I wouldn't have called Keith pretty, but he did have the cuteness factor that would have hoovered up the mum/granny votes. Lewis would have had the teenage girls reaching for their phones, and possibly some of the granny votes because he loved his Nana!

The Great British Public tends to favour the underdog, which both Keith and Lewis clearly were, being much younger and, in Keith's case, having the 'Supermarket Shelf-stacker' angle. Lee didn't have a sob story, the 'plucked from a menial job' angle or the 'cuteness' factor - he was intense, clenchy jawed and, despite being from a working class background, he looked and spoke like Mr Darcy.

I wasn't convinced that the GBP would vote for Lee in the final. My nerves weren't helped by the news that a certain supermarket chain had taken a out full-page newspaper ad encouraging people to vote for Keith! Thankfully, common-sense prevailed and Lee won!

That's a really good article, but I disagree about Keith and Lewis being more conventionally pretty, because Lee himself is rather gobsmackingly handsome. They were all very different in looks as well as every other category, so there were bound to be fans of each. But as Bill Kenwright himself said of Keith, he's more of a Benjamin than a Joseph.

Of course, everyone finds different people attractive. I've never understood the constant slavering over David Beckham, he's just okay looking to me.

On this day in 2007, it was the day before the final. The three finalists appeared on BBC breakfast:-

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Lee sounds really posh!

Then, later in the day, Lee did an interview (by phone) with Radio Essex:-

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He sounds very calm! Interesting that he wasn't allowed to say what he was singing (on The Voice, they offically announce what everyone's singing the day before). Nice interview and not a hint of arrogance.

Here's a Final preview:-

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Just found this - the 9 'non-Josephs' being interviewed on BBC News 24 on the day before the final (so, this day 5 years ago):-

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Nice to see a tactful interviewer - "What was it like for you being rejected?"

On this day 5 years ago, it was the ADWD final. It was a sweltering day, but that didn't affect the ratings - ADWD got its highest ratings so far!

During the week, the boys went to Mallorca to visit ALW in his Villa:-

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Topless Lee...and a tiny cake!


Lee's first song was Devil In Disguise:-

,a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diIoV8WmXqk">LINKY THING

A cheeky, sexy performance, with some great looks to camera.


Next, it was Big Band songs and Lee got New York, New York:-

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At this point, he proved that he really was in a different league! Fantastic! Also, loved the lyrical flub - so endearingly Lee!


Then, all three boys sang a group song - Maria from West Side Story:-

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This was interesting, because we were able to compare and contrast the boys' voices and overall performance of the song. Whilst the other two boys sang it, Lee performed it. I found myself thinking that he'd make a marvellous Tony in WSS!


Then, the phone lines were FROZEN and the third placed Joseph was announced...LEWIS!!! :-

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I love Lee's reaction! There was clearly a lot of pent-up tension which came flooding out when Graham told him that he was through!


So, it was a Lee and Keith 'head to head' for the Dreamcoat!

The boys sang their favourite songs from ADWD. Lee chose (unsurprisingly) Paint It Black:-

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As with the original performance, it was dark, intense and mesmeric! At this point, I was thinking "He must win this, surely!" but I still had my doubts, thanks to Keith and the cute/journey/Tesco vote!


Graham then chatted to the finalists' mums and Jason Donovan:-

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I loved Jo's response - simple and straight from the heart.


Then it was the turn of the 10 non-Joes:-

Jesus Christ Superstar:-

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From the moment he bounded down the stairs at the beginning, Lee was in a different league! Even just standing there moving to the rhythm of the music, I couldn't keep my eyes off him. Then when he started his verse...wow! I particularly loved the high note at the end.


Then, the phonelines were CLOSED and the winner was announced (after a 21 second delay):-

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Aww, I just love Lee's reaction!


Finally, our new Joseph sang us out:-

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Such a happy, feel-good ending to the series!

Thanks Jo for all that it was great,reliving it all!!!

