Gareth Malone’s Military Wives Choir has become the first ever group of mums to top the Official Album Charts on Mother's Day.  They were the surprise No.1 at Christmas and today added a No.1 album to their incredible list of accomplishments after their debut album ‘In My Dreams’ overtook legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen to take the top spot. 

The Official Album Chart No.1 adds to the choir’s stellar achievements on a day which has a particularly special meaning to many of them – Mother’s Day.  Most of the 247 choir members from five different Military Wives Choirs across the country have children of their own.  The choirs boast over 400 children between them and several more pregnancies in progress.

'In My Dreams', recorded early this year following their whirlwind Christmas success, includes the choir’s inimitable versions of classics such as Bob Dylan’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’, Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’ and U2’s ‘With or Without You’ and is produced by Jon Cohen.  It also includes Paul Mealor’s Christmas No.1 hit ‘Wherever You Are’ and the new title song that Mealor wrote especially for this album.  ‘In My Dreams’ is sung by the choir with soloist and X Factor finalist Jonjo Kerr who is currently serving in Afghanistan as a Private in 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.  

The Christmas No.1 choirs of RMB Chivenor and Plymouth are joined on the album by choirs from Catterick, Lympstone and Portsmouth, just a few of the 30+ choirs now in existence and at various stages of development, with more emerging every week. The album has helped to establish further choirs across the country, providing support to those families left at home.  A donation of £1 per album sold at full price in the UK will be paid to a charitable foundation for Military Wives Choirs, to be administered by SSAFA Forces Help. 

The Military Wives Choir with Gareth Malone broke records when they became the surprise No.1 at Christmas with their single written by Paul Mealor, Wherever You Are'. The single has now sold almost 700,000 copies and raised well in excess of half a million pounds for the two military charities, The Royal British Legion and SSAFA Forces Help.  The Official Charts Company confirmed that it was the fastest-selling UK charity single of the 21st Century and also the fastest-selling since Elton John’s ‘Candle in the Wind’ 15 years ago in 1997. The choir’s rise to the top has seen the choirs perform to royalty, dignitaries and celebrities, at No.10 Downing Street, the Sun Military Awards, HMV Oxford Street and the National Television Awards.  They also received a BRIT Award nomination.

QUOTES

Gareth Malone:  “Once was like a dream, but now I'm starting to wonder whether this is really happening. These women's singing has lifted the spirits of the nation. I'm proud to have been able to introduce the power of music to the women on this album who, in turn, are reaching out to military communities across the UK through song.”

Paul Mealor, composer:  “It’s unbelievably magical to have achieved this – again! The legacy of this is the creation of Military Wives Choirs all over the country.  It was brilliant to work again with the Military Wives Choir on ‘In My Dreams’, and how poignant to bring a serving soldier into the music with Jonjo Kerr.  I feel proud and humble to be a part of this.”

Dickon Stainer, President of Decca Records: “This is the birth of Mum Power.  It’s an incredible achievement.”

Martin Talbot, Managing Director of the Official Charts Company:  “It has been an amazing few months for the Military Wives. Beating X Factor to the title of Official Christmas Number 1 is one thing – but to now topple Bruce Springsteen from the top of the Official Albums Chart and thus score the album of choice in Mothers’ Day week (traditionally one of the biggest sales weeks of the year) is some achievement.”

Nicky Clarke, Co-Founder of The Military Wives Choirs Foundation: “It is music which gives us strength, hope, courage, support, laughter and friendship, often when it is most needed.”

Sean Bean to star in Jimmy McGovern’s award-winning series Accused on BBC One

Sean Bean, Anna Maxwell Martin and Stephen Graham are to star in Jimmy McGovern’s award-winning series Accused on BBC One in 2012.

Stellar British actors Sean Bean (Game Of Thrones, Lord Of The Rings, Sharpe), Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire, Occupation, This Is England) and twice BAFTA-winning actress Anna Maxwell Martin (South Riding, The Night Watch, Bleak House) are to star in the two episodes of Accused, made by RSJ Films for BBC One, which film this year.

Sean Bean plays English teacher Simon, whose alter ego Tracie's unconventional quest for love entangles him in an affair that leads inexorably to a terrible crime of passion. Stephen Graham stars as Tony, a satellite and aerial engineer, and Rachel Leskovac (Coronation Street, Holby City) plays his wife of 12 years, beautician Karen. Little do the trio know that once their paths have crossed their lives will change irrevocably. This episode is written by Shaun Duggan (EastEnders, Moving On) and Jimmy McGovern. The director is Ashley Pearce (Downton Abbey).

Commenting on his new role Sean Bean says: “I’ve wanted to work on a Jimmy McGovern drama for a while and I think this cracking script really delivers a powerful, emotional drama for the audience."

Acclaimed actress Anna Maxwell Martin stars as Tina Dakin, a married mother of three, who is overstretched at home and at the juvenile detention centre where she works as a prison officer. But something doesn’t seem right when new inmate Stephen Cartwright (Robert Sheehan) arrives and before long she is to meet his father Peter (John Bishop) in the worst circumstances imaginable. This episode is written by Isabelle Grey (Genghis Khan, Midsomer Murders) and Jimmy McGovern. It is directed by Ashley Pearce.

