Show goes on for winning TV choir

Only Men Aloud! celebrate their victory live on BBC One on Saturday

Only Men Aloud! have no let-up in their hectic schedule after winning BBC One talent show Last Choir Standing.

The 18-strong group from Cardiff beat fellow Welsh choir Ysgol Glanaethwy from Bangor and Revelation from east London to take the public vote.

Within hours of Saturday's win, they were recording Songs of Praise at St David's Hall in Cardiff after a radio appearance.

Members called the whole experience "totally fantastic and surreal".

Only Men Aloud! musical director Tim Rhys-Evans said: "I'm absolutely elated and very emotional and just grateful to everyone who's voted for us."

Chorister Wyn Davies said the win still had not sunk in.

We really not sure what's to come, but hope it's a start of something new Thomas Jones, Only Men Aloud!

"The journey throughout the series has been totally fantastic and surreal and to share it with the boys from the choir is great and to win is totally amazing," he told BBC News.

"We had a party in the BBC last night after the show but had to come back to Cardiff and arrived at 3am on Sunday.

"It's another busy day. We've done a radio show with Aled Jones and then will be recording Songs of Praise in the afternoon."

Fellow singer Thomas Jones said: "I think that the standard of every choir in the final was very high and it says a lot about Wales having two choirs there at the end".

But by the end we were all there to enjoy and show what we can do. The experience has been fantastic.

"We really not sure what's to come, but hope it's a start of something new."

Talent and determination

It became an all-Welsh final after Revelation were voted off by viewers, with Ysgol Glanaethwy singing All That Jazz followed by Only Men Aloud! performing All By Myself.

The finalists had been whittled down from 60 choirs since 5 July.

Only Men Aloud! was started eight years ago by Mr Rhys-Evans, who wanted to create a young male voice choir unafraid to tackle music not usually performed by traditional male voice choirs.

Welsh Culture Minister Alun Ffred Jones praised both Welsh choirs for their efforts over the summer.

"Congratulations to both finalists, Ysgol Glanaethwy and Only Men Aloud! and particularly to Only Men Aloud! for winning the competition.

"Both choirs have shown tremendous talent and determination throughout the series which has been a great showcase for Wales and Welsh talent.

"It has also shown what the young people of our nation can achieve when presented with such opportunities."

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