A Radio Essex interview with Lee right after the final:-

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A BBC News 24 interview right after the final with a hot, sweaty Lee:-

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Thanks for all those links Jo.
I still remember how nervous I felt waiting for the final result.
What a great 5 years Lee has given us since that night.

Thanks, Johartuk!

I didn't discover Lee until 7-8 months after his ADWD win (via the miracle of Youtube). I don't know how you all survived the suspense of that final -- I would've collapsed from the terror lol. But thankfully he won and he's gone from strength to strength ever since.

It was unbelievably tense and matters weren't helped by the 21 second wait between 'The Winner Is.....' and 'Lee!'

I just found this article on the Timeline, which mentions how 'feel-good' ADWD was.

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I didn't watch the 'Grease' show on ITV, but as it was made by the same people who make 'X-Factor', I'm guessing the judges operated along the same lines - either making nasty comments for entertainment value, or praising the contestants while ignoring any issues with their performances. One of my abiding memories of ADWD was the constructive criticism given to contestants. If there were issues with a contestant's performance, they tended to be addressed.

I thought having a vocal coach on the panel (who also worked with the contestants during the week) was a stroke of genius! It enabled the contestants to work on anything that had been brought up by Zoe (0or any of the other judges) in the critiques on Saturday. I was reminded of this when watching 'The Voice'. Ruth was praised to the hilt every week, yet she had appalling diction and a tendency to shout. When one of the ADWD contestants had issues with his diction, John Barrowman addressed it and worked with him on it. Yet Ruth's diction problems were ignored.

Three newspaper articles (from this day in 2007) about Lee's win:-

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Thanks Jo for all the Linky Things you done for us. Was very nervous on that Final Night and my feelings on who would be voting were very much like yours and as for the ad in the paper seeking votes for Keith..well! At least it didn't say vote and we'll take £10 off your next week's shopping . I've never been so involved with a programme as I was with ADWD and doubt I ever will be again (unless it involves Lee, of course) .

Lee is the only person I have ever voted for and like you AnnieB would only vote again if it involved Lee

On this day in 2007, Lee had his first interview (on BBC Breakfast) after winning ADWD:-

Part 1

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Part 2

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I think he did well for a first interview.

This week in 2007 was a busy one for Lee, juggling Joseph rehearsals and PR. There are some interesting articles:-

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I wish there was some video footage of Lee in his banana suit!

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A repeat of the Southend Echo article, but this time a photocopy, complete with the pic of Lee and Casey taken after the ADWD final.

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He looks so young in that Pineapple Poll photo!

The Stage article is interesting. Blimey, the ADWD final really did trounce the Grease final in the ratings!

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The first newspaper ad for Joseph.

Thanks again for those links Jo. I hadn't seen the photo of Lee & Casey before.

On this day in 2007, the ADWD single was released on CD (it had been available for a week on download), plus there was a video to accompany the single:-

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I've just dug out the CD to have a listen. I'd forgotten how exquisite Lee's vocal was on CED! There's a real richness and emotion in his voice that's missing from Lewis and Keith's vocals. I'd love to have had a solo Lee version. Blimey, when he sings that last bit and goes up at the end! *THUD*

Agreed, Johartuk! Lee wiped the floor with them in that version of CED.

Jo- I really love that bit when Lee goes up at the end of CED. He sounds so masterful and manly.

Thanks Jo I agree I have always wished Lee could have recorded it on his own I have listened to it so many times but always think the same

Wow, it was almost an entire year later that BBC America finally aired ADWD for us. I was hooked from the beginning and knew Lee was the best right away. Of course, that did not mean he would win . . .

For the final, my family (whole family: hubs, children, new grandson, sisters, parents and a few nieces thrown in ) were in Napa, California on vacation. Fortunately, we had cable TV and I made everyone watch with me. I still remember the tension . . . and when GN finally said "Lee!" I jumped up and ran around the room shouting "Lee won! Lee won!"

