Just thought I'd start a thread on this. The series starts tomorrow night at 7pm. Gary is searching for 5 young men to play a Boyband in his new musical, imaginatively titled 'The Band'!

There's a bit about it this WOS article:-

LINKY THING

I wonder if we'll see any ADWD boys or other familiar faces auditioning for this?

EPISODE 1

This opening number is...er...interesting! I'm trying to imagine ALW doing something like that (minus the toplessness in the shower, obviously! ).

So, this series lasts for 8 weeks.

Judges
Martin Kemp (a bit random, but he has been in a band)
Amber Riley (also a bit random, as she's only just made her musical theatre debut)
Dannii Minogue (Former X-Factor judge, so she's been a judge before)
Gary Barlow (the ALW of this series)

Hmmm, not sure about this star/points thing - seems a bit gimmicky.

Clinton Elvis - Is that his real name? He seems the shy, retiring type...not! Red is his favourite colour (I wonder if he watched ADWD?).

His voice seems to be veering off-key a bit. Not that impressed with him - a case of style over substance.

Blimey, he's through. I can see him getting a bit annoying!

The common room. None of these lads seems to understand the concept of 'getting into the zone' before a performance.

Deaclan Arthurs - Was the critieria for getting through to the TV auditions having an odd name? His ambition is to sell out arenas? Oh dear!

NYNY! Odd voice - it's like he's attempting to do an impression of a 40s/50s crooner. Sorry, but he's no Lee Mead!

Blimey, he's through as well! Is he really suited to being in a boyband?

Jamie-Ryan - He's never performed before - that's a good start for someone who wants to be in a professional musical theatre production!

Again, a bit pitchy. Not great.

He isn't through. Not surprising, really.

Jazzie Mattis - Another shy, retiring young man (not!), with an unusual name. He's also brought his own floor covering!

Best of the night so far. The first one I can imagine being in a boyband.

Tyler - He's a Gary Barlow superfan...oh dear! Blimey, this VT is cheesy!

I'm getting Lewis vibes from this one! Not a bad voice, but not much charisma. Ouch, that second to last note was off - my dog makes that noise when he's in pain!

Lewi...er...Tyler is through.

I've just realised that they're all singing to backing tracks (or playing instruments). I preferred the ADWD way of doing it, where they sang without accompaniment!

'Some Who Didn't Get Through' VT - Hector didn't seem that bad, and he was a good looking lad.

Nicky Price - He sings around the house and gives his little sister a headache! 17? He looks more like 14!

Nice voice. Really well done. My one reservation is that he's not really acting the song. He looks a bit blank when he's singing.

He's through - no surprise there.

Gold - great song!

Social Media Platforms - there was none of this new-fangled stuff in ye olden days of ADWD!

Nick Carsburg - Essex cheeky chappie! Oh God, that's got my hackles rising already! I get the impression that he's a fame seeker.

Oh dear - not great! Pitchy and shouty.

Blimey, he's through! The judges obviously haven't been put off

Wayne Thurtell - He moves caravans for a living.

Another one who's a bit pitchy. An average performance.

Not through.

Jason Brock. He's a professional! Currently in 'Thriller Live!' in the WE. The Lee of the competition?

Odd song choice. It's really too high for him. Good voice, though.

He's through

Overall, a bit of a dog's dinner of a show, IMO. I wasn't keen on the gimmickyness of it. It felt a bit like it was trying to be 'X-Factor', but one of the charms of the previous BBC casting shows is that they were different to 'X-Factor'.

I really enjo y ed it (but then, I'm a sucker for all these shows!) and absolutely loved the opening sequence.

Jason Brock was the best by a mile, but at 30 is he too old for a 'boy band' when the rest of the contenders are about 17 (and look about 12)?

Also, how on earth will some of the youngsters who have no experience manage the 8 shows a week schedule?

Will have to record next week's as I shall be somewhere panto related - now, off to watch my recording of The Voice ......

That's a good point about Jason being a bit too old. Some of them do look ridiculously young though. I wonder if there's a minimum and maximum age for auditionees? Personally, I'd have had a minimum age of 18.

