| Any Dream Will Do | |
|---|---|
| Format | Talent show |
| Created by | Andrew Lloyd Webber Bea Ballard |
| Presented by | Graham Norton |
| Judges | Andrew Lloyd Webber John Barrowman Denise van Outen Bill Kenwright Zoe Tyler |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 11 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | BBC Entertainment |
| Running time | 30–90mins |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC One, BBC HD |
| Picture format | 16:9, HDTV 1080i |
| Original run | 31 March 2007 – 9 June 2007 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? (2006) |
| Followed by | I'd Do Anything (2008) |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Any Dream Will Do, often known as 'Joseph', was a 2007 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom. It searched for a new, unknown lead to play Joseph in a West End revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
The show was hosted by Graham Norton, who announced Lee Mead as the winner of the final public telephone vote on 9 June 2007.
It was the second West-End talent show to be produced by the BBC/Andrew Lloyd Webber, after How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?. Further Talent shows in the series have aired, with I'd Do Anything completing in 2008 and Over the Rainbow which ran in April/May 2010.
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 this show.
It is speculated that a Canadian Edition will be produced in the wake of Mirvish Production's production of the same musical.
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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:
The first week of the show documented the initial auditions where one hundred hopefuls, from thousands, were called back to London. This was further whittled-down by the panel of judges to fifty contestants who would enter Andrew Lloyd-Webber's "Joseph School". However, two additional entrants were selected over this fifty contestant limit after they went to Lloyd Webber's personal studio for a second audition.
In the second week, the fifty 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, twenty-three were eliminated and only twenty eight remained. On the third day, another eight men were eliminated, leaving only twenty 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 twelve were then taken through to the live studio finals.
The twelve 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 each week. 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.
There were some variations from this format:
The success of the programme prompted the BBC to extend the series by an extra week (week nine),[4] 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%).[5]
In the final, over three million votes were cast with Lee Mead being announced as the winner.[6] He sang "Any Dream Will Do" to close the series and his prize was six months in the lead role of a revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in London's West End.
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").
| Finalist | Age | From | Coat Colour | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Crosby | 18 | Nottingham | Burgundy | Eliminated 1st in week 1 |
| Johndeep More | 23 | Birmingham | Lime Green | Eliminated 2nd in week 2 |
| Antony Hansen | 17 | Abingdon | Pastel Blue | Eliminated 3rd in week 3 |
| Seamus Cullen | 35 | London | Green | Eliminated 4th in week 3 |
| Chris Barton | 20 | Ormskirk | Lilac | Eliminated 5th in week 4 |
| Rob McVeigh | 24 | Rotherham | Turquoise | Eliminated 6th in week 5 |
| Daniel Boys | 28 | London | Purple | Eliminated 7th in week 6 |
| Craig Chalmers | 25 | Edinburgh | Dark Blue | Eliminated 8th in week 7 |
| Ben Ellis | 18 | Scarborough | Orange | Eliminated 9th in week 8 |
| Lewis Bradley | 18 | Middlesbrough | Light Blue | Third place |
| Keith Jack | 19 | Dalkeith | Yellow | Second place |
| Lee Mead | 25 | Southend-on-Sea | Red | Winner |
The following is in reverse chronological order by elimination date.
Each week the show was opened by a group performance of a song from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with a second group song being performed after all the solo performances.
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Week Seven
Week Eight
Week Nine
Week One (14 April 2007)
The bottom two were Ben Ellis and Chris Crosby, with Chris receiving the lowest number of votes from the public. In the sing-off, they had to sing the Simon and Garfunkel song "Bridge over Troubled Water". Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save Ben and send Chris home.
Week Two (21 April 2007)
The bottom two were Chris Barton and Johndeep More, with Chris receiving the lowest number of votes from the public. In the sing-off, they had to sing The Beatles song "Let It Be". Lloyd Webber chose to save Chris and send Johndeep home.