My family thought I was crazy. Now, they know I am for sure. Crazy about Lee.

Fortunately, I have found others who are just as crazy as I am.

I'm so grateful I've people who are equally crazy about Lee. My brother and sister think I'm obsessed with him, which is what a Loppy is of course. All I know is that Lee is special and worth it.

On this day 5 years ago, it was the Concert For Diana, which featured an appearance by the ADWD winner:-

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Lee did an excellent job!

Thanks Jo, great to see that again. It gave me goosebumps hearing everyone cheer when he came on stage. Oh, for those Joseph days again.

Just remembered this thread of yours Johartuk thought it might need dusting of again.

Blimey, I'd forgotten about this! Thanks for the thread resurrection Sunny-mead!

Love going back through this thread and reliving those moments. I think growing a beard has done wonders for Keith's looks, it just works for him. I like him as a person, anyway, having had a brief chat to him after the touring version of Joseph. A very nice guy.

Awww reading this brings back some wonderful & stirring memories

With thanks to AR for finding this - ADWD on the tubular website:-

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Graham's sarky narration was hilarious!

GRAHAM narration) He could be Joseph

CONTESTANT: I can't believe it!

GRAHAM narration) Neither can we!

Great memories...and with a lot of hard work and dedication to his craft, just look what has happened to Lee since!
Thanks for the 'link' Jo

I love the audition eps - blimey, Lee was so good! It's just a pity that we didn't get to see more of Lee in action at Joseph School! I'd love to have seen his performance in front of the judges, Jason Donovan and ALW! I wonder what he sang?

When they did the 'shoulder tap of doom' thing, you could really hear Lee's voice at the end - everyone else had stopped and he held on that last note!

I loved Lee's reaction to being told "You could be Joseph!" The poor lad was in shock! I noticed that he was wearing the black shirt again in that scene, so he was looking all dark and intense!

7 years ago this weekend, it was the quarter final stage of ADWD, and we got this classic duet (and VTs):-

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I always assumed that Josh could only hear the boys from his 'secret room', but a couple of comments he makes suggest that he could also see them. Interesting.

Great memory - and I wonder how many people have discovered Lee through this video on YouTube? I personally know of several.

Has anyone checked out the ADWD page on the website? Sunny-mead did an amazing job with photo carousels and video clips. Really recalls all the excitement of that time. It's in the About Lee section.

I was just trying to google some information on what some of the ADWD boys are doing now, and stumbled across this, from 2010.

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As Lee would say...Oh dear! Some people should really engage their brains before tweeting!

7 years ago this weekend, we sat down to watch the ADWD Semi-final (and prayed that the Great British Public would make the right decision)!

First was Lee's solo song - probably the most complex of the solo songs performed by the Semi-finalists:-

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Lee certainly wasn't given an easy ride, but he managed to deliver! He sounds so nervous (and posh! ) in his little post-performance chat with Graham.

Then the boys were paired up to sing a Musical Theatre song - Lee was paired with Lewis, and they sang 'Oh, What A Circus' from 'Evita':-

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Great stuff from Lee! A pity what he did was all but forgotten by the judges and ALW in their rush to praise Lewis!

The group song summed up how the boys (and us viewers) were feeling - 'Under Pressure':-

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Loving the way the breeze captures Lee's curls as he moved around! His was the only moveable hair - Lewis must have used half a dozen cans of hairspray on his!

Great stuff, johart!

I know we have said it before but every time I watch those clips I have the thought "a man among boys".

And Lee can wear a pair of jeans!

7 years ago this weekend, we were all glued to our TVs, desperately hoping that the boy who put the Sex into Essex would become Joseph!

We started with a song from the nine non-Joes and the three finalists:-

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Along with the choir - "they're like people, only smaller!"

Loving Graham with the coats!

Lee's first song was an Elvis number - 'Devil In Disguise':-

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He sounds so posh in the VT - it's like the more nervous he got, the posher his accent became!

