'Any Dream Will Do': Craig Chalmers

Smiling is good. We all like to flash a nice grin, right? Sometimes when we spot someone else smiling as we walk down the street it makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But imagine losing your job just because you smiled. 'That's ridiculous!' we hear you shriek, but that's pretty much what happened to Craig Chalmers on Saturday. The 25-year-old was eliminated from Any Dream Will Do after Andrew Lloyd Webber objected to the beaming showbiz grin he flashed during his rendition of Elvis' 'Suspicious Minds'. We caught up with the thwarted hopeful to find out what went wrong, what he wants to do in the future, and whether he's still, ahem, smiling.

How are you feeling about being eliminated on Saturday?
"I feel good mate, yeah. I watched the show back last night and I'm quite happy with how it went. I'm obviously really disappointed not to have made the final because I got so close, but I think in general to get so far and to learn so much, it's been a fantastic journey and I'm grateful for getting so far."

What do you think was your undoing?
"Andrew Lloyd-Webber seemed a bit concerned that I smiled at the end of the song, but that was the plan anyway. That was what I was always intending to do. If a smile's enough to evict me then I suppose it's better to go out that way than have them saying I was a rubbish singer on the night or something like that."

Do you find it frustrating to have been eliminated from a musical theatre competition for smiling. Surely being able to flash a beaming theatrical grin is an integral part of the job?
"I was a bit confused, yeah, because that was what the plan was. I worked with Bill Kenwright on the routine and he encouraged me just to go for it and work the audience with the last part of the song. That's what I did - I acted most of it. With that kind of song, it's a fun song and the audience liked it, so I just wanted to go for it and let the audience have some fun. But these things happen: you don't dwell on that; you've got to respect Andrew's decision. On the night he chose Ben. I was fortunate enough to be saved twice in previous weeks."

Do you feel you learned a lot on the show?
"I learned an incredible amount, which was great. I can't even tell you how much I learned - it was unbelievable. I know that I had my work cut out because I hadn't acted before. For a boy coming from Scotland as a cabaret singer to be performing musical theatre by the end was fantastic. My philosophy was just to listen and learn and to work as hard as possible."

What was the highlight of your Any Dream Will Do experience?
"The week I sang 'This Is My Moment' was a great turning point for me. It showed that I did actually come a long way from cabaret and was able to pull off one of the biggest musical theatre songs around."

Who do you think will win the competition?
"Lee. Lee's going to win. I just think he's too strong overall. You know, the other guys are all a bit younger, but Lee's got the maturity and the all-round performance skills and professionalism. The other guys have got their work cut out if they want to beat him."

Did you get on with the other Josephs?
"If I'm going to be honest, I think the last week when there was five of us, it did get a little bit tense. Not from my side, 'cause I like to have fun, enjoy myself and be part of the boys, but I felt like some of the other guys started going into their own shell a bit that week. I suppose that's what you would expect at that stage of the competition. Obviously you get close to the finals and you start thinking about the prize more than ever. People just react to that in different ways. We still all got along together and we had a lot of fun, but the schedule got busier as well. It meant there wasn't much time for fun. It was all work, work, work."

What are your aims for the future?
"Obviously I would love to work in the West End now or in musical theatre in some capacity. I feel like I've grown up a lot and managed to prove myself throughout the competition. I hope there's something in there for me, definitely."

You were a cabaret performer before you auditioned for Any Dream Will Do. Do you want to return to cabaret now that your time on the show has come to an end?
"The thing is I fell in love with the theatre while I was in London. I've seen some amazing shows and it's something I would love to be a part of for my future. I've been involved in pop for the last five years. You know, I'm 25 now and you can have a long, credible career in musical theatre whereas pop is a little more short-lived."

Is there any particular musical you'd like to star in?
"I don't have a particular musical that I would say, 'That's the one I want to be in'. It's relatively new to me, musical theatre, and it's something that I've embraced. I would take any offer of a role seriously. Of course, it would have to be right for me, though."

Any Dream Will Do continues on Saturday at 8.05pm on BBC One.