Rob Beckett and Geri Horner return with the musical talent show in which contestants must successfully encourage members of a 100-strong judging panel to sing along with them to win
Rob Beckett and Spice Girl Geri Horner return to front the talent show where singers have to perform not just for three judges but for an entire panel of music experts known as The 100.
Once again, the rules are simple. If any of The 100 like what they hear, they can stand up and sing along.
The more of The 100 a singer can get on their feet, the higher their score.
With some seriously talented singers, lots of colourful characters in The 100 and a genuinely funny host in Rob Beckett, All Together Now really has got it all, making it the perfect feelgood Saturday night show.
TV Times rating: *****
TV Times chats to Geri, 46, and Rob, 33, about how the show is hitting the high notes…
You must be thrilled that the show is back. Why do you think it struck such a chord with viewers?
Geri: I think it works because it’s the perfect antidote to modern life. It’s so much more than just a talent show – it’s a game show, it’s a comedy show and it’s a variety show. We’re all living stressful, fast-paced lives and, after a hard week, this show lifts you up.
Rob: It’s very rare to be able to watch something on TV at the moment and have a conversation with different generations without it ending in a Brexit row!
This show is built around being funny and entertaining. Some people really care about a song, but it never gets too serious. At no point is there any real heartbreak or someone feeling their career’s on the line.
Geri: It’s a show for everybody. If you look at The 100, every walk of life, every age, every background is in there. You’ve got Divina, the drag queen, cabaret host Paulus, and everyone in between. You couldn’t get a more diverse group, yet we all come together through song.
Have The 100 been harder on the singers this time round?
Rob: I don’t know whether The 100 are tougher or whether, now it’s an established show, the singers are more nervous. There’s more pressure because they know their friends, family and colleagues will all watch.
Geri, do you feel you have been tougher this time?
Geri: For me, it’s not good enough just to be a good singer. It’s not just about the vocal or the song or the way you look – it’s about so much more. You’ve got to sparkle from the inside out.
Thinking back to last year, Michael Rice [who is representing the UK at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest] was such a deserving winner; he was effortlessly brilliant in every way and so full of humility. I know that Michael put some of the £50,000 he won into making music, but he also went and bought his mother a pancake shop.
So maybe that’s affected my choices, too, because now I feel like if I say ‘yes’ to one person, that may mean they potentially take the place of someone more deserving – every ‘yes’ is a ‘no’ to someone else. It’s important in life to say ‘no’, so that when you do say ‘yes’ it actually means something.
