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Is It Really 9 Years.......???

On the 31st of March 2007, the first audition ep of 'Any Dream Will Do' aired. Amongst the auditionees was a young man wearing a shirt as black as his curls, who told us he was going to sing 'Anthem' as his audition piece, and that it was a 'dark song'.

LINKY THING

He was an odd (and intriguing) mix of intense and endearing (as his nervous giggle on realising that Sir Tim Rice was in the room illustrated).

His call-back audition (wearing the same black shirt and jeans) showed him being that same combination of intense and endearing, while speaking with the kind of accent that Mr Darcy (who he somewhat resembled) would have been proud of! I was gobsmacked when it emerged later on that he was actually a working class Essex Boy!

LINKY THING

Notable at the call-back audition was Graham Norton's exhibition of psychic powers!

Re: Is It Really 9 Years.......???

He was so young!!!

Well, weren't we all. YoungER, anyway.

He has mentioned possibly doing something special for the 10th anniversary next year. I hope that works out - it was life changing for him and for all of us, wasn't it?

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It seems that Denise marked him with her lipstick from that date.

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Oh such lovely memories
A 10th anniversary gig would be such good fun.

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A 10th Anniversary TV special of some kind would be fab! Maybe something along the lines of the West End Story do***entary, though it would also be nice to see them all perform.

Back to the ADWD memories - 9 years ago on April 7th, we sat down to watch the second audition ep. This time, it was Joseph School, where the final 50 (actually 52 if memory serves, because they had a couple of extras, who had stormed ALW's office to demand a second chance ) were whittled down to 20. The Joseph School part of the ep was fascinating - even watching it all these years later, the scenes where the boys are being whittled down are still unbelievably tense! My one issue with Joseph School is that we only had a few tantalising glimpses of 'The Chosen One'...er...Lee. I'd love to have seen his song for the Judges and Jason Donovan, for example.

After Joseph School, the remaining 20 boys were flown to ALW's castle in Ireland for the final elimination stage - a concert, after which 12 of the 20 boys would be chosen to go through to the live shows. We had a brief glimpse of the concert, then the decision was down to ALW, the judges and the results of the theatre audience poll (I'd love to know who was top and where those who made the live shows came - they must all have done pretty well).

The concert VT:-

LINKY THING

The reveal of the 'Chosen 12' was another tense moment - the poor lads had to make their way to what looked like the Headteacher's office at Hogwarts, where Dumbledo...er...ALW delivered the verdict! Poor Lee looked terrified throughout - thankfully, he was told that he could still be Joseph!

I did think there were a couple of odd decisions - the dark haired lad in the 'red group' who sang before Alister Brammer (was his name Simon?) didn't get through. That puzzles me. Maybe they were worried about him looking too similar to one or more other contestants (the 'chosen 12' did all look completely different to each other). I remember Keith saying that he was told to straighten his naturally curly hair, presumably to avoid confusion with Lee (Niall Sheehy also found himself having to have a drastic haircut for the 'Superstar' live shows, in order to avoid comparisons with Lee, even though Lee wasn't involved with 'Superstar'!).

The final 12 were Chris Crosby, Johndeep Moore, Antony Hansen, Seamus Cullen, Chris Barton, Rob McVeigh, Daniel Boys, Craig Chalmers, Ben Ellis, Lewis Bradley, Keith Jack and Lee Mead.

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On April 14 2007, we all settled down to watch the first live ADWD show, and got our first look at the 12 young men who had been made it through to this stage.

With thanks to the hard-working ladies on Meadaholics, here's a link to the ADWD page with all the lovely Meadyness:-

LINKY THINK

Firstly, there was the group song, ADWD. All the Josephs had been given a brightly coloured coats (Lee's was an eye-catching bright red), jeans and black vests (apparently, in the studio run-through a couple of days earlier, the boys had been bare-chested, but between Thursday and Saturday, someone at the Beeb had demanded that black vests must be worn - ironic, really, when you consider that, 9 years later, a certain someone was seen in all his bare-chested, bare-bottomed glory on Saturday night telly! ).

After a couple of minutes of working out "Who looks like a Joseph?", "Who is the Chosen One?" and "Who allocated the coat colours, because poor Seamus seems to have ended up with 'Broccoli Green'!", it was onto business.

Lee's first performance was 'Mack The Knife' - from the moment he stood at the top of the stairs, it was clear that he was a confident and experienced performer. Everything about the performance was slick and polished. His descent down the staircase to the rhythm of the music showed his class (some people in the casting shows were still struggling with the stairs by the final show!). I can only imagine what the other 10 boys who were yet to perform, thought of that performance!

That being said, I think the standard of the performances overall was pretty high, especially considering that it was the first ep!

