On March 31st 2007, we settled down to watch a new TV casting show. ALW had found a Maria and now he was searching for a Joseph...and boy, did he find one!
But first of all, he had to audition 10,000 hopefuls. Now, I tend to dislike the audition stages of TV Talent Shows, but the Casting Shows got it right, keeping the auditions/callbacks/Joseph School/final cut to two episodes, rather than doing the X-Factor thing where they have about 6 or 7 weeks of audition eps! Also, everyone auditioning for the Casting Shows was talented - no joke acts and no-hopers wheeled on for us to laugh at.
Watching the audition eps back made me wonder what happened to some of those who auditioned but didn't end up in the final 12, e.g. the lad who was his mum's carer (Shaun?), the Irish lad who was filmed at home with his grandparents (Nick?) and the Gospel singer (Ezra). It's also interesting recognising faces who have since found success, e.g. Rhydian and Alister Brammer.
Thanks LC! I think I may be stuck on the ADWD page for some time!
Ooh, Lee's first audition - 'Why God?' I remember noticing that Lee's was the only one of those first auditions which was the full song!
The audition in front of ALW and TR is class! "It's a dark song!" and "Oh dear!" (in response to being told that TR was in the room) are high points, as is the performance itself!
Blimey, Lee really sounds posh in his auditions - no wonder they did that "He's a working class boy from Essex!" VT in week 2 of the live shows!
Maybe that was the only bit he knew! His girlfriend was scary - I wonder if they're still together?
Graham's narration was priceless - I love the bit after a guy had given a screechy rendition of 'Gethsemene' and was told he was through:-
SCREECHY GUY: I can't believe it!
GRAHAM: No, neither can we!
On April 7th 2007, the second of the audition eps aired. By now, the would-be Josephs had been whittled down to 50 and the next stage in the audition process was Joseph School. Not many sightings of the curly one, unfortunately, but there were a few tantalising glimpses.
Watching it back, I'd forgotten how tough it was - the eliminations were so tense! My favourite is the one where Barrowman walked around as the boys sang and tapped on the shoulders of those who were not Joseph!
Just to ratchet up the drama, they had the 'Gladiator' music playing during this sequence! I love the bit at the end of the sequence, when everyone is told to stop singing, and you can hear Lee holding onto that last note!
Incidentally, I've watched that sequence loads of times and I've yet to figure out where Lee was standing! He was obviously there (you can here his voice at the end), but I remember much discussion on Digital Spy about Lee being the 'Chosen One' and the proof being that he wasn't present in that elimination! Of course, this completely ignores that if he was the 'Chosen One', there would have been no reason for him to be absent - Barrowman just wouldn't have eliminated him! Duh! Also, he's present at the next elimination!
The final elimination (where the boys had to sit in a circle and, as their name was called, had to stand up and be told their fate) was unbelievably tense, and to make matters worse, Lee was left to nearly the end! No wonder he looked so worried! In fact, he had the same expression ( 
crossed with and 
) during each elimination announcement!
Just to make the boys feel even worse, they had Jason Donovan inflicted upon them! Now that was just cruel! Whenever I watch that clip, though, I find myself pondering the possibility of a ***ure TV search for a new Joseph, with the young auditionees getting a visit from 'Legendary Joseph' Lee Mead!
After Joseph School came the concert at ALW's castle. Now there were only 20 would-be Josephs left and they would be whittled down to 12 after the concert! The ballot box was fascinating. I wonder who were the most po****r Josephs with the audience?
I love Lee's reaction to getting through - he looks absolutely stunned!
I think, overall, it was a good final 12, but a couple of decisions baffled me. There was a gorgeous looking lad with an Irish accent (I think his name was Gianni?) He was in the red shirt group (singing 'Don't Stop Me Now') at the concert. I'd love to know why he didn't get through and Ben did!
>>I think, overall, it was a good final 12, but a couple of decisions baffled me. There was a gorgeous looking lad with an Irish accent (I think his name was Gianni?) He was in the red shirt group (singing 'Don't Stop Me Now') at the concert. I'd love to know why he didn't get through and Ben did!<<
I wondered that for several of the ones who made the final twelve, johartuk. Neither of the two Chris' made sense to me.
Lee does look like he was going to throw up at times, poor baby. If he was indeed the "Chosen One", someone had forgotten to tell him!
There were actually two lads in the red shirt group who I liked - Gianni (who is last to sing, but it cuts before his bit) and Simon Murphy (who sings first). When Alister Brammer is singing, Simon has a cheeky look on his face!
LINKY THING
I did a bit of googling, and it looks like both Gianni and Simon ended up in the Joseph Tour (as brothers) after ADWD, but I'm not sure if it was at the same time.
