A similar format has been used as well in The Netherlands in 2008, with the show Op zoek naar Joseph (Looking for Joseph) taking an unknown singer and placing the winner in the lead role for the 2009 performances in The Netherlands.[1] On 26 October 2008, Freek Bartels was announced the winner of the show.
Format
Commissioned after the success of the similar BBC series How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?,[2] the series followed the same format to find a new, unknown lead for a revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The series was named after the song from the musical, "Any Dream Will Do".
An expert panel provided advice to the contestants throughout the series, and provided comments during the live shows. As they appeared on screen from right to left, the panel was made up of:
Zoe Tyler, vocal coach to the contestants (vocal coach, singer and performer)
Bill Kenwright (theatre producer and co-producer of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Adelphi Theatre)
Denise Van Outen (musical theatre actress and television presenter) who later went on to date and marry winner Lee Mead.
Andrew Lloyd Webber, head judge and composer of Joseph. Presenter Graham Norton referred to him differently each week, mostly using variations of "Lord" phrases. When he was announced as part of the expert panel, the chandeliers behind him flashed and a few bars from The Phantom of the Opera rang out. Usually, Lloyd Webber showed mock embarrassment or surprise, while Barrowman and Van Outen feigned either fright or worship of him.
Auditions
The first week of the show documented the initial auditions where 100 hopefuls, from thousands, were called back to London. This was further whittled down by the panel of judges to 50 contestants who would enter Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph School". However, two additional entrants were selected over this 50 contestant limit after they went to Lloyd Webber's personal studio for a second audition.
In the second week, the 52 individuals selected attended "Joseph School" where the coaches worked on singing, acting and choreography with the contestants. Former Joseph actor Jason Donovan, amongst others, visited to lend his advice and support for them. On the second day, one contestant left the competition, 23 were eliminated and only 28 remained. On the third day, another eight men were eliminated, leaving only 20 contestants in the competition. These men were taken to Lloyd Webber's castle in Ireland, where they performed live in front of a packed house of locals and industry professionals including Louis Walsh. The best 12 were then taken through to the live studio finals.
Finalists
Graham Norton and the twelve contestants each wearing their 'dreamcoat', symbolically handed back once they were eliminated. Those pictured are (clockwise from top left) Chris B, Antony, Chris C, host Graham Norton, Keith, Lewis, Ben, Johndeep, Daniel, Seamus, Craig, Lee and Rob.
Twelve potential Josephs were chosen, each wearing a unique coloured coat. At the end of every live show, the Joseph who was eliminated had his coat stripped off whilst singing a song of farewell (a combination of "Poor, Poor Joseph" and "Close Every Door to Me").
Contestant was in the bottom two and who was saved after the sing off
–
Contestant was eliminated after the sing off
–
Contestant who received the most public votes
Weekly results per contestant
Contestant
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Final
Part 1
Part 2
Part 1
Part 2
Lee Mead
2nd
1st
1st
1st
3rd
2nd
1st
1st
1st
1st
Winner (week 9)
Keith Jack
5th
3rd
3rd
2nd
1st
1st
3rd
2nd
2nd
2nd
Runner-up (week 9)
Lewis Bradley
4th
4th
4th
4th
5th
6th
5th
3rd
3rd
3rd
Eliminated (week 9)
Ben Ellis
11th
9th
7th
8th
6th
4th
2nd
5th
4th
Eliminated (week 8)
Craig Chalmers
10th
7th
10th
6th
7th
3rd
4th
4th
Eliminated (week 7)
Daniel Boys
1st
2nd
2nd
3rd
2nd
5th
6th
Eliminated (week 6)
Rob McVeigh
7th
5th
5th
5th
4th
7th
Eliminated (week 5)
Chris Barton
3rd
11th
6th
7th
8th
Eliminated (week 4)
Seamus Cullen
6th
8th
8th
9th
Eliminated (week 3)
Antony Hansen
8th
6th
9th
Eliminated (week 3)
Johndeep More
9th
10th
Eliminated (week 2)
Chris Crosby
12th
Eliminated (week 1)
Live shows
The 12 finalists, (or "Josephs"), were announced on 7 April 2007, with the live studio finals starting a week later. Each week the "Josephs" were set various singing and performing tasks. They were introduced with clips summarising their past week before performing a solo song and hearing comments from the panel. Each week they also performed two group songs, one from Joseph at the start of each show, and one after the solo performances. All the performances were live in front of a studio audience, with a live band headed by Nigel Wright and backing singers.
Every week, a Joseph was eliminated from the competition. The public got a chance to vote for their favourite Joseph by calling in after all the finalists' solo performances. The two Josephs with the fewest votes in a given week performed a sing-off in front of Lloyd Webber, who then decided which contestant to keep, based upon how well he felt that contender would fill the Joseph role. The eliminated Joseph then performed "Poor, Poor Joseph/Close Every Door" together with the remaining Josephs, as his grand exit song, symbolically handing back his dreamcoat.
Upon being asked whether he was surprised that he was being sent home, Seamus said: "The words 'conspiracy theory' are going through my head" (Although he later implied he may have been joking). Then, during his farewell song, he changed the line "I have been promised a land of my own" to "I have been promised a show of my own."