With the performances over, we waited for the results. Before they were announced, there was a group performance of 'Luck Be A Lady' from 'Guys And Dolls'. Once again, Lee showed his class.

When the results were announced, it was nerve-wracking, but thankfully, Lee made it through to next week's show and avoided the dreaded sing-off.

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On April 21 2007, we were back for the second live show of ADWD.

It was a bouncy start with a group rendition of Jacob & Sons/Coat Of Many Colours. During the song, we got a glimpse of 'Ancient Joseph' (aka Jess Conrad) in the audience.

This week's theme was 'Acting', and there were some varid results.

For some reason, Daniel was described as a 'frustrated actor' in his intro by Graham...unless I misheard...which is possible!

Meanwhile, Seamus was portra*** as the 'villain' in his VT.

Ben got the acting side of things, but murdered 'All By Myself'.

Both Johndeep and Chris B made odd acting choices - Johndeep was more 'excited child' than 'teenaged gang member', while Chris was more 'scary stalker' than 'devoted boyfriend'.

Lee got the 'He's actually a working class lad from Essex, not an upper class lad who lives on a country estate the size of Essex' VT. Just in case people didn't realise this (I didn't! ).

Lee performed 'Bad Day', a difficult song, but he gave a masterclass in acting and his vocals were spot-on! He also intereacted believably with his Josephine.

Then, it was onto the results show. It started with a group song - 'Pinball Wizard'. Lee stood out with his bit of the song - I wanted to hear him sing it all!

McFly were the special guests - the first Joseph Mission was to perform with McFly at one of their concerts. Worryingly, most of the McFly fans seemed to adore Lewis, Ben and Antony, and at that point, I was worried about the 'teen vote'!

Interestingly, 9 years on, Lee is about to co-star with McFly member Tom Fletcher's sister, Carrie, in 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'!

Then came the results. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long to find out that Lee was safely through.

Chris B & Johndeep were in the bottom two, performing 'Let It Be'. Chris B was saved, which I agreed with.

Then, before the farewell song, Graham announced that next week, two Josephs would be giving up their coloured coats! Lee looked worried when the camera panned across to the Josephs in the holding pen!

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Thanks for the trip down memory lane Jo!

I'm really enjoying reading your recaps

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On April 28, 2007, we sat down to watch the third live ADWD ep. Tonight, TWO Josephs were going to lose their coats! Needless to say, I was worried for Lee!

The show started with a group song 'Go, Go, Go Joseph', which was sung at breakneck speed!

'Angry Lloyd Webber'! ALW wasn't impressed by the public's decision last week - I wonder who he thought should have been in the bottom two?

This week's theme - Pop Songs! Which is odd, considering that the boys had been singing mostly pop songs for the past two weeks!

First up were Seamus and Lewis. Seamus' VT emphasised his 'arrogant git' status, while Lewis' was all about his Nana Jean, who was on the verge of exploding!

Seamus sang 'Start Me Up' by the Rolling Stones and did a good job.

Lewis sang 'I Saw Her Standing There' - a much better performance than the first two weeks. Unfortunately, his mum was jumping around like a teenager, which was rather off-putting!

Next up were Antony and Rob.

Rob sang 'Pretty Woman' - pretty good.

Antony sang 'Patience', which he struggled with in the falsetto parts. Ouch!

Barrowman's "Howling wolves in from Alaska" comment was priceless, but spot on!

That being said, it did seem unfair that Antony was given a song with falsetto and only had a week to learn how to do it!

Next up were Chris B and Ben.

Chris had 'Tell Me About It' by Billy Joel. Not overkeen on this. It didn't suit his voice, and his constant clapping was annoying, because you could really hear it!

Ben had 'Life Is A Rollercoaster' by Ronan Keating, which was much better than previous weeks. It still sounded a bit strained, though.

Next up were Daniel and Lee. The ADWD bods tried to portray them as adversaries, but they were both such lovely lads that Daniel's "The panel adore him and I'm slightly threatened by that!" sounded cute, rather than angry or threatening, and Lee just came across as a polite young man!

Daniel sang 'The Lady Is A Tramp', which was slick, polished and professional.

Lee sang 'I Don't Wanna Talk About It'. It was beautifully performed - you could see the emotion in his eyes. I think this was the moment when I thought "This lad is special!"

Next up were Keith and Craig.

Keith sang 'Crocodile Rock'. A good vocal performance, but he lacked the 'rockiness' and 'attitude' needed for the song.

Craig sang 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered'. OK vocal, but very cabaret and his acting was non-existent.

The phonelines were opened, and we got the first glimpse of the Loincloth mission.

Then the phonelines were frozen, and the first bottom two were announced. Thankfully, Lee was safely through to the second part of the show.