I was thinking that if they ever did get round to officially releasing ADWD on DVD, it would be great to have the whole concert included. It would be interesting to see all the top 20 in action. Also, did they just sing the songs we saw in the clip or were there others? I felt sorry for the 'Patience' group. I don't mind the song, but it's a bit dreary compared to some of the others! That being said, 3 of the four 'Patience' singers (Lee, Daniel and Ben) got through to the final 12, so they must have done a good job of it (and presumably, they had solo bits in the song which we didn't see).
The other thing I'd like to see is the performances at Joseph School in front of ALW, the judges and Jason Donovan. I'd love to know what Lee sang and how he did.
Quote johartuk
"Incidentally, I've watched that sequence loads of times and I've yet to figure out where Lee was standing! He was obviously there (you can here his voice at the end)"
I think I have been studying Lee to much this last year doing all the screen caps I can spot him even out or focus 
He was there 
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Aaah, thanks sunny-mead! He's looking very intense and focused there!
I have to admit that I may have been one of those people that saw Lee's slick performance of 'Mack The Knife' and thought "what a ****y little sod".
Before I get hung drawn & quartered. In my defence I had always disliked these type of talent shows and after seeing an amateur performance of Joseph I swore that I would never see that show again
It was my OH that wanted to watch the programme & he picked out Lee as the winner right away.
After seeing Lee the next week it was obvious that what I thought was arrogance was just really good acting skills.
Oh yes I changed my mind about seeing Joseph as well.
Well I had to make amends for my initial mistake didn't I?
It says a lot for Lee's acting ability that his 'arrogant git' persona in MTK was so convincing! From the moment he turned to face the camera at the top of the stairs to the moment he lowered his head at the end (not forgetting the tapping down the stairs to the rhythm of the song), he was oozing confidence and a "I'm the dog's whatsits!" vibe! The contrast between that and his obvious nervousness when chatting to Graham/listening to the judges' feedback was startling!
ALW's face at the end of the song made me laugh - you could almost see the pound signs in his eyes!
Same here! I think that was the week when it became apparent that Lee was really something special!
On 21 April 2007, we settled down to watch the second live ADWD show. Another Joseph was going to be stripped of his coat and I'm guessing that, by now, we were all hoping against hope that it wouldn't be Lee!
Last week, Baby Joseph was voted off - this week, Geriatric Joseph (Jess Conrad, who pla*** Joseph 'way, way back, many years ago') was in the audience. Maybe he was hoping to play the role again!
The theme this week was acting...which some of the Josephs handled better than others!
I think that whoever chose the songs was having a laugh - Craig got a song about going home, Johndeep sang 'Something's Coming' (elimination as it turned out), Chris B got 'I'll Be There' (in the bottom two as it turned out), 18 year old Ben got a song that started with the line 'When I was young...' and Lee was given a song called 'Bad Day' (though fortunately, it wasn't)!
It was definitely a case of saving the best 'til last, with Lee being the final contestant to perform. Firstly there was a VT in which the shocking truth was revealed about Mr Mead...he was (Shock! Horror!) from a working class background! His mum and dad spoke about how hard he'd had to work when he was in college and we saw some cute pics of Lee as a little boy.
Then came the performance - a real masterclass in acting and stunning vocals! Plus he got to kiss the girl at the end! He really was in a different league to the others!
In the results show, the boys performed 'Pinball Wizard', and once again, Lee stood out!
There was a mission with McFly (whenever I watch that clip, I have an urge to slap Lewis for hogging the microphone! )
Thankfully, Lee wasn't in the bottom two and we could all breathe a sigh of relief!
Yes, that did seem strange. I thought he would have asked to watch the film (I'm sure they could have obtained a DVD for him, or he could have obtained one himself). It surprised me that, as someone who'd studied Performing Arts to degree level, he hadn't seen one of the most famous musicals (either on stage or on video/DVD).
One thing that slightly disappointed me was that all the other boys had clips of them rehearsing with ALW in their VTs, but there wasn't a clip of Lee's ALW rehearsal. It would have been fascinating to see that.
I did wonder if Daniel disagreeing with ALW in their rehearsals was what made ALW decide that he wasn't Joseph? I suspect that ALW wanted someone who was slightly less outspoken - Lee knows his own mind, but he had the common sense to keep his mouth shut! That said, I agreed with Daniel and he was polite about it.
Incidentally, there's currently an Elite Singles advert on TV (basically, a dating website for snobs! ), with a man called Daniel - the first time I saw it I thought it was Daniel Boys!
On 28th April 2007 we all settled down to watch show 3, and just to ratchet up the tension, TWO Josephs were leaving the building!
After a bouncy rendition by the Josephs of 'Go Go Go Joseph' (the song choosing bods were evidently having fun again this week ), it was on with the show.
ALW was 'Angry Lloyd Webber' after last week's bottom two!
This week's theme was pop songs by male artists!
It was the first appearance of Lewis' Nana Jean! It was also the first appearance of Lewis' mum flailing about in the audience! I have a strong dislike of pushy stage parents!
