Fazer’s Urban Takeover
Mon Sep 16, 9-10pm, BBC3
Episode one
Last year, N Dubz’s Fazer performed with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, caught the classical bug and now wants urban youngsters to feel the same way via a two-part documentary. He starts off by dragging a string quartet to the UK’s biggest battle night, ‘The Jump Off’ in King’s Cross, but the crowd is nonplussed and Fazer realises he’s got his work cut out for him. The point is hammered home when he’s auditioning for players to take part in this year’s Urban Proms: when asked, ‘what do you think about classical music?’, the common response is ‘boring’.
So begins a series of trying rehearsals with a vague ‘X Factor’ feel – not least the heart-breaking back stories. They put a lump in your throat and strengthen the viewer’s connection to the characters: you genuinely want them to succeed in this classical crash course. Whether or not they do will be revealed in the final part next week, but there’s enough drama and hilarity tonight to keep you hooked until then.
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