Week Three (28 April 2007)
In the first show, the bottom two were Antony Hansen and Craig Chalmers, with Craig receiving the lowest number of votes from the public. In the sing-off, they had to sing the song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams. Lloyd Webber chose to save Craig and send Antony home.
In the second show, the bottom two were Seamus Cullen and Ben Ellis, with Seamus receiving the lowest number of votes from the public. In the sing-off, they had to sing "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by The Hollies. Ben was saved by Lloyd Webber due to his emotional performance and Seamus was sent home. Upon hearing that he was being sent home, a clearly surprised Seamus said: "The words 'conspiracy theory' spring to mind." 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."
Week Four (5 May 2007)
The bottom two were Chris Barton and Craig Chalmers, with Chris receiving the lowest number of votes from the public. In the sing-off, they had to sing The Beatles song "The Long and Winding Road". Lloyd Webber chose to save Craig and send Chris home. Chris successfully sang the farewell song but later said he was disappointed that Lloyd Webber chose Craig over him. Lloyd Webber said that the public may not wish to pay the price to watch Joseph if Chris had won the part.
Week Five (12 May 2007)
The bottom two were Rob McVeigh and Lewis Bradley, with Rob receiving the lowest number of votes from the public. In the sing-off, they had to sing "Tell Me It's Not True" from the musical Blood Brothers. Lloyd Webber chose to save Lewis and send Rob home.
Week Six (19 May 2007)
The bottom two were Daniel Boys and Lewis Bradley, with Daniel receiving the lowest number of votes from the public. In the sing-off, they had to sing "Bring Him Home" from the musical Les Misérables. Lloyd Webber chose to save Lewis and send Daniel home.
Week Seven (26 May 2007)
The bottom two were Ben Ellis and Craig Chalmers, with Ben receiving the lowest number of votes from the public. In the sing-off, they had to sing Barry Manilow's "I Made It Through The Rain". Lloyd Webber chose to save Ben and send Craig home.
Week Eight (2 June 2007)
The bottom two were Ben Ellis and Lewis Bradley, with Ben receiving the lowest number of votes from the public. In the sing-off, they had to sing "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical Les Misérables. Lloyd Webber chose to save Lewis and send Ben home.
Week Nine (9 June 2007)
First to go out and finishing in third place was Lewis Bradley. Keith Jack was the second to be voted out of the final, confirming Lee Mead as the winner of the competition.
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,[7] leading to a five-month extension to the show's run and an extension of Mead's contract until June 2008.[8]
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.
His first public performance after the win was on 1 July 2007 at the Concert for Diana at London's Wembley Stadium, where he sang "Any Dream Will Do" with former Joseph actors Donny Osmond and Jason Donovan.
Mead, along with the winner, Connie Fisher and last five runners-up of the previous Lloyd-Webber reality show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? starred in a one-off Christmas Eve special on BBC One entitled When Joseph Met Maria.[9]
Fifth-placed Craig Chalmers was cast by Bill Kenwright as Joseph in the touring version of Joseph[10] 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."[11] 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 west end. Kenwright employed Chris Crosby on his new 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 Craig and Chris 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. He has now finished playing this role. He was recording an album to be released in early 2008 with a single from it issued in time for Christmas.
In January 2008 Antony Hansen joined the cast of Bill Kenwright's touring production of Joseph as a brother. During this time Bill Kenwright formed a boy band named 'Dream On' to celebrate the phenomenal talent witnessed 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, Bill Kenwright cast Hansen as Pharaoh in the National Tour of Joseph. In January / February 2009 Hansen played the lead role of Joseph for Bill Kenwright. Hansen joined the west 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 2nd 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 Noel 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.
Johndeep More went on to appear in Nevermind The Broadway and a pantomime Cinderella (with Crosby).[12]
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,"[13] by pointing out that so far all the Josephs that were a bit outside of the traditional mould have been eliminated for exactly that reason.[14]
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