This was the week of Antony 'howling wolves in from Alaska'. I felt sorry for him - it takes a long time to learn how to sing confidently in falsetto, and some singers are never able to master it. Antony's voice also seemed at the lower end of the tenor range to me, which would have added to the difficulty in hitting the high notes.
Lee and Daniel were paired up, with the ADWD production bods obviously trying to concoct a rivalry between them. Unfortunately, Lee and Daniel were lovely lads, so it sort of fell flat. The most aggressive thing Daniel could muster up to say was:-
"The panel adore him...I'm slightly threatened by that!"
Both gave great performances, but Lee was just mesmerising - this was honestly one of the few TV talent show performances which left me with a lump in my throat, and I knew from that point that he was special!
Interesting comments from Barrowman about Keith's diction ("It's not about being Scottish, it's about clarity of words!") - there's currently a TV ad for Villas/Homes in Portugal, and the man starring in the ad is clearly the owner/manager of the company (he wasn't chosen to do it for his acting skills! ). He's Scottish and his accent is incredibly strong, to the point of being really difficult to understand (and I normally have no problem understanding Scottish accents). Whenever I see the ad, I think of Barrowman's comments about Keith's diction!
Memo to Craig - orange skin and pink lipgloss is not a good look!
The first sing-off was between Antony and Craig. Personally, I thought that Antony had a much more interesting voice and I'd have saved him. Unfortunately, he was the losing Joseph.
Then it was onto the results show (and another Joseph eviction).
The boys went to see WWRY during the week. Ooh, Lee would make a fab Galileo!
Then, the boys sang a Queen song (One Vision) and Lee gave it some welly!
The Loincloth Mission - I found this one really irritating! Getting the Josephs to sing in Loincloths is fine. The whole 'singing in front of their mothers' thing isn't - that just came across as a gimmick for TV! Plus, they spent too long on those who failed the mission - I'd rather they'd spent more time showing those who did well - and 6 of the 10 (Daniel, Lee, Ben, Antony, Rob and Craig) passed the test with flying colours! So why we had ALW banging on about the Josephs being weaker than the Marias, I have no idea!
Then came the second lot of results. Ben and Seamus were the bottom two and had to sing 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' (interesting fact - Lee was in the mock sing-off during rehearsals and sang this song!). Again, my opinion was at odds with ALW's - I'd have saved Seamus over Ben.
In the farewell song, Seamus caused a stir by changing the final line to "I have been promised a show of my own!"
Love the walk down memory lane, johartuk - and I agree about Antony. I was so embarrassed for him during his performance, but I still thought he had more potential than Craig.
Seamus was just soooooo full of himself, wasn't he? Perhaps he would have gotten a lot further if he an iota of humility. 
On 4th May, we all settled down in front of our TVs for episode 4. There had been murmurings in the media about Lee being ill during the week. Would he be able to perform on the night?
I was feeling lousy that night (I think I had the same thing Lee had - whatever it was, it was nasty), so I empathised with Lee!
In the opening number (Pharoah's Song), there was no sign of Lee's illness - he did a brilliant Elvis impersonation for his bit of the song!
'Phantom Lloyd Webber' appeared to be wearing a shirt made of a 70s sofa cover!
According to ALW "It's not a singing competition"...so that explains why Ben was still in the competition!
Loved Lee's comment in the 'Josephs slagging each other off VT' - "I don't know how the other guys perceive me, but I don't care!"
This week's theme was 'Po****r songs from the past 40 years', so not a vague theme at all!
First up was Ben, murder...er...singing 'Addicted To Love'! Just as well it wasn't a singing competition!
Then Craig singing 'Oh What A Night!'...which didn't sound at all cabaret! Though at least it was in tune!
Hang on a minuite...Zoe didn't have a go at Ben for his numerous bum notes (having just relistened to his performance with headphones, there were definitely more than two bum notes!).
Next came Lee. Aww, that coughing in the VT! The poor lad was ill! Was this the first time we saw Lee wearing glasses?
Lee's vocals were clearly affected by his illness. That said, he was better than Ben, and still gave his all! There were no problems with the performance side of things.
Keith was next. He was given a really easy song to sing, so it was no surprise that he aced it! It certainly didn't push him or challenge him.
Denise anno*** me. "You shouted all the way through that!" Yes, because it's a rock song!
As for Zoe - "That was a bit rubbish!" Very constructive! NOT! 
Blimey, the look on Casey's face when Zoe said that - he looked like he was a whisker away from leaping onto the stage to defend his brother!
Next was Lewis and Rob.
Lewis was singing 'Dancing In The Moonlight'. A patchy performance.
Rob sang 'Back For Good'. It was a good performance. Not the easiest song to sing but he did well.
Finally, it was Chris and Daniel.
Chris sang 'All Night Long' - a really odd song choice. It did nothing for his voice, which was a shame. He also looked alarmingly orange, but that could have been the lighting!
Daniel sang 'It's All About You' - a lovely performance, but why give him that song if they wanted to see another side to him?
