.
The choir’s main base is in Rugby,
Warks. But with 500 members based in various spots across the country, the choir experiences every aspect of life, including romance. The Big Sing was responsible for Essex pals Richard and Zanny getting together after they lost their spouses.
The couple discovered their true feelings for each other when lockdown forced the choir to perform over Zoom. Richard, 70, was married to Wendy, who had been part of the choir from the start 12 years ago, and she got him to join after he retired. While Zanny’s husband Rodger was not part of the choir, he supported her pastime. When he and Wendy died a year apart, Richard and Zanny, 74, found solace in the lyrics of the choir’s gospel, pop and soul music.
“Wendy was young when she passed, so that was quite a shock,” says Richard.
Zanny adds: “My husband passed a year after Wendy.
“I used to sit by Wendy in choir, so we’ve been friends a long time.”
As well as singing, the pair share the same birthday, their spouses had March birthdays, and they love sailing, which has led to holidays in Greece.
Their grown-up sons have been rooting for them, too.
When lockdown struck in March 2020, the couple were at a loss but Zanny said it was nice to have someone to talk to during strict Covid rules.
“We’d come out of marriages of 40-plus years and suddenly we were totally isolated… it was as soon as the restrictions were relaxed that we got together,” Richard says.
Zanny adds: “We’ve been able to support each other during our grief, and through Covid, when you couldn’t meet each other at home but you could meet to go shopping. We were friends that grew into more.”
■ BGT airs tonight at 8pm on ITV, followed by the second episode tomorrow at 7.45pm.