After millions of viewers voted for Lee Mead to play Joseph on the West End stage, Craig and 10 other finalists were left to consider their future.

Theatre producer and judge Bill Kenwright had him in mind for the ideal part though – one he had been fighting for every week on the nation's screens – and he was finally given the chance to wear that coat of many colours in the touring production of Joseph.

Craig says: "I wasn't even aware there was this big tour of Joseph going on. It came as a surprise but it was nice to know Bill had enough faith in me that I was the other guy who could play Joseph.

"I was over the moon but it was quite a daunting prospect. I knew I would have to perform 10 shows a week every week in a different part of the country. It took me a little while to find my feet."

He has now starred in the production for more than 15 months with an estimated 600 to 700 shows to his name.

Craig admits: "It's given me a lot of experience and being able to lead the number one tour across the country is great for getting my face about."

The performer is already well known as a finalist on the TV talent competition, which saw him pitted against several performers including Scarborough star Ben Ellis.

He came fifth on the show and was sent home by Andrew Lloyd Webber after being voted into a sing-off with Ben.

Craig says: "The TV show was a huge success and being part of it was very special. To be picked from the thousands of people who auditioned and to make the top five meant a lot to me.

"I had been working for years doing gigs by myself and to get that kind of profile instantly on national TV was great."

Many of the contestants have now found fame in a range of productions with Ben starring in Hairspray and Daniel Boys in Avenue Q while Keith Jack joined the cast of the touring Joseph show with Craig and Chris Barton.

Craig says: "The others have done really well and I'm pleased for Ben. He and I always got on very well.

"He came to see Joseph recently when we were in Wimbledon and we had a good chat."

In 2003, Craig made it through to the final 50 contestants on Pop Idol, which was a different experience compared to the Joseph show.

He said: "You get looked after a bit better by the BBC doing the Joseph show. There was a bit of after-care, making sure you were set up with the right agents and people tried to help you move on to do something else."

When asked what makes Joseph so special to him, Craig says: "Just the sheer joy of it all. It's so popular with the enjoyment that the audience of all ages gets and the way they sing along at the end."