After a break for everyone to get their breath back, it was on with the results show, which was even more tense than normal, thanks to Bitrubbishgate!
Lee in the recap - "It's her opinion, I'll take it on board and see if I can not be rubbish next week if I'm still here!" Aww, his sad little face!
Meatloaf may be as mad as a box of frogs, but he gave some sound advice in his little chat with Graham.
The boys sang 'Dead Ringer For Love' as a group song. Lee sounded fab!
Bill Kenwright circa 1972! Priceless!
This week's mission involving clambering up the barricade at Les Mis! Just what poor Lee needed when he was suffering from the lurgy! That being said, he looked lovely clambering up the barricade!
After a song from Meatloaf, it was time for the results. When the judges were asked who they thought wasn't Joseph tonight, Both Denise and Bill K said Rob (Why? He performed well!), Barrowman said Lewis (good call) and Zoe said Lee! What? Ben and Lewis were easily worse!
Thankfully, Lee was safely through, and it was Chris B and Craig who faced the sing-off.
Chris and Craig 'The Long & Winding Road' and both did a decent job, but I preferred Chris' voice.
ALW saved Craig. Personally, I'd have saved Chris based on the sing-off.
I think after sitting through a rewatch of all that, the burning question is - what on earth was up with Zoe? She seemed to be operating on double standards - overlooking glaring faults from some of the others, while slating Lee! There was something almost personal about it. Poor Lee looked completely baffled, bless him.
I wonder if Zoe's behaviour in that episode sealed her fate re: being on the panel in ***ure shows? When it came to 'I'd Do Anything', Zoe wasn't offered a place on the panel, which was odd, especially as both Barrowman and Denise were. I thought it was a shame, because Zoe was normally pretty constructive, and she certainly would have been a better choice than Barry Humphries!
In the aftermath of this ep, there was a story in one of the tabloids, which claimed that Lee threw a monumental strop and stormed out of the studio (after declaring "I'm sick of ADWD!"), leaving the ADWD bods panicking! As usual, it was tabloid exaggeration - Lee went home to his mum and dad because he was feeling rough, and he wanted a good night's sleep and some parental comfort. The following day, he returned to the Joseph house. But obviously, that doesn't sell papers, so they went with 'Lee Has A Massive Strop And Storms Out Of The Studio!"
Possibly. Though if that was their game, it very nearly blew up spectacularly in their faces. They certainly made a point of apologising to Lee the following week!
After last week's trauma, it was onwards and (hopefully) upwards to live ep 5, which was shorter than usual (both performances and results/sing-off crammed into one show, due to Eurovision being on)!
The ep began with a lively rendition of 'One More Angel In Heaven' from 'Joseph', by the remaining 7.
All the Josephs were singing songs that took them out of their comfort zone (slightly worrying then, that Musical Theatre was considered outside Craig's comfort zone!)
First up was Rob with 'Born To Run'. OK performance, but I find it hard to take that song seriously since Peter Kay used it in his TV talent show spoof 'Britain's Got The Pop Factor...'
Then it was Daniel's turn with 'Maggie May'. He seemed to be going OTT with the aggressiveness - I had no idea that 'Maggie May' was about a psychopathic stalker!
Next were Lee and Lewis. Poor Lee talked in his VT about being stressed! Though we did get a nice topless shot!
Lewis' mum! Stage Mother alert!
Lewis sang 'I'm A Believer'. It was OK, but a bit...bland. Though his mum did her best to liven things up by behaving like a teenybopper in the audience...which, considering that the person performing on-stage was her son, seemed a bit creepy!
Lee sang 'Leave Right Now'. He looked divine - that boy was born to wear a waistcoat! His performance was sublime, and, quite frankly, in a different league to everyone else!
Nice to see Zoe being asked to explain last week's comment about Lee!
Craig was the next to perform, singing 'This Is The Moment'. He performed it competently, but it lacked real passion. Craig had a pleasant enough voice, but he lacked depth in his performances.
I'd love to have seen what Lee could have done with 'This Is The Moment'!
The final two performers were Ben and Keith.
Ben sang 'Help Yourself'. Probably his best performance to date, but he still sounded like he was straining.
Keith sang 'Always On My Mind'. Beautifully sung, but the acting side was lacking. It seemed to be all belted at full volume, with no attempt at subtlety.
The boys then sang 'You've Got Me' as a group number. Lee stood out as usual!
This week's mission was Acting (a real challenge for some of the boys!).
Lewis - "Do you like hospital food?"
Ben (to Lee, who stared unblinkingly at him with those enormous dark eyes) - "What I don't like is the fact that you think you've won!"
I would love to know what Lee said to Ben in response!
"GUARDS! SEIZE HIM!" Ooh, I love angry Lee!
When the panel were asked "Who isn't Joseph?" Barrowman, DVO and Kenwright all said Rob, while Zoe said Daniel!
