Sky Arts sets out to prove Anyone Can Sing

UK cultural channel Sky Arts has teamed up with the English National Opera (ENO) on a new musical format that aims to train up the UK and Ireland’s worst singers.

Phil Edgar-Jones

Anyone Can Sing will see six participants put through their paces as their voices are transformed from screeching in the shower to singing like a real soprano, proving that all of us can hold a tune.

The ENO’s vocal coaches will mentor the would-be singers throughout the process, giving masterclasses on vocal technique and stage presence and setting them a series of musical challenges.

Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts and Entertainment, said: “If I were to sing to you you’d be covering your ears, running for the hills, begging me to ‘please stop.’ So when the brilliant people at the English National Opera told me they could get anyone – and they stressed anyone – singing tunefully so your ears didn’t bleed we had to take them up on the challenge to turn Britain’s tone deaf into singers.

“We firmly believe that participation in the arts is as important as watching and enjoying and we can’t wait to see how this experiment in joining in unfolds.”

Casting for the series, commissioned by Zai Bennett, MD of content for Sky UK and Ireland, and Edgar-Jones, is now underway. The commissioning editor for Sky is Benedetta Pinelli and the exec producer for Brighton-based prodco Factory Films is Julie Heathcote.

Originally part of Sky’s line-up of pay TV channels in the UK, Sky Arts went free-to-air in 2020.