The bottom two were Antony and Craig. The one with the least votes was Craig.

The sing-off song was 'Everything I do' by Brian Adams.

ALW chose to save Craig. Personally, I preferred Antony's voice, and felt his acting of the song was better, so I'd have saved him.

Then we had the farewell song. Antony did well with it.

We had to wait until the results show to find out the next Joseph casualty (talking of which, 'Casualty' must have been on stupidly late during ADWD's run - the results show was on at 9.45 this week!).

The results show started with a recap of the remaining Josephs' performances.

We got as clip of Zoe appearing on 'Opportunity Knocks', aged 18! She sounded good!

Then there was a VT where the Josephs visited 'We Will Rock You' (Lee would be a fab Galileo!).

The group song was 'One Vision' (from WWRY). Lee looked and sounded fab!

Graham announced that the lines had now closed!

Then we had the Loincloth mission, where the boys wore loincloths for the first time (with some looking better than others) and had to sing onstage in front of ALW, Denise and their mums!
I felt a bit sorry for them, because it was a completely unnatural and unexpected situation, so it wasn't surprising that some struggled with the challenge. Needless to say, Lee aced it, and looked like Michaelangelo's David (if David had been wearing a loincloth! ).

Onto the results. After a tense wait, Lee was announced as safe!

The bottom two were Ben and Seamus, who had to sing 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother'.

ALW chose to save Ben. I didn't agree with that (I wouldn't have had Seamus in the bottom two with Ben - it should have been Craig). It seemed a tactical decision to get rid of Seamus. I loved Graham quickly silencing Seamus when he started on about the 'conspiracy theory'!

The farewell song ended up being typically Seamus, with him changing the lyrics at the end from '...land of my own' to '...show of my own'!

I did feel a bit for Seamus, because he was basically cast in the 'villain' role from the beginning. That being said, a bit of common sense from him wouldn't have gone amiss.

So...now there were 8 Josephs left.

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On May 5th, the final 8 Josephs went head to head.

"I don't know how the other guys perceive me and frankly, I don't care!" Fighting talk from Lee in the opening VT!

This week's theme - Songs from the past 40 years! So not at all vague!

First up were last week's bottom two survivors, Ben and Craig.

Ben sang 'Addicted To Love'. To quote Lee, "Oh, dear!" Ouch! He was off-key and sounded strained!

Craig sang 'Oh, What A Night!' - All the notes were in the right order, but it just seemed a bit...beige!

Next up were Lee and Keith.

Lee sang 'Alright Now' - For someone who was struggling with illness, he did well. He put passion into his performance (Craig, take note!) and the vocal was pretty good.

Zoe - "That was a bit rubbish!" Grr!

Also, how do you sing that song without shouting? 9 years on and I still haven't worked that one out!

Keith sang 'Love Is All Around' - Well sung, but it's actually a pretty easy song to sing, and didn't really challenge Keith.

Next up were Lewis and Rob.

Lewis sang 'Dancing In The Moonlight' - Some duff notes there. Lewis had quite a thin voice.

Rob sang 'Back For Good' - OK. He had a nice tone to his voice and had no trouble hitting the high notes.

Next up were Chris B and Daniel.

Chris B sang 'All Night Long' - OK vocal, but lacked passion and charm.

Daniel sang 'All About You' - Lovely smooth vocal and had all the charm that Chris' performance lacked.

After a recap, it was onto the results show.

Then we had an interview with Meatloaf, who may be as mad as a box of frogs, but he knows his stuff! Wise words from him!

Then the Josephs sang 'Dead Ringer For Love'. Lee sounded great - I wanted to hear him sing the whole thing!

A clip of Bill Kenwright in 'The Liverbirds'.

Then it was onto the Mission - scaling the 'Les Mis' Barricade. Of all weeks to do this, it was the week when Lee was in serious danger of coughing up a lung! That said, he did a good job. It was a bit of an odd mission. I wonder who the two were that the Les Mis cast members thought were ready for the WE?

After a performance by Meatloaf, the judges were asked who wasn't Joseph. Zoe, for some unfathomable reason, said Lee's name! Considering how poor some of the others were (*cough* Ben *cough* Craig *cough*), it seemed an odd choice!

Luckily, the public disagreed with Zoe, and Lee was safely through!

The bottom two were Chris B and Craig - how Ben managed to avoid the bottom two, goodness knows!

Chris B and Craig sang 'The Long & Winding Road'.

I thought Chris outperformed Craig, so I disagree with ALW's decision, which was to save Craig.

As with the previous evictees, Chris sang CED well. For the first time, Lee's voice really started to come through in the group bits!

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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! Pity she didn't just say that at the time!

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! Perhaps it was something along the lines of "I have won...I am the Chosen One!"