Then the results were announced. Lee was safely through! Though Graham did leave it right to the end to tell him!
The bottom two were Lewis and Rob.
They had to sing 'Tell Me It's Not True' from 'Blood Brothers'.
ALW saved Lewis.
I thought Rob had a much better voice than Lewis - there was a real warmth to it and it suited this song perfectly. Lewis was OK, but his voice was thin and he fluffed a couple of words. I'd have saved Rob.
I get the impression that ALW didn't want Rob as his leading man, so no matter what he did, he was always going to be criticised and booted off as soon as he ended up in the bottom two.
Rob behaved with dignity and showed what a decent bloke he was by thanking ALW/the panel, before heading off to sing the farewell song.
Thanks to the Timeline for reminding me that Lee was New magazine's 'Guy Candy' this week in 2007!
LINKY THING
Love Zoe Tyle's incisive comment!
I'm enjoying reading your ADWD reviews Johartuk - brings back many memories!
I think the 'Leave Right Now' outfit was my favourite look for Lee during the series although the 'Paint It Black' t-shirt and jeans rock star look also had much to commend it .
Can't wait to read all about PIB week again
Yes, the Leave Right Now and PIB outfits were great!
On 19th May 2007, it was live show 6 of ADWD. We were down to 6 would-be Josephs.
The show started with a spirited group performance of 'Go Go Go Joseph'.
This week's theme was songs with colours in the title.
ALW reckoned 4 of the 6 boys left could be Joseph (I'm guessing that Daniel and Keith were the two he didn't think could be Joseph, but who knows?)
Keith was up first. He used to keep double scanning things because he was too busy talking to his girlfriend on the next till. I'm sure the customers appreciated that...NOT!
'Any Mum Will Do' - was ALW aiming that comment at Lewis' mum?
Keith sang 'Brown E*** Girl'. Keith has a great voice, but his vocal was too mannered. It needed to be more laid-back.
Keith as a Liza Minelli look-alike!
Next up was Lewis, performing 'The Rose'. A pretty good vocal, but as with Keith, too mannered. The song is raw and powerful and isn't supposed to be sung in such a bland way.
The clip of Lewis as a little boy dancing. Why doesn't it surprise me that he was dancing when he was tiny?
Third in the running order was Ben, singing 'Blue Suede Shoes'. It was an energetic performance, but he still sounded a bit strained.
After these three performances, it was time for the first trio performance of the night. These were good because (as Graham said), they allowed us to compare and contrast the boys' performing ability.
Keith, Lewis and Ben sang 'That's Life'. It was a bit of an odd song for three teenagers to sing, but they all did well.
Then it was back to the solos, with Craig next up, singing 'Black Or White'. I wonder if Lee helped him with the performance side of this because there were a few Lee-esque gestures and mannerisms. The vocal was good, but he didn't have the naturalness in his movement or in his acting. He was still learning how to be a musical theatre performer, which was worrying, considering there were only three weeks until the final, and only another three weeks until the first preview of Joseph!
Daniel was the penultimate performer. His VT was really odd - the whole 'going back to his old job to do the filing' was strange (and didn't do the company any favours - had they really left the filing lying around for a couple of months?)
Daniel performed 'Evergreen'. I thought this was a really good performance, the second best of the night, IMO. ALW's comment about people not wanting to watch Daniel on stage for 2 hours was bizarre!
The final performer of the evening was Lee. His VT was hilarious, and everyone came out of it well. I suspect it was designed to show that a) Lee was human and b) he had a sense of humour!
Lee performed 'Paint It Black'. Everything about the performance was on point. He looked stunning (the tight black t-shirt, jeans and metal studded belt combo was a real 'Rock God' look!) and, from the moment he stared into the camera lens with those enormous dark eyes, it was clear that he was in a totally different league to the others. He was mesmeric!
Phew! After that, Craig, Daniel and Lee performed 'Don't Rain On My Parade'. I think this showed how much more experienced and polished both Lee and Daniel were. It was just a shame that the judges then spent the whole time praising Craig!
Then it was onto the results show.
The clip of ALW with Suzie Quattro!
This week's mission involved seducing DVO. As with the loincloth mission a few weeks ago, it was complete nonsense! Mrs Potiphar attempted to seduce Joseph, not the other way round! It would have made much more sense for them to have acted out the Mrs Potiphar scene - which requires comic timing and acting ability! Instead, they were lumbered with this daft mission.
Then there was a group song by the Josephs - 'She Loves Me' by the Beatles. Lee and Ben worked well together in this! Lee looked sharp in his black suit!
Next, while the votes were being counted and verified, came a lovely performance from Leon Cooke, performing 'Electricity' from 'Billy Elliot'.
Then, the results were announced. The two in the sing-off were Daniel and Lewis!
Daniel and Lewis had to sing 'Bring Him Home' as their sing-off song. Daniel completely outsang Lewis, who was really too young to 'get' the song, but it was Lewis who ALW chose to save!