The whole '8 shows a week' thing seems to have been pla*** down so far, whereas in the ALW shows, it was regularly mentioned (and rightly so, IMO). I think they'll have longer to prepare than Lee did (3 weeks!), but it's still a bit of a concern how they'll deal with doing 8 shows a week!

I only caught the last three performers - the final guy looked good and sang well but will his age be against him? Not as entertaining as ADWD, it's more of a search for a pop singer at the moment.

The acting side of things was lacking a bit last night. Hopefully, once they're past the pre-recorded audition stages, there'll be more focus on that side of things.

Incidentally, I caught up with the repeat of 'The Voice' this morning - there was a girl called Truly Scrumptious! I wonder if she has a brother called Caractacus Potts?

Hmm, not sure about this programme, found I was bored half way through! (I was never bored in ADWD ). Think I'll reserve judgement for a while . Of the guys we saw last night, it's going to take some time to get everyone up to standard as they're going to need singing lessons!. I too think they haven't a clue what it's going to be like to perform 8 shows a week, week in week out.

I must admit the three songs I saw were quite enough for me. I hope it's going to focus more on acting than pop singing. Too many pop shows around anyway.

Being on the wrong side of a very large body of water, I cannot watch this program. But I wanted to note that Amber Riley is quite well-known over here as she was a regular in 'Glee' and a winner on 'Dancing With the Stars' - our version of your Strictly.

Not sure that makes her qualified for this but . . . just FYI.

I am not too sure about this yet. I thought the start was very cheesy but I am sure it will grow on me as it is early days yet.

I don't think there will ever be one as good as ADWD though.

Let it shine?
well I sat down in anti****tion hoping for a Saturday night show that would grab my attention
The opening with Gary Barlow was great and so I settled down with a nice glass of
I couldn't believe the lack of quality that got through to this stage?
Then right at the end Jason Brock performed and yes there was someone that would be able to perform 8 shows a week.
I sincerely hope that the next show will have a special someone that makes me say Hmmm I would pay good money to see him. ( even as a member of a boy band)

EPISODE 2

So...off we go again with another lot of shy, retiring types, chasing their dream!

Jonnie Halliwell
I thought the backstage announcer person said Geri Halliwell at first! This one is giving off Rob 'the builder' vibes! He's good, but he's a professional performer, so I'd expect that. He seems a bit too mannered and stagey, though. I was waiting for him to let himself go, but he didn't.

He's through with a maximum score.

Why are Howard and Mark wearing hats indoors? They look daft!

Dylan Reid
Another musical theatre bod. Ooh, he was in 'Once' in Dublin. A bit breathy to begin with, but better when he ups the volume. Still lacking a bit, though, vocally. Ouch, that note was off at the end! With his performing background, I was expecting him to be a stronger singer.

He's through.

Lee Stinchcombe
When Graham said 'Lee', I LOL'd! Ooh, he's 35 - blimey, same age as Mr Mead! Hmmm, not bad, but he's a bit cabaret.

He's not through.

A montage. Pity we aren't seeing the full auditions of these guys, since it would seem that they all got through.

Damian Kivleden
A 'Special Effects trainee' - interesting job. Blimey, he's loud! Someone should tell him that thing he's holding in his hand is to amplify his voice...and it's switched on! I don't think he's right for a boyband. You'd struggle to hear the others!

Blimey, he's through! I'm a bit surprised at that.

Curtis
Nice voice. He's good.

He's through. I hope he doesn't end up being put in the same group as the shouty one in the next stage of the competition, or we'll never be able to hear him!

Julius Wright
This week's VT bod. Let's hope he's good after having a VT devoted to him. He is good. All Night Long - are they raiding the ADWD song list?

He's through.

Jamie Corner
He's from Essex! Ooh, Johnny B Goode - they've raided the ADWD song list again! He's OK, but he's another who's a bit restrained.

He's through.

Scott Sutcliffe
Another pro. He's been an understudy in Mamma Mia. Good voice, but he was out of time on a couple of occasions, so he had to rush a few words to fit them in.

