The Exmouth Journal reports:

A LITTLEHAM teenager has become one of thousands of hopefuls auditioned to become the next Andrew Lloyd Webber West End star.

Exeter College student Alistair, who played the lead role of Marius in the West End’s 20th anniversary performance of Les Miserables, said: “I read about the show in the paper and saw the BBC was launching a search for Joseph so I went on the internet and found out the nearest auditions were in Cardiff. The experience is going to be great.”

After last year’s success of Solving a Problem like Maria, which catapulted telesales girl Connie Fisher to stardom in the Sound of Music, Andrew Llloyd Webber said he was again looking for raw talent to turn into a superstar.

“I’m looking for someone with star quality, real charisma, to hold that show in what is a really complex character,” he said.

“There hasn’t been a male rock superstar cast in a role for some time and that’s what I’m looking for – somebody like Justin Timberlake.

“The character of Joseph is very difficult to cast.

“He has to be nauseatingly gorgeous so you understand why the brothers throw him into the pit, and we have to be convinced of the journey he goes on and the value of forgiveness. It’s a tough call.

“The contest will be very open. I want as diverse a mix on stage as possible. Because so many people have sung Joseph at school, everybody will have an opinion on who they think makes a great Joseph, which makes the competition, very exciting.”

l Any Dream Will Do, hosted by Graham Norton, on BBC1, begins on Saturday (March 31) at 7.45pm.