Every so often, a series comes along that is so life affirming, so heart-warming that all cynicism is temporarily banished. That is saying something for Britain – the home of cynicism but The Choir is one of those shows which forces you to agree with Anne Frank – people really are good at heart.

The main character in this reality show is a young man called Gareth Malone. Gareth is an animateur. What on earth is that, you ask? Well, apparently it’s someone who facilitates communication between a choir and the community - exactly what Gareth does in this series.

For starters, Gareth looks like a choirboy. He is of slight build with floppy hair and glasses – look quickly with half-closed eyes and he could almost be David Tennant. He studied drama at the University of East Anglia honing his talent for presenting and connecting with people. He then studied at the Royal Academy of Music and started making programmes for the BBC about singing.

The Choir was first shown in 2006 on BBC2 and followed children at a north London school who had never sung in a choir. Initially hostile and suspicious, the children eventually softened and joined Gareth’s choir with enthusiasm. They even went on to perform in a competition in China. In 2008, the next series was entitled Boys Don’t Sing. It focused on The Lancaster School which had abandoned singing for the boys. When asked, the boys assumed singing was an activity just for girls. Enter Gareth Malone and a BBC film crew and with his charm, persuasion and persistence he got the boys to sing – and they were good ending up performing a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Neither of the schools Gareth worked with would be called ‘high achieving’ but with hard work they both achieved harmony, community and sheer joy.

The latest series had Gareth working in the white working class area of South Oxhey. Now Gareth is middle class bordering on the posh – how will his accent go down with the good people of this town? Things start slowly with Gareth standing outside factories and schools just asking people, ‘Would you like to sing in a choir’. Of course, most people say, ‘ No way’.

Gareth persists and a few people join then more and more. He is enthusiastic, friendly but not sentimental. The people of South Oxhey are not used to communal singing or indeed communal anything but they rally to the cause. Soon the choir is huge and involves old and young, men and women – it’s mostly white but there are a few black faces too one of whom is selected to sing a solo. She is uplifted by the experience.

The series ends, as the other three have previously, with a huge public concert and the participants filled with joy and delight. As one participant says, ‘This has been the best day of my life so far’. This is reality television that actually performs a public service.