Finally, it was the farewell song. As expected, Daniel gave a great performance!
I think that, as with last week, ALW didn't want Daniel as his Joseph, so no matter what Daniel did in the sing-off, he was going to be ditched!
I really don't get what ALW saw in Lewis (beyond him having the blonde Joseph look, which I never liked anyway - Joseph would have been dark haired and olive or dark skinned, not blonde haired and orange skinned! ).
Incidentally, a couple of things I read on message boards, which made me laugh:-
Someone posted that Lee was a 'control freak', because he had stuck name stickers on his packs of steak! Which overlooks the fact that, in shared accommodation, people do tend to label their food items, particularly the more expensive ones!
Someone posted that someone had told them that the Joseph cast were already rehearsing with one of the Josephs (no name was given)! Which is hilarious, given how full-on the ADWD schedule was! The most likely explanation for this rumour would be that the Joseph cast were already rehearsing, with one or both of the understudies playing Joseph!
This week was week 7 of the live shows - the Quarter Final! With just 5 would-be Josephs left, it was all to play for.
The show started with a rendition of 'Pharoah's Story' by the 5 would-be Joes. Lee's voice really stood out!
Tonight's theme was aspects of Joseph's character.
First up was Lee with DREAMING. In his VT, he spoke about his nan, who died earlier in the year.
Lee sang 'Daydream Believer'. It was a complete contrast to last week's intense performance of PIB. Well performed, energetic (the run up the stairs and straight into the chorus was amazing - if I tried that, I'd end up an exhausted heap half way up the stairs! )
Next up was Ben with VULNERABILITY. In his VT, he swam with sharks in the London Aquarium. If I remember correctly (from my trip to the LA), the sharks are harmless Nurse sharks!
Ben sang 'Crying'. It was a really tough song, and he tried his best, but he didn't have Roy Orbison's vocal range (very few people do, to be fair), so he kept moving between octaves, which sounded odd.
Next was Craig with BETRAYAL. Some nice clip of Lee in his VT!
Craig sang 'Su****ious Minds'. It was probably his best vocal performance to date, but while it was nicely sung, I didn't get the sense of someone who'd experienced betrayal. Once again, though, I sensed a few Lee-isms in his mannerisms. Had Lee been helping him again?
Next was Lewis with COURAGE.
Lewis sang 'Hero'. Not a song I particularly like - it screams 'cheesy ballad' to me. The situation wasn't helped by the white suit and t-shirt - he looked like a giant cotton bud! His vocal performance was good, but a bit bland.
Josh Groban VT. Who would he choose to sing with him? Oh dear, I don't think "I LOVE YOU! I HAVE ALL YOUR ALBUMS!" was the right approach when being introduced to Josh!
Finally, we had Keith, with ARROGANCE. Blimey, that VT didn't do him any favours!
Keith sang 'Let Me Entertain You'. Again, a strong vocal performance, but lacking in stage presence and performance. ALW's face when he removed the jacket ---> That makes me every time I see it!
'Hard Work' VT - Lee in his tiny underpants! Incidentally, he sounded really posh! Mr Darcy!
Group song - 'Do You Love Me'. Great stuff! My favourite group song - lots of fun and Lee 'doing the twist' was truly a sight to behold!
Then, it was onto the results show!
The Curse Of The Coat! That was a bit weird!
This weeks mission was 'Heights'! Lee in a vest! Lewis shouting - "Naaannnnnaaaaaaaaa!"
Group song 'Born To Be Wild'. Once again, Lee stood out!
Then, we found out who Josh Groban chose to sing with him! This VT was priceless! It was like an exercise in positive/negative editing! What made it worse (for the others) was how gracious and thankful Lee was! ALW didn't help matters when he announced that the other boys would be backing singers!
Josh & Lee sang 'You Raise Me Up'. It was an exquisite performance - Josh chose well!
Graham had a brief chat with Lee's parents, who were lovely.
Then came the results. Lee was safely through. The bottom two were Ben and Craig.
The sing-off song was 'I Made It Through The Rain'.
Craig's vocal was less forced and sweeter, so I think I would have saved him over Ben.
ALW saved Ben. Presumably because he knew that Ben was cannon fodder.
Then, Craig performed the farewell song. Lee's voice rang out above the other 'still could-be Joes'.
Oh my gosh! You have me literally laughing out loud at the mental image of ALW's face.
I agree that he just didn't want Daniel - and truthfully, Daniel was not right for the part. I think ALW took his first opportunity to eliminate Daniel and his really good voice to make the way clear for Lee, who was PERFECT from day one.
Thanks for doing this, johartuk. Love it. 
ALW's facial expressions were priceless! Often he'd pull negative faces like this --->
or this ---> only to praise the performance he'd just seen! He'd also do the opposite, looking like this ---> or this --->
, only to criticise the performance. His face was very confusing!