Two episodes of Accused were filmed last autumn. Anne Marie Duff and Olivia Colman star as mothers trying to do the right thing by their sons and their community; Robert Sheehan plays Stephen, who suspects his mother’s palliative care nurse (Sheridan Smith) of serious wrongdoing. John Bishop plays Stephen’s father Peter and Josh Bolt plays Stephen’s younger brother, Dom.

Accused was re-commissioned by BBC One Controller Danny Cohen and Controller of Drama Commissioning Ben Stephenson. It is executive produced for the BBC by Polly Hill, Head of Independent Drama. Sita Williams is the producer and she executive produces with Jimmy McGovern and Roxy Spencer for RSJ Films.

The series directors are David Blair (The Street, Accused) and Ashley Pearce (Downton Abbey). The first series shown on BBC One in 2010 scooped two international Emmy Awards last year: Christopher Eccleston won best performance by an actor and Accused won in the best series category. 

Last night saw the return if Midsomer Murders with episode 8 from series 14 – A Rare Bird starring Neil Dudgeon and Jason Hughes.

There were many people who wondered if the series could continue with the departure of John Nettles at the end of series 13 but last night’s episode was watched by over 5.3 million viewers proving there’s still life in Midsomer (despite all the murders!)

Last night’s episode centered around the sighting of the very rare blue crested hoopoe which was spotted in the woods around Swansdown Lake, and that’s a big deal apparently. Then their overbearing president is murdered after accusing the twitcher who spotted it of lying.

If you missed the episode last night, fear not you can get your DVD direct from Acorn Media and get it months before it is available from any other website or shop, not only that but you will save £5 as its only £11.99 from Acorn.

I hope you all had a good Christmas and a happy New Years. I had a great holiday with family and friends that included cooking for 17 on Christmas Day (big thanks to Delia, Heston and Jamie Oliver for recipe tips) and a short trip to Cheshire to stay with some family that we couldn’t fit in for Christmas dinner!

With a few days off I was able to catch up with some great new TV like Young James Herriot, Great Expectations, Earth Flight, Caroline Quentin’s Cornwall  and Shelock S2. It seems that there is a real build up of brilliant new TV series and it’s a struggle at times to keep up with all these great shows, I know I’ll end up missing some and end up watching them again on DVD (which I prefer anyway, no adverts!).

Not forgetting next week we have to remember to watch the new series of Wild at Heart which begins on Sunday (8^th Jan) on ITV1 at 8:30pm for a ten week run plus Above Suspicion begins a new three part series on Monday (9^th Jan) at 9pm on ITV1.

We have our January catalogue mailing out over the next couple of weeks so look out for it or you can read it via our online pdf – click here for the link.

Lastly, we have recently made a change to our Newsletters so give you more control over what you want to hear about. So if you only want news on the latest Crime or Drama series log into you account and update your Newsletter Subscription and we will start updating you with want you want to know.

Gareth Malone believes singing can help people through the most difficult times of their lives.  I can totally understand where he is coming from after having a brother who spent six months in Afghanistan two years ago and my best friend’s husband also served 6 months there last year. 

I may not have quite made it as a ‘Military Wife’ but I was brought up in a military family with my Dad and both my brothers ‘joining up’ as young lads. 

My brother was stationed in Musaquala which was a very ‘unsafe’ area. His regiment celebrated Christmas wearing Santa hats, and even had turkey and Christmas crackers. Families sent shoe boxes full of little memories of home.

The families are well looked after by the welfare team when their husbands are away, where day trips and fun times are arranged on a weekly basis to try and make time go by faster. Also holding afternoons with video footage of their loved ones, but nothing quite compares to having their husband/daddy with them to tuck them in at night or wave them off to school.

The latest series of The Choir was a very touching and emotional series, bringing out amazing undiscovered talents of some women who would never had dreamed that they would ever perform at the Royal Albert Hall in memory of all the soldiers who have fought or lost their lives for our country. 

Joining the armed forces can give you opportunities for an exciting, adventurous and rewarding career, they don’t always prepare you or your families for the time when your loved ones have to go to war.

The Choir Series 4 available to purchase from Acorn Media UK on 6^th February 2012.

FREE P&P FOR ALL UK ORDERS

We are really pleased to annouced that all orders dispatching to a UK delivery address will now benefit from FREE P&P on all orders. This is not a short term offer this is a genuine saving to bring you the very best of British TV on DVD at our lowest ever prices.

We have an amzing selection of New and Exclusive DVD titles that are only availble from Acorn Media direct such as The Accused, Lost Kingdoms of Africa and 2 brand new Midsomer Murders episodes, Sleeper Under the Hill and Night of the Stag. You will not be able to purchase any of these titles from any other web site or shop until 2012 so buy your exclusive DVDs from Acorn and give a unique gift to someone.

BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are has proven to be one of television’s most popular shows, and you can now purchase Who Do You Think You Are Series 7 on DVD from Acorn Media.

Don’t miss Robson Green’s ultimate fishing challenge. Extreme Fishing Series 4 is available right now, exclusively from Acorn Media. 

Martin Shaw returns as Inspector George Gently, in Series 3 of the popular detective show, available on DVD in August; exclusively from Acorn Media.

As the hugely popular Who Do You Think You Are? returns to British TV screens for its eighth series, you can now grab the fantastic Series 7 on DVD, right here at Acorn Media.