"GUARDS! SEIZE HIM!" Ooh, I love angry Lee! Though the other lads looked frightened to death!

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.

As with previous performances of the farewell song, Rob did well.

Now we were down to 6 would-be Josephs and it was getting really tense!

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Ohh, I haven't been here for ages.
Glad I popped in- loving this trip down memory lane. x

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Here's a 'review' of sorts of ADWD (and the rival 'Grease' show) by Charlie Brooker - very funny!

LINKY THING

It still makes me laugh 9 years on!

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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? She definitely seemed very 'stage mother' to me!

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, acting ability and movement! Instead, they were lumbered with this daft mission, which didn't really tell us anything useful about which of the final 6 would be right for the role of Joseph.

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! If anything, Lee was closer to how Joseph probably looked!). He just seemed very mannered in his performances, and his voice lacked depth and texture. He was a classic case of someone with potential, but who needed to spend a few years learning his craft in the ensemble and as an understudy, as Lee and Daniel had.

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!

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On May 26th 2007, it was week 7 (aka the Quarter Final) of ADWD! 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 gentle and harmless Nurse sharks. Let's face it, he wouldn't have been allowed in the tank if they were Great Whites!

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 and Lee rose to the challenge!

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'.

So, now we were left with four boys who could still be Joseph, and the competition was going to get even more tense!

Re: Is It Really 9 Years.......???

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 Lewis (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?

Re: Is It Really 9 Years.......???

I do enjoy these reminiscences, Jo, but please stop saying Lee sounds 'posh'! He is nicely spoken, but is not 'posh' - as you can tell when his 'Essex' comes out sometimes in phone interviews. If you want posh, he turned it on for Lord Arthur and you could easily tell the difference.

Re: Is It Really 9 Years.......???

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 then 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!

Re: Is It Really 9 Years.......???

That was when I really started liking and respecting Keith. What a brilliant attitude to have.

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Yes - Keith went up in my estimation with the way he acted after the result was announced.

Re: Is It Really 9 Years.......???

Out of curiosity, I've been having a quick internet search to find out what the ADWD boys are doing.

CHRIS CROSBY
If the twitter account I've found is him, he seems to have left performing behind and is now in the Hotel industry.

Twitter LINKY THING

JOHNDEEP MORE
He still seems to be singing/acting on stage. Most recent work I can find seems to have been the 'East Is East' tour and a workshop/play 'The Indian Boyfriend' last year.

Twitter LINKY THING

ANTONY HANSEN
Was in 'War Of The Worlds' (in the ensemble) at the Dominion theatre. Currently in the ensemble of Les Mis.

Twitter LINKY THING

SEAMUS CULLEN
Was in 'Superstar' (ALW's search for someone to play Jesus) in 2012, making it as far as the final stage of auditions. He was also a vocal coach. His twitter account describes him as a 'Digital Problem Solver'.

Twitter LINKY THING

CHRIS BARTON
He seems to have been pretty busy since ADWD. His most recent job seems to have been the Starlight Express Tour this year.

Twitter LINKY THING

ROB McVeigh
I haven't been able to find much on Rob. He was in panto in York in 2014/2015, playing Dandini in 'Cinderella'. Prior to that, he was in touring productions of 'Annie' (as Bert Healey) and 'The Eva Cassidy Story' as Danny Cassidy.

Twitter (though not tweeted since 2010) LINKY THING

DANIEL BOYS
Has been pretty busy since ADWD, and this year has been no exception. Most recently, performing on the cruise ship Azura. He also performed in the musical 'Miss Atomic Bomb' at the St James Theatre in London.

Twitter LINKY THING

CRAIG CHALMERS

As far as I can make out, he's still in...er...'Adult Entertainment'!

BEN ELLIS (aka BEN JAMES-ELLIS)

Ben seems to be doing mostly cruise ship work at the moment (on the QM2, by the looks).

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LEWIS BRADLEY
Lewis recently finished in the latest 'Annie Tour' (in the ensemble).

Twitter LINKY THING

KEITH JACK
Keith was most recently in 'Forever Plaid' at the St James Theatre.

Twitter LINKY THING

Re: Is It Really 9 Years.......???

On July 1st, 2007, Lee took time out of Joseph rehearsals to appear in the Concert For Diana at Wembley! He sang ADWD with Donny Osmond and Jason Donovan. It was a fabulous performance from Lee - I thought Jason Donovan was going to explode, trying to keep up, especially when Lee held onto that last note!

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Re: Is It Really 9 Years.......???

On 17th July 2007, it was the Press Night of Joseph. It didn't go without a hitch, but Lee gave a Star performance! The drama and triumph was captured at the end of the 'Winner's Story' do***entary:-

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I love the fan at the end - "HE TOUCHED ME!!!"