Comedy duo French & Saunders did a hilarious ADWD sketch in which ALW's facial expressions were featured:-
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The Joseph (pla*** by Jennifer Saunders) was almost certainly supposed to be Lewis, though she was wearing Rob's coat!
On 1st June 2007, the four semi-finalists (and judge Zoe Tyler) appeared on BBC Breakfast:-
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I loved Lee's response to the question "How are you all feeling?" (Lee = "Tired!")
Hmm, so Zoe wouldn't have chosen the same final four! I'm guessing that she'd have preferred to have Daniel in the final over Lewis or Ben?
Oops, they showed the boys' reaction to Lee being chosen to sing with Josh Groban! Hopefully, they learned a valuable lesson from that - Be careful what you say when there's a TV camera in the vicinity!
On June 2nd, we all sat down to watch the ADWD Semi-final. There were just four would-be Josephs left in the competition - Lee, Keith, Lewis and Ben.
The show got off to a resounding start with an energetic rendition of 'Joseph's Coat'.
Lee's jeans were a very snug fit!
ALW said he'd be 'just about' happy with any of the final 4 as Joseph. Hmmm!
First up was Keith, with 'Could It Be Magic'. As always, good vocally, but lacking in other areas of his performance.
Next up was Ben with 'Ease On Down The Road'. Not a great vocal performance - pitchy in places.
Ben's attitude left a bit to be desired. I honestly think that his gobbing off to the judges was his undoing. There's only so much of that kind of thing that the public will put up with.
900 school choirs entered the choir competition - I didn't think there were that many schools in the country!
Next, Keith and Ben sang their duet - 'Only You' from 'Starlight Express'
Ben still sounded a bit strained and shouted a bit, but they both did a decent job.
Lewis was next up with 'Sweet Caroline'. It was a really bizarre song choice for him, but quite a good performance.
JB's question - "Are you here for the role of Joseph or the fame?" was interesting. Though it was also a bit daft because I doubt he (or anyone else) would be daft enough to say "I'm here for the fame!"
JB was also a bit hypocritical - on the one hand he said that Ben would be OK because he had 5 weeks to rehe****, but on the other, he said that Lewis didn't have time to prepare to be Joseph!
Last up was Lee. He looked divine in his VT, and we saw, for the first time, some emotion from him. You could tell how much he wanted the role.
Lee sang 'Livin On A Prayer'. A really hard song - he was basically narrating a story about two people. He did well, his performance was good, and he covered the mistake he made (which I didn't realise until Zoe mentioned it!).
Next we had Lewis and Lee singing 'Oh What A Circus!' Lee was phenomenal - he looked the part and he sang and acted it perfectly. I found Lewis' performance very stiff and mannered. It also seemed rather camp!
Onto the Results Show.
Denise aged 13 - cute!
Graham then had a Q & A with the boys. Lee in that t-shirt! Mmmmmm! Blimey, he sounds posh!
Next was a a group song - 'Under Pressure'. I think this song sums up how all the boys were feeling at that point.
A visit to 'Lord Of The Rings'. Interesting response from the actor playing Sauraman to the question about how he'd feel about a TV talent show winner coming into the show.
Results. Lee was safely through. Though he looked emotional. Bless!
The bottom two were Lewis and Ben.
They sang 'I Dreamed A Dream' from 'Les Mis', and it was a pretty strong sing-off.
ALW saved Lewis. I'd agree with this. Ben's vocals were patchy throughout the series and he did seem to struggle taking criticism.
Then it was time for the farewell song. You could really hear Lee in the 'group' bits!
At the end, Lewis and Keith took the coat. So Lee had managed to avoid touching any of the coats! I wonder how the coat removers were chosen each week? I know one was the saved person from that week's bottom two, but how did they choose the other...and how did Lee manage to avoid being chosen?
On May 7th, the three ADWD fnalists appeared on Blue Peter for a brief chat, followed by a rendition of ADWD.
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On June 8th 2007, the three ADWD finalists appeared on BBC Breakfast with last year's HDYSAPLM winner, Connie Fisher:-
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I think Connie was a Lee fan!
Also, there was a podcast where all three finalists spoke about why they should be Joseph:-
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Posh sounding, slightly dishevelled Lee! *THUD*
On June 9th, we all sat down to watch the ADWD final, with phones at the ready! We were about to cast a new West End Star!
Graham was dressed in a gold suit and red shirt, which appeared to be made of Quality Street wrappers!
The show started with a rousing rendition of 'Go Go Go Joseph', with the three finalists and the 9 'Non-Joes'. Nice to see them all again!
Graham collecting the coats!
The choir - "They're like people, only smaller!"
Lee got the biggest cheer when Graham announced their names.
ALW appeared to be dressed as a stick of rock!
The Finalists in James Bond mode!
God, Lewis' laugh is annoying!
Lee looks so beautiful perched on a rock! *THUD*
The first performer of the night was Lewis. Lots of crying (and Nana Jean) in his VT! He was singing 'Kiss'. Good performance, and his movement seemed much more natural.