He's not through. I agree with Dannii to a point about him being too theatrical, but you could say that about most of the pros we've seen so far, yet some have been put through.

Blimey, the warm-up man has a good voice!

Huw Roberts
He's 16? He looks really young! Another who's a bit out of time. OK, but he needs a few years for his voice to really mature.

He's through.

Harry Neale
Actor and handyman! Blimey, he's muscly! Great voice, as well! Apart from his falsetto! There are wolves in Alaska responding to that!

He's through. Blimey, that was some reaction to getting through!

This is a new one - I can't remember anyone on a TV talent show having a parent who's a convicted terrorist before:-

LINKY THING

Poor lad! I hope this doesn't affect his place on the show (or public perception of him, should he get to the public vote stage of the competition). It shouldn't, because it's nothing to do with him.

EPISODE 3

"We're not expecting the finished article" - I'm sure the people forking out £££ for their tickets for the musical will be thrilled to hear that!

JORDAN HARVEY
"Jordan's a very talented drummer" - isn't this a singing competition? He looks like Ron Weasley! Not bad vocally, but I'm not getting a boyband vibe from him.

He's through!

AJ BENTLEY
Blimey, I thought that was Lewis at first! Another shy and retiring type (not!). 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered', another from the ADWD song list! Vocals a bit ropey in places, but not bad.

He's through. I think his boyband look saved him.

It's a VT featuring someone who's been invited to audition. He doesn't sound that good in the VT.

DION (audition invitee)
It's All About You (another ADWD song - this is getting daft, now!). He sounds a bit better than in the VT, but Daniel Boys sang this much better on ADWD.

Ooh, he didn't get through.

I'm glad they're finally discussing how difficult doing musical theatre is, especially the sheer number of performances per week that performers have to do!

MATT THORPE
A pro. Currently in 'American Idiot' and has been in other shows. Odd song choice. Not as good as I was expecting him to be, but OK. Blimey, they're giving him a standing ovation! It must have sounded better live in the studio than it did on TV.

He's through.

Graham getting his groove on to 'Amarillo'!

DAN BUDD
Robbie Williams tribute act! Good voice, but I'd have been more impressed if he'd just performed as himself. Hopefully, if he gets through, they can bring that out of him.

He's through.

ELIJAH HOLLOWAY
He's wearing a vest. Hmmm, not sure about that. 'Greased Lightning'...oh dear, not good!

He's not through - thank goodness for that!

Two judges gave him 4? Why?

Harry Fabulous Brown!

Ooh, this lad from BOM is good! Tonsilitis - ouch!

KYLE PASSMORE
Another ADWD song - 'You Give Me Something'. Good voice, slightly pitchy in places.

He's through.

Graham and Mel 'walking down the tunnel'!

JOSH
Ok, but a bit flat in places.

He's through.

MATT KNIGHT
His dancing is better than his singing.

He's through.

They have a juicer backstage?

TAYLOR DAVIS
Blimey, his partner's gorgeous! Maybe he should audition! Taylor obviously lacks confidence! Hmm, voice not great.

Oooh, not through.

I disagree with Gary. Taylor doesn't have a theatre voice - he sounded weak.

HERCULES SMITH
Great name! Blimey, operatic! He'd be a good fit for something like Les Mis or Phantom, but a musical about a boyband?

He's through! It's going to be interesting when they get to the 'singing as a group' stage of the auditions! Perhaps they could put him in a group with Mr Shouty from...was it week 1?

Ooh, last week of auditions, next week!

Aww, a tweet from Lee - he and Betsy were watching 'Let It Shine':-

Lee Mead ‏@leemeadofficial 15m

Betsy hearing Faith on Let It Shine: "Daddy that's George Michael's song.. he's probably playing it with his band in heaven"

Bless!

I wonder if Betsy has seen her daddy's ADWD auditions?

Betsy sounds a sweet little girl saying that to her Daddy and she knows her music bless her

EPISODE 4

Ooh, last week of auditions.

"They will need to convince theatre audiences that they are part of a boyband." Does that mean they're looking for bland, poor/average singers?

