Gareth Malone: "I'm not busting a gut to do Strictly"
The choirmaster will be celebrating his 50th on stage — followed by hot yoga.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.
What’s the view from your sofa?
A compromise between my desire for an enormous cinema-size screen and my wife’s [English teacher Becky] desire to have something appropriate. I have very nice speakers on stands – if the kids [Esther, Gilbert and Dvora] knock them off, I’ve told them I will kill them!
Who controls the remote?
I’m embarrassed by how stereotypical it is, but I like to be near the remote. Although, honestly, it’s mostly word of mouth controlling it, friends recommending stuff. We rarely watch things at the same time as other people unless it’s The Traitors, Race Across the World or Gladiators.
What have you been enjoying recently?
Couples Therapy is fantastic – the way they craft those stories so your sympathies swing from one person to the other. Orna Guralnik [the therapist] is an amazing television presence. Also, What We Do in the Shadows is hilarious. I run around the streets of north London, shouting, “Bat!”
Are you ever still surprised by your TV career?
I remember my wife and I were in our tiny rented flat in West Hampstead, talking about how The Choir could change everything. We had no idea what that meant in practice – the attention, opportunities, challenges – but we went for it. It became this monster and I suddenly found myself having lunches at the BBC. It’s strange.
The last time you spoke to RT, you talked about burnout. Do you watch out for that now?
Yeah, it’s pretty classic, isn’t it? I got into the public eye when I was about 30 with no children, going to the gym and filming two days a week. Suddenly, I’ve got three children, my series are longer, bigger, so I drop the gym membership. At the end of last year, I was like, “OK, I need to sort myself out and feel better.” I started taking vitamin D and going to hot yoga and I feel absolutely great.
You’re about to go on tour with Sing-along-a-Gareth. How have you prepared for that?
I’m determined to build more exercise into the schedule and not have too many late nights, because touring is a weird night-time existence where you start feeling like a vampire. With the show, I know what people are looking for now, but it’s my 50th birthday and 50 years of Bohemian Rhapsody, so we’ll do a big version of that.
Why is communal singing important?
I was really struck by what one of the singers told me when I ran a community choir for the London Symphony Orchestra. After our first concert, they said, “I lost my father at the beginning of this term and this has really helped me.” That was the first time I realised there was something to explore, and it sustained me through all those series of The Choir. My belief in its spiritual benefits is pretty unshakeable now.
You’ll be spending your 50th (9 November) on stage at the Warwick Arts Centre – dream birthday?
For me, the party is always on stage. I might have to wind down a bit afterwards, but it’s not like I’m getting through the gig to hit the town. I’m at a different point in my life and a lot more appreciative of what I have. To still be working and in good shape is a privilege. The fluff and noise aren’t important. It’s about connections with people and feeling good about yourself. Singing makes me happy… along with hot yoga.
Anything else you’d like to accomplish?
Right now, I’m enjoying still having a career! I’m not busting a gut to do Strictly. The Masked Dancer was fun, but I got to the end of it thinking, “I’m really looking forward to waking up tomorrow and being a musician again.”
The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here.
Sing-along-a-Gareth 4: 50 Years of Song tours the UK from 2 November – tickets are on sale now.
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