Bill K - "You've become a man...good boy!"
Next up was Keith. He worked in a supermarket...which had never been mentioned before...! Keith sang 'For Once In My Life'. His voice wasn't 100% (due to illness), which showed up other deficiencies in his overall performance, which normally wouldn't have stood out so much.
ALW - "Keith could go from Tesco to Tosca!" Wasn't Tosca a woman?
Finally, it was Lee's turn. Lots of lovely moments in his VT! Lee sang 'Devil In Disguise'. Bouncy and sexy! He really knew how to work that camera!
Blimey, lots of cheering for Lee - lots of stampy fans!
Zoe - "You're stunning!"
Interesting that ALW asked Lee why he made a slight mistake - I suspect that he wanted to see if Lee knew why, and he did!
VT of th Josephs visiting ALW in his house in Mallorca!
Ooh, brief shot of topless Lee!
Wise advice for all three boys.
Lewis' tiny birthday cake!
The finalists all sang big band songs.
First up was Lewis with 'Beyond The Sea'. An OK performance.
Next was Keith with 'Moondance'. Strong and slick vocal performance.
Finally, Lee performed 'New York, New York'. Blimey, that was awesome! It was all there - the voice, the movement and the swagger! Though I had no idea that shoes could melt!
GRAHAM: Someone sitting at home, why should they dial 03?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Because he's gorgeous!
I'm still waiting to hear 'Torquay, Torquay'!
The three finalists then sang 'Maria' from 'West Side Story'. Lee really stood out - he'd make a fabulous Tony!
The Phone Lines were then frozen!
While the votes were counted, verified and whatever else they did with them, there was a lovely performance of 'The Sound Of Music' by Connie Fisher.
Then, the results were announced. Lee was safely though (though he nearly did himself a damage leaping from the stairs!
The third placed Joseph was Lewis.
After a little farewell speech, he sang 'Close Every Door' with the remaining two Josephs and the choir.
Lee finally touched the coat! But he gently folded it. Did he just break the curse?
Then we all went off for a break (and to send the phone lines into melt-down!), before returning for the results show!
Lee and Keith reprised their favourite songs from the series.
Keith sang 'Always On My Mind'. Well sung, but lacking in the acting side of things.
Lee sang 'Paint It Black'. He managed to do it as well as he did the first time around! Dark, intense, mesmerising!
Then Graham had a chat with the mums. Lee's mum was lovely!
The Non-Joes did a group song - 'The Boys Are Back In Town'. Great fun and lovely to see them all again!
Then, Keith and Lee sang 'Jesus Christ, Superstar'. This really was a classic case of 'compare and contrast'. Lee was just mesmeric! Even when he was just moving to the music while Keith sang! Also, I loved the high note at the end!
Finally, it was onto the results. It was all very tense, not helped by the 21 second pause before Graham announced that Lee was Joseph! Yay!
Aww, Lee's mum and dad embracing...and Casey going "YEEEEESSSSSSSSS!"!
Keith was a real star at the end - taking it well and supporting Lee!
After a few words from Lee, Graham sent him off to get the Winner's coat. Then it was time for the West End's new Joseph to sing us out with a rousing rendition of ADWD! I loved this! Everyone was singing along and it was a lovely way to end the show!
The moment at the end, when the Non-Joes stormed the stage and hoisted Lee onto their shoulders (with cries of "Meady! Meady!") was fab! You could tell how well-liked Lee was!
Really enjo*** your look back at the big final Jo - great memories!
I thought it had the happiest ending of all the casting shows as all the contestants really seemed to be genuinely pleased for Lee - as pointed out, Keith was very sweet in defeat and went up massively in my estimation. I'm glad that he (and Daniel) have gone on to have steady careers in the business.
I must dig out my ancient tapes for a proper re-watch sometime
I remember the feeling of absolute joy and euphoria when Lee won ... followed by "what on earth am I going to do on Saturday nights now?"
Then I bought my first ticket to Joseph and the rest is history!
Thanks Jo. I loved re-living the final all over again. Those seconds before Graham announced the winner, thinking surely it must be Lee, then the thrill of knowing that it WAS Lee. 
On 1st July 2007, ADWD winner Lee walked out onto the stage at Wembley...yes, WEMBLEY! The event was the Concert For Diana, and Lee joined legendary Josephs Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond for a performance of ADWD!
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Lee totally nailed it! Though Jason Donovan looked as though he was going to explode with the exertion of holding onto that looooooooooooooooooooong note at the end!
Thank you for that, johartuk.
I love that portion of "Winner's Story" and was particularly struck by how kind and supportive Donny Osmond was. He had no problem giving up his coat (and loincloth) to Lee. Jason Donovan, on the other hand, hmmmmm. Maybe it was the editing. 
Also, Lee was just so adorable - really seemed a bit overwhelmed - and then totally nailed it. Wow.