CALLUM HOWELLS
This poor lad is in desperate need of confidence classes! He sounds very musical theatre. Too mannered for a boyband, but a decent voice.

He's through.

SCOTT MACAULY
Decent voice, also plays the guitar. A bit of a meandering song. Why does no-one ever come to their audition armed with an instrument other than a guitar? How about a Trumpet? Piano? Cello? Harp?

He's through.

Surprise VT. Ooh, Essex! "The neighbours hear him singing in the shower"...I bet they're thrilled! 'Mack The Knife'! Last time someone from Essex sang that, he went on to win the competition!

LUKE STANLEY
'All Of Me'! OK, but no Lee Mead! He ran out of breath at a couple of points.

He's through...so the covert surveillance wasn't in vain!

Amber seems really nice and giggly.

TRAVIS KERRY
Let's just say, he's a better dancer than a singer!

He's not through. Not a great shock there.

ALEXIS GERRARD
He's a pro - I thought his name sounded familiar. He's good.

He's through.

Mark Owen worked in a Bank?

ROBERT EVANS
OK voice, but seems very nervous.

He's not through.

A VT of audition clips.

SAM GLEN
He's an actor. A bit pitchy and shouty.

He's through...a bit surprising.

'Cheeky chappie-ness' = Irritatingness!

Another 'Gary visits...' VT

ANTONY
Decent voice.

He's through.

Another VT. God, I find the whole 'Essex Boy' thing irritating! Ooh, the Irish lad was good. Yazdan was good. As was Veejan.

BRADLEY JOHNSON
Oooh, that Boyband classic, 'Bring Him Home'. A bit of a strange choice. I always find it strange when someone barely out of their teens sings this. Good voice, though.

He's through. Can he sing more poppy stuff, though? Many MT people can't.

Aah, Amber's leaving.

A Dance Challenge. Blimey, there's some poor dancing there!

Next week - the final 40 singing in groups! Should be fun! The lads in red look like they're auditioning for Jersey Boys!

I managed to stay awake for this yesterday! Not a patch on ADWD but quite entertaining in its way. No, most of those lads can't dance and yes that Sam was gobby.

EPISODE 5

Now, they're working as groups.

Hmm, not sure about this opening number. It's hard to judge anything, because there are too many people.

40 boys with 15 being culled tonight.

Amber has been replaced by Lulu.

GROUP 1 (performing with Olly Murs)
40 hours of training for the performance!
"Why can't I be sexy?" "Because you aren't!"
Ooh, an ill person - tonsillitis (as diagnosed by a paramedic).
A mixed bag vocally - some are definitely stronger singers than others.
Multi-coloured suits!

Blimey, the judges have a touch-screen thingy instead of cards with photos on them for the judging bit.

Five who are through.
Curtis, AJ, Yazdan, Sario, Nick

Yazdan is modest!

GROUP 2 (performing with Beverley Knight)
Hmmm, not sure about these. The voices don't blend very well. Beverley sounds fab, though.
Agree about Alexis, best of that group.

Five who are through.
Alexis, Matt, Clinton, Harry, Jordan

GROUP 3 (performing with Busted)
Some ropey vocals. The weakest group so far.

Five who are through.
Craig, Matt, Anthony, Josh, Connor

GROUP 4 (performing with the Kaiser Chiefs)
Blimey, two dropping out!
Lively and fun, and they seem like a cohesive group.

Martin - "I want to see boys we found on this show in 10 years' time, still going!" Well, ADWD managed it!

Five who are through.
Mark, Jamie, Jazzie, Jonnie, Ryan

Ooh, first live show next week!

GROUP 5 (performing with Mel C)
The 'struggling with the c****ography' bit reminds me of Lee and Daniel messing up in rehearsal and descending into giggles!
Some of these lads look really young.
It's feeling a bit like 'Mel C and her backing singers'. The curly haired lad is good (blimey, feeling deja vu, there! )

Five who are through.
Danny, Jason, Huw, Bradley, Julius

Hmm, curly haired lad (Kyle) not through. I'm shocked that they put through the one who looks 12 (Huw).

Next week, we go live!