The semi-final was held on 2 June 2007, in which the remaining four Josephs competed for the three spots in the final. Again announced in sets of two, the contestants performed duets of Andrew Lloyd Webber songs with another Joseph in addition to their solo performance. At the end of the show, the three finalists were announced.
Ben later said he was disappointed in the panel's comments regarding his performance that week, but nevertheless accepted his elimination graciously.
Week 9 (9 June 2007)
The final, held on 9 June 2007, featured three songs from each of the Josephs: in addition to their regular performance, each performed a big band number and the final two repeated their favourite song from the series. The opening song was performed by all 12 Josephs, supported by the winner of a national Joseph Choir search – the choir of East Ham's Brampton Primary School in east London.[15]
Group performances:
All Josephs with the Brampton Primary School Choir: "Go, Go, Go Joseph"
The success of the programme prompted the BBC to extend the series by an extra week (week nine),[16] removing the need for a double eviction prior to the final. The new date for the final, 9 June 2007, ensured it would air directly opposite the final of ITV's competing show, Grease is the Word. This move paid off as the final of Any Dream Will Do managed to secure the upper hand over Grease is the Word in viewing figures with a peak of 8.5 million viewers and an audience share of 39.6%, compared with ITV's high of 4.9 million viewers (an audience share of 23.5%).[17]
Before the opening night of Joseph at London's Adelphi Theatre, publicity from the TV show had brought in £10 million in advance ticket sales,[19] leading to a five-month extension to the show's run and an extension of Mead's contract until June 2008.[20]
Mead's version of "Any Dream Will Do", along with "Close Every Door" performed by the three finalists, was released as a single to raise money for BBC Children in Need. It reached number two in the UK Singles Chart.
Fifth-placed Craig Chalmers was cast by Bill Kenwright as Joseph in the touring version of Joseph[22] from 20 August 2007. The tour was due to have its first night in Bromley, London, less than 24 km (about 15 miles) from the Adelphi, where Kenwright was co-producer. In Chalmers' last week before viewers voted him off the programme, Kenwright had told him: "You wowed the audience and please God you are here next week for the semi-final."[23] Chris Barton played Benjamin on the tour and at some matinees Joseph or the Narrator. He then went on to be a Swing in Spring Awakening in both Hammersmith and the Novello Theatre in the West End. Kenwright employed Chris Crosby on his national tour of Half a Sixpence opening on 28 August 2007 at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley.
Keith Jack joined the cast of the touring Joseph production with Chalmers and Barton. He played the Narrator, a part usually played by a woman though originally written for a male voice. His first official performance was on 1 October in Plymouth although he performed a couple of the final shows in High Wycombe on 28 and 29 September. In June 2010, Jack took the Dreamcoat from Chalmers and continued his role till May 2013.
In January 2008 Antony Hansen joined the cast of Kenwright's touring production of Joseph as a brother. During this time Kenwright formed a boy band named Dream On from the contestants on Any Dream Will Do. Hansen and fellow finalists Chalmers, Bradley, Crosby and Barton's debut album became a chart success in its first two weeks. In May 2008, Kenwright cast Hansen as Pharaoh in the national tour of Joseph. In January/February 2009 Hansen played the lead role of Joseph for Kenwright. Hansen joined the West End end cast of Les Misérables in June 2009 in the ensemble and first cover Marius. July 2009 saw Hansen and fellow Any Dream Will Do contestant Craig Chalmers finish recording their second album together with BK Productions – Saturday Night at the Movies.
Lewis Bradley was contracted by Lloyd Webber to play Joseph at the Adelphi Theatre during Mead's holiday absence, and possibly for an additional performance a week. Meanwhile, Ben James-Ellis (Ben Ellis, who adopted the name James-Ellis for Equity purposes) landed the role of Link Larkin in the UK premiere of Hairspray: The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre from 11 October 2007. Daniel Boys went on to land many roles including performing in the Royal Festival Hall's concert production of Sweeney Todd, Landor Theatre's I Love You Because and the lead role of Princeton in Avenue Q at the Noël Coward Theatre. He also took part in the cabaret If You've Got It Flaunt It at the West End's Trafalgar Studios in September 2007.
Rob McVeigh entered the United Kingdom selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. In a unique Joseph vs. Maria showdown, he lost the heat to his Maria counterpart Simona Armstrong.
Johndeep More went on to appear in Nevermind The Broadway and a pantomime Cinderella (with Crosby).[24]
Craig Chalmers was to appear as Prince Charming in a pantomime, but was sacked when it came to light that he had previously appeared in porn films.[25]
Criticism
In an interview with The Stage, the then-recently eliminated Daniel Boys questioned Andrew Lloyd Webber's stated aim of casting a Joseph outside the stereotype, "who's a bit of a Justin Timberlake, tiny touch of the Michael Jacksons and a bit of the Jude Laws,"[26] by pointing out that so far all the Josephs that were a bit outside of the traditional mould had been eliminated for exactly that reason.[27]