Then we had the Majorca VT:-

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Topless Lee standing on the deck of a yacht and Lewis's tiny birthday cake!

Next, it was back to business, with the boys tackling Big Band songs. Lee blew everyone away with NYNY!:-

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Then, a chance to compare and contrast, when the three finalists sang 'Maria' from 'West Side Story':-

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Lee was absolutely stunning in that song! He looked exquisite and his voice was achingly beautiful! I remember thinking what a stunning Tony he'd be in WSS! *THUD*

Then, the phonelines were frozen and we found out which Joseph was about to be eliminated from the competition:-

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Loving Lee's reaction - I think that was the first time we saw Lee show any unguarded emotion.

Lewis sang CED, and Lee broke The Curse Of The Coat:-

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Then the main show finished and there was 50 minutes of 'Doctor Who' battling evil alien beings. Then we returned to ADWD where another evil alien being (aka ALW) was sitting on his golden throne, awaiting the final epic battle.

Firstly, the non-Joes (+Lewis) got a final chance to strut their stuff with a rousing rendition of 'The Boys Are Back In Town':-

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Loving the brief glimpse of Casey at 40 secs in!

Then both the remaining would-be Joes sang their favourite songs from the series. Mr Intense lived up to his nick-name with a dark and disturbing (and THUD-worthy) rendition of 'Paint It Black'!:-

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Then Lee and Keith sang a final duet - JCS!:-

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If anyone was in any doubt about who was the right man for the job (and I remember thinking he'd make a pretty good Judas in JCS as well!), this performance would have convinced them!

Then........the phone-lines were CLOSED!!! (and our stress levels went through the roof! )

The winner of last year's Casting Show, Connie Fisher, sang while the votes were counted, checked and whatever else they do with them:-

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Graham then stepped forward to deliver the result (with the now legendary 21 second pause):-

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Loving Lee's mum and dad hugging, while in the row behind, Casey is going "YEEEESSSSSSSS!!!"

A word also about Keith, who handled himself brilliantly! Well done to him, because that must have been hard!

Finally, our newley crowned (and coated) Joseph sang us out with a rousing rendition of ADWD:-

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That was such a lovely, happy end to the series. Everyone singing along together, and, of course, the stage invasion and hoisting of Lee onto shoulders (complete with chanting of "MEADY! MEADY!") while a bemused Graham quickly scuttled out of the way!

I just found the first part of the Majorca VT. Lee as James Bond *sigh*:-

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Oooooh! very nice indeed, Lee looked amazing, in that VT...
He was so 'grounded' with his reasons for wanting the part of Joseph too...
Lovely memories...
Thanks for the Link Jo

I'm always amused by the clip of the young guy and the over-pushy girlfriend who won't take 'no' for an answer. I was listening to it tonight and I thought "I'm sure that's part of 'Martin Guerre' but he's stopped before he gets to the good bit." Looked the lyrics up online, and yes it was. Would like to hear Lee singing that one.

That was funny! I wonder if they're still together?

I wonder what happened to the Irish lad (Nick?) who was filmed at his grandparents' house? I think he got as far as Joseph School.

I'd love to see Lee as Arnaud - imagine him doing this scene:-

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*THUD*

Oh yes, I should have put 'Martin Guerre' in quote marks because if I remember rightly the main character took on Martin's identity. (Do I have that right?) Mmmm, Ian Glen, and he's still gorgeous in Game of Thrones! But the thought of Lee performing that almost had me off my chair. Again.

Yes, Arnaud takes on Martin's identity.

I'd love to see Lee in a role that really shows off his dramatic, intense side. We saw hints of how good at that he could be in ADWD - 'I Don't Want To Talk About It', 'Bad Day', 'Paint It Black'...great stuff!

I totally agree there. Let's hope it happens one day.

I'm just doing a trawl of the tubular website and I came across this gem - a Lee fan vid with clips from the ADWD podcasts:-

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I love Lee's randomness, and his effortless beauty! No wonder he won ADWD!