It's quite interesting to watch but there's no 'ooh I like HIM' moment for me as there was with Lee. Huw is too young. I was sad when Hercules was voted out but maybe an operatic voice would have just sounded wrong in this case. It was nice hearing 'Year 3000' again, although the vocals could have been better. Beverley Knight is so pretty!

EPISODE 6

The acapella element of the opening number is showing up some dodgy vocals.

'The Band' - an imaginative title for a musical about a boyband!

Ooh, Ricki Lake as Guest Judge!

Blimey, 30 years (next year) since the original 'Hairspray' film! Now I feel old! Especially as I've just realised that Lee would have been 6 when that film was released!

Public vote coming into play tonight!

The two bands with the lowest votes face 'The Twist'!

BAND 1 - IRON SUN (Harry, Clinton, Alexis, Jordan, Matt)
Alexis is brilliant. Average solo vocals from some of the others. Better when they sing as a group.

BAND 2 - DRIVE (Mark, Jazzie, Ryan, Jamie, Johnnie)
Again, better when singing as a group. A fun performance, but not a song that's really designed to show off their vocals.

BAND 3 - NIGHTFALL (Bradley, Huw, Julius, Danny, Jason)
A piano on fire...OK! Better vocals than the previous two groups, but they're singing a ballad with minimum movement, which helps a lot. Huw looks even younger than I remembered!

BAND 4 - NEON PANDA (Josh, Matt, Anthony, Craig, Conor)
Some good solo vocals. Funnily enough, it's the group singing that's a bit patchy.

BAND 5 - FIVE TO FIVE (Sario, Nick, Yazdan, AJ, Curtis)
There seem to be some mic issues (volume) by the sound of it (unless it's my telly). They blend well vocally as a group.

The vote is OPEN (for 20 minutes!)

Results show after 'Casualty', at 8.45pm, where two bands will sing-off.

EPISODE 6 - RESULTS

Vote is CLOSED!

Five boys will be leaving the competition tonight. We've barely got to know any of them yet!

RESULTS - Two bands in sing-off are DRIVE and NEON PANDA

So...five boys will be saved, but not necessarily from the same band. Blimey, talk about complicated. That being said, it would be unfair to lose one or two good singers because their band is eliminated.

Sing-off

DRIVE
First singer not great, second good, third started off pitchy , fourth good, fifth a bit out of time at the start of his bit but got better. Average when singing as a group.

NEON PANDA
First singer OK, second OK, but a bit pitchy at the end, third a bit week, fourth good, fifth good. Sounded a bit low for them when they sang together at the end.

Judges go off to deliberate.

Guest performance from JERSEY BOYS - These boys are showing how performing as a group should be done! Great stuff!

Five boys who are saved are - MARK, JAZZIE, MATT, JONNIE, CONOR

I can't help thinking that this new band made up from the two in the sing-off will be at a bit of a disadvantage next week, as they have to bond again from scratch. Then again, as I said further up, it would have been unfair to lose good performers because they happened to be in a band that got eliminated.

Nowhere near as exciting as ADWD because I'm totally indifferent to who will win, but it's a good hour's entertainment. I thought Ricki Lake looked wonderful.

EPISODE 7 - SEMI-FINAL

Blimey, we're at the semi-final stage already! It's gone so fast, and we still barely know the boys. I much prefer the format of the previous BBC casting shows, where we got to know the contestants and had 9 weeks of live shows.

The opening Take That songs are showing up the bad and showcasing the good in the boys.

The Take That number that was actually performed by TT was obviously inspired by Les Mis!

If Drive and Nightfall both end up in the bottom two, the resulting 'new' band made up of the 5 saved boys could become Night Drive!

This week's guest judge is Ashley Roberts from The *****cat Dolls.

Dance Breaks in every song tonight...to quote a certain Mr Mead, "Oh dear!"

Blimey, I wish the audience would calm down. They're getting on my nerves with the heckling.

FIVE TO FIVE
A couple of good vocalists (AJ, Curtis), but also some patchy vocals going on with the others. The dance break seemed to have been shoehorned in.

