The Story Behind the Anniversary Special
BBC | The Impossible Show
We produced a two-part anniversary special, The Impossible Show: Tsunami Relief Concert, marking the 20th anniversary of Wales’ largest-ever fundraising concert. This project, commissioned by BBC Cymru Wales, aimed to capture the extraordinary journey behind the 2005 event that raised over £1.25 million for victims of the Boxing Day tsunami.
Watch ‘The Impossible Show: Tsunami Relief Concert’ here.
Watch ‘Tsunami Concert: One Night in Cardiff’ here.
Content Creation
TV Production
Post-Production
Photography
Our Approach.
From the beginning, our goal was to create an emotionally compelling yet historically rich documentary, revisiting a moment in time where Wales played a pivotal role in a global relief effort. We wanted to highlight the monumental effort required to stage such an ambitious concert in just three weeks while celebrating the resilience and generosity that made it possible.
The 2005 Tsunami Relief Concert was an unprecedented feat: a 66,000-strong audience filled Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium (now Principality Stadium) for a star-studded charity concert featuring performances by Eric Clapton, Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics, Craig David, Katherine Jenkins, and Snow Patrol. It was the UK’s biggest charity concert since Live Aid, yet its story had never been fully told.
Our biggest challenge was reconstructing the drama, energy, and chaos of that time. The organizers – Paul Sergeant, Pablo Janczur, and Rupert Moon, had started with nothing but a beer mat plan, a modest £50,000 budget, and no confirmed lineup. From the offset, their journey was fraught with obstacles, and it was crucial that our documentary captured both the uncertainty and the eventual triumph of those three nail-biting weeks.
The Implementation.
To tell this story, we developed two distinct yet complementary programs:
- The Impossible Show: Tsunami Relief Concert – A gripping behind-the-scenes documentary featuring exclusive interviews with key figures, including organizers and performers like Jools Holland, Feeder, Goldie Lookin Chain, Craig David, and Katherine Jenkins.
- Tsunami Concert: One Night In Cardiff – A concert highlights special, weaving together unseen performances with fresh insights into the event’s impact.
We combined archival footage with newly recorded interviews to create an immersive viewing experience. By incorporating behind-the-scenes clips, rehearsal footage, and candid moments, we aimed to give audiences a sense of the urgency and magnitude of what was achieved in 2005.
Bringing this vision to life required an exceptional team:
- Executive Producer: Adrian Jones (Skin Deep, Pizza Boys)
- Director: Daisy Brown (Slammed)
- Producer: Jack Carey (54 Hours: Under The Ground)
- Director of Photography: Phil Chappell (Saving Lives)
Our team worked closely with BBC Cymru Wales to ensure the documentary resonated with both those who remembered the concert and a new generation of viewers. We accessed extensive BBC and S4C archives, sourced unseen footage from artists, and conducted in-depth interviews to provide fresh perspectives on this landmark event.
Our Impact.
The response to the documentary has been overwhelmingly positive, with audiences reliving the emotion of that night and new viewers discovering the incredible story for the first time. As filmmakers, this project reaffirmed our belief in storytelling’s ability to preserve history and inspire future generations.
Producing The Impossible Show was an honour. It reminded us why we do what we do, bringing untold stories to the screen, preserving moments of history, and celebrating the people who make the impossible happen. The 2005 Tsunami Relief Concert was more than just a show; it was a testament to what can be achieved when people come together for a cause greater than themselves.
