In July 2020, during the first lockdown, I saw a job listing on Audition Oracle for a chance to participate in a new musical-themed TV gameshow. I am so glad that I took the opportunity to send in my application for consideration, as last night I took part in BBC One’s new Saturday night game show called I Can See Your Voice (ICSYV) under the karate-inspired pseudonym “One Hit Wonder”. I still feel wired with excitement this morning and I barely slept a wink, as being a part of the show was so much fun, and I cannot wait to share the experience with you today.
FILMING THE EPISODE
The production team, (Thames TV, Fremantle, and BBC), really took care of the participating artists. A massive shout out to Lucy Rutter and Mike Cloherty for making my first experience of working on a TV show run like clockwork. The team thought of everything and worked so hard to make the singers feel like an integral part of the production.
The night before filming I was put up in a nearby hotel, which really helped me to stay calm and feel well prepared. Before leaving for the TV Studio, I had a costume fitting at the hotel and like all the singers I then had a rehearsal of my part for the celebrity duet with vocal coach, Ulrika Bergelind and choreographer Claudimar Neto, so each singer was prepared should we make it through to the final round.
We then left for the studio, where I was provided with a private dressing room. Very Swanky! I was then called to set for my walk-through. During this rehearsal, I was amazed at how awesome the set looked, I felt like I had been transported to a musical spaceship from Star Trek. There were so many neon lights, podiums, cameras, an elevated viewing dock, and much more. Luckily my Mum had advised me that morning, to just soak up every drop of excitement from the experience and that kept me from getting too overwhelmed or nervous – Thanks, Mum!
I was then greeted by Annabel Williams, head vocal coach for Britain’s Got Talent, and I rehearsed my entrances and exits, my routines for “Wuthering Heights” (Lip Sync Song), “Think of Me” (Stage of Truth Song), and “Bang! Bang!” (Celebrity Duet with Fleur East). Even the run-through was a blast, I could not wait till we would begin filming.
I was then sent to Jo Jenkins, who managed my hair and make-up. She made me feel fierce yet feminine, a perfect kick-ass combination that could throw the contestants off the scent of my operatic training. The secrecy surrounding the gameshow was so high, that I was not able to formally meet or speak with any of the other mystery singers. I had no idea who else could sing. Which made the show just as exciting for me as I hope it was for the viewers at home.
Then the call for filming began! I can’t remember what time we started, but the filming took around three hours in total from which 50 minutes would be used in the final edit. Firstly, all the mystery singers were called to the stage to film our poses on the podiums. Then presenter Paddy McGuinness arrived on set and we filmed his podium-splitting entrance. I had to really concentrate on staying still whilst the podiums moved sideways to create the walkthrough. My Pilates’ training kicking in! ( thank you so much, Chiara ) Then the celebrity investigators Jimmy Carr, Alison Hammond, and Amanda Holden arrived on set with celebrity guest judge Fleur East. The contestants Anton and Duban came to the stage and it was showtime!
To avoid spoilers, I will not discuss what happened next, but I will say that the mystery singers had to stand on the podiums, totally still, for a REALLY long time, whilst each Judge passed their comments, witty remarks, and banter. I was so thankful that I was in plimsoles! The stage managers were brilliant at telling us when we were off camera so we could have some water and move/sit down. I was told to stay in character, and not to smile, which if you know me well, was quite the challenge. But after watching the episode back, the neutral demeanor worked really well! When it was my time to sing, I wasn’t able to do my normal quick vocal warm-up in case the panel and players could hear, as it would ruin the surprise, just enough time for a quick sip of water, then I was on!
After Watching The Show Back
I had the most amazing experience and I have enjoyed watching the four episodes aired so far. It is fun to guess and I have been tricked a few times, which has made the game all the more fun. If you fancy a little bit of light relief you can catch my episode on the BBC i-Player if you live in the UK.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000vt2b/i-can-see-your-voice-series-1-episode-4
The contestants in my episode were Anton & Duban they were two lovely guys, and I had my fingers crossed for them throughout the show.
The singers were:
Acrobat – Jordan Wilcox
Child Star – Hariette Sleight
Sweet Harmony – Zalika Henry
One Hit Wonder – Charlotte Hoather
Radio Host – Kalex
Pop Princess – Denise Scott
When I was preparing for the show I recorded my versions of Wuthering Heights and Think of Me for my Dad’s birthday as we could not visit him due to Covid restrictions, they are favourites of both my Mum and Dad. As I can’t share the BBC version from the show due to the copyright I have included these recordings for those of you who live outside the UK and can’t watch the episode.