IRON SUN
So...a boyband have been given a Lady Gaga song...OK! Alexis is still the standout. The others seem pretty weak, vocally.

DRIVE
Either the colour on my TV is having a tantrum, or it's supposed to be like that. Not keen on the Gaviscon pink jackets. OK vocally, except for the bit at the end, where they were singing together and sounded a bit flat. Dance break looked pretty tight with no glaring errors.

NIGHTFALL
Again, OK vocally. OK dancing as well. Huw still looks 14.

My bottom two would be Five to Five and Iron Sun.

The vote is OPEN!

Songs by the Beatles in the sing-off.

EPISODE 7 - RESULTS

Two bands in the sing-off - IRON SUN, DRIVE

SING-OFF

IRON SKY
The Long & Winding Road (was used as a sing-off song on ADWD). Once again, Alexis great, and the lad with the brown tie (Harry?).

DRIVE
All seemed to be pretty even vocally. Mark was good.

Pity they didn't use more upbeat songs - they were a bit dirgy.

Judges off to deliberate.

Guest Performers - 'Motown: The Musical'
'Do You Love Me'! Aaah, memories of Lee demonstrating that he could do the twist!
Some great performances here!

Five boys saved - MARK, MATT THORPE, JONNIE, CONOR, JAZZIE (so all of DRIVE)

I think I'd have put Alexis and Harry in place of Conor and Jazzie.

Ooh, the Final next week, where they sing two songs. Guest judge is Robbie Williams!

I think one of the bands should have sung a more up tempo Beatles song as the two ballads together were a bit heavy. I'm still indifferent to whoever wins but it's good entertainment and it means I'm awake for Casualty (If I don't have anything to watch I can easily snooze in the evening - I'll need to find something to watch just before Holby soon!

So, no excitement for me while I'm watching Let It Shine but it's still entertaining.

WEEK 8 - THE FINAL!!!

So, it's the final! I'm much less tense now than I was watching the ADWD final 10 years ago!

Singing two songs tonight - a Musical Theatre song and a 'Pop Ballad'. It'll be interesting to see them tackling an MT song.

Guest judge - Peter Kay! Honey P!

NIGHTFALL
Visiting backstage at 'Beautiful'.
They're singing that MT classic 'Footloose'! Not a great song choice to show off their voices. They're struggling with the vocals - some pitchy and breathless singing.

FIVE TO FIVE
An injury!
Visiting backstage at 'Half A Sixpence'.
Better song choice - 'Can't Stop The Beat'. Good vocals and dancing, but it helps enormously to have a decent song and c****ography.

DRIVE
Visiting backstage at 'School Of Rock'.
Blimey, two members of 'Drive' have never set foot in a theatre before! Bonkers!
'Grease Is The Word' - another decent song choice. Mostly OK vocals, but a few dodgy solo moments.

NIGHTFALL
I thought that lad was going to walk into the lightbulb then! Dangerous lighting!
Some nice harmonies. The song title is 'End Of The Road'- subliminal message ("Don't vote for them!")?

FIVE TO FIVE
'Wrecking Ball' - good job they didn't go with the original Miley Cyrus staging (swinging about naked on a wrecking ball)! Good vocals and nice harmonies.

DRIVE
Some patchy vocals, but a couple of strong singers.

I'd say that Five To Five are the strongest group, but there are some great singers in the other two groups.

Yay! Lee got a mention from Peter Kay!

The vote is OPEN!!!

Guest performers - Michael Ball and Alfie Boe. Blimey, this is a real contrast to the boyband songs - a Les Mis medley! Lovely voices! I'd love to hear Lee sing 'Empty Chairs At Empty Tables'...and 'I Dreamed A Dream'!

Judges' favourite moments. That lad singing NYNY! Martin giving his mark away too early!

I thought there was going to be a results show...but obviously not. It's all happening in this show.

James Cordon VT. Random.

'The Band' is about five 16 year old girls with the 'Band' supplying the musical soundtrack of their lives.

The vote is now CLOSED!!!

Guest Performers - Take That. Good performance. I like this song.

Final comments from the boys about how they've bonded as a band, and how much they want to win.

RESULTS

The winning band is..........................FIVE TO FIVE!

That was a shock...not! I think they were the 'chosen ones', but to be fair, they were the best on the night.

Graham trying to extricate F2F from the scrum of boys!

Gary cracking the whip "You're starting work tomorrow!"

F2F singing 'Never Forget'!

I did find it funny when Peter Kay said you could be like Lee Mead. He is in Casualty now

I have to admit I didn't watch Let It Shine but I've enjo*** reading your comments each week, Jo. Thanks.
It'll be interesting to see how the show does when it opens.

Interesting how we find humour so different. I thought PK was appalling and was furious over that crack about Lee - to me, he made it sound like an insult. Anyway, that's just me.

I think the right band won.

Enjo*** Ball and Boe - not so much the audience. I mean, why on earth did they burst into cheers when Alfie reached a high note? Have they never heard a decent singer before? And as for all the arm waving - I only hope that audience are not inspired to actually go to see Les Mis ......

Loved Take That at the end - The Flood has always been one of my favourites.

There was a big contrast for me between the finale of ADWD and the finale of Let It Shine. During the finale of ADWD I was on the edge of my seat hoping that Lee would win. During Let It Shine, I was mildly curious as to who won. It was watchable but nowhere near as interesting as any of the Lloyd Webber shows. But it helped me to stay awake for Casualty! I was irritated by Peter Kay; he can be really amusing at times so why the daft wig and hat? His comment about Lee was a bit tactless and, as usual, discounting all the things Lee's achieved over the years. (People who aren't constantly on TV are often dismissed as has-beens when they're in continual steady work in other areas.) Some nice songs and I enjo*** Michael and Alfie, especially Alfie's new hairstyle.

Watching the ADWD final was definitely far more tense than LIS - not least because there were two sets of results in ADWD (third place and the announcement of the winner) and we had to wait until the results show for the announcement of 'Who Would Be Joseph'! We had also invested 9 weeks in following the contestants and choosing a winner. LIS only had three live shows, and the contestants were performing as groups, so we didn't get to know them as individuals.

Five To Five were the best on the night, but they were given the best song choices (I rolled my eyes at 'Footloose' being given to Nightfall!).

Peter Kay can be very funny - his spoof of TV talent shows was brilliant! It's just a shame he didn't stick to judging as himself instead of putting on an act.

I saw the Lee 'joke' as a complement - it showed that Lee was still working and being successful 10 years after his win.

Michael and Alfie were great - I enjo*** their performance immensely.

I do wish Lee had been approached either for a judging role or to chat with the boys (as Jason Donovan did in ADWD). As someone who's been there and done that, he could have given some sound advice to the boys. Even a mention of Lee, other Casting Show winners and other contestants who have gone on to have successful careers would have been good - it would have shown the LIS boys that people who've been on these shows have gone on to have careers in MT and beyond.

It would have been good if he'd been there but maybe the timing with filming for Holby clashed. Oh well we can't have everything. Oh I remember now we had to wait till the results show. I actually went to clean the bathroom to keep calm. Nothing like a bit of rubbing and scrubbing to channel my energy!

Hmmm - so F2F won't be the lead characters in 'The Band':-

LINKY THING

I think Gary/the BBC should have been clearer about the musical, and the winning band's role in it, from the off. I don't buy the BBC's argument - every previous BBC casting show (HDYSAPLM, ADWD, IDA, OTR) were casting prin****l roles, so it was perfectly natural for viewers to assume that LIS would be the same.

On the 10th Anniversary of ADWD, a promo vid for 'The Band' has been released, featuring the winners of LIS:-

LINKY THING

That blonde lad really looks like Lewis!

The LIS winners singing a medley of Take That songs as part of the promo for 'The Band':-

LINKY THING

I've decided that I'd love to hear Lee sing 'Rule The World'!

So would I Jo I can remember Harry Secombe singing it would just suit Lee's voice

I was referring to the Take That song:-

LINKY THING

Sorry I always get things wrong

And I thought it was 'Everybody Wants to Rule The World'!