Is it just me or are the judging panel being generally unnecessarily harsh to Craig. To be honest, I consider his last 2 performances have been pretty darn good, and he is the only one who has shown continuous improvement week on week. He is also working so hard and yet the 2 women constantly put him down. I think he would make a very good Joseph and I feel sorry for him that he has to stand there and listen to that stuff constantly. He's not my favorite by the way, Lee is, but I reckon he most definitely should be getting credit for what he has, and continues to achieve week on week. I like Ben, but there is something I cant quite put my finger on that doesnt seem right, apart from the air of arrogance he seems to carry with him. I would put Lee and Craig in the final - one for being consistently the best, and the other for being consistently the best improved and hard working.

I think he's quite weak. His nasally voice is undermining the good work that he does.

I think he is the weakest contestant, and has the weakest voice. He works hard, and has a good work ethic but without this show i think he would certainly have struggled to get any theatre work. now, thanks to the show and the training they are giving him he may do.

I agree with the OP in some respects though in my final it'd be Lee and Ben.

For me Craig gets a tough ride ok he may not be completely there as Joseph but theres no need to slate him the way they do. His improvement is amazing when you look back on his first few live performances. Though he doesn't seem to get the same praise as the others do.

I feel more sorry for talented people with better voices who have already been bounced out (Seamus, Chris B, Daniel). I'm not enamoured of his rather pale, characterless sound (though it's better than Ben's). But he's reliable, and a good learner and I don't begrudge him his continued presence and hope he enjoys it.

I've really warmed to Craig over the last two weeks. He's not just messing around and trying to make other people look bad - he does his job, asks questions of the right people, and does the best with what he's given.

I don't see him as a leading man, but I think he'd be marvelous in an ensemble show. Listen to how well he blended with Lee and Daniel, then how he changed his voice completely when he was doing the little duet with Keith during "She Loves You." Give him something like "On The Town" and he'd GO to town.

Hi Sunshinecat I agree with you that Craig takes a pasting from the panel, but I keep remembering ALW's words that this competition was about "nurturing not torturing." He congratulated Rob for showing what the show was about.

If there is one man in there that's doing it - its Craig.(Although a big shout to Keith, for LIAA and Ben with BSS. Incredible improvements too)

I know he is easliy dismissed because of his 1) cabaret stlye 2) His 'nasally' voice 3) Lack of acting experience and 4) his orangeness !

But that man has me rivetted to the screen. He just has an aura around him (ready brek glow yeah i know lol) no, its like he is a man that everyone who knows him, likes him.
Bill hit it bang on the head last week (Bill - are you reading my Craig thread? when he said the one thing he couldn't teach was heart. And that's it. He is the one we are watching climb up this ladder - and I'm right behind him all the way. He soaks up things like a sponge and now he's got his confidence back, I think the real Craig Chalmers is about to step up to the challange He's proved tops at stamina, vocal performance is consistent and acting getting easier to perform each week. JohnB said Craig stood out for him in the Lee/Daniel ,and to me and many others he did too. He's very watchable!

Its nothing as juvenile as fancying him, though each week he gets lovelier looking its his gentle expression I like. Shows the happiness he has inside and its infectious. Six of my friends have all turned to McJoseph since TITM ! Yay. That's when they knew; when he showed how much passion he had inside to be accepted and given a chance, and given how hard he works he could do it. He needs tweaking and fine-tuning for sure - he has a way to go yet, but he's more than able and more than willing. He's worth a vote to see what he'll reveal next

I wish Zoe would open out his chest voice though! He's singing with his head voice woman - sort it out !

Craig is great, but he is definitely not ready for the West End stage.... sorry.

I also have warmed to Craig. I admire anyone who approaches his work with such a willingness to learn from those in a good position to teach him. So often there's a lack of real commitment from some contestants, but Craig has enough intelligence to know that what he learns in this competition can give him an opportunity to move his career on from club work.

I'm sure his hard work will pay off.

I think he seems like a nice enough guy , but theres no way he should still be in the contest when much better performers and stronger singers have been eliminated, hes very weak, dont know what ALWs thinking , but hes said all along he wants a poppy Joseph, and Craigs a pop singer he seems to be elliminating the good musical theatre Josephs , Daniel and Chris B , TBH id be a bit worried if I was Lee,

Please don't feel sorry for Craig,

here is a performer who is getting a crash course in musical theatre training in front of Xmillions a week and not only succeeding but going way past all expectations !

instead admire his quiet determination, courage and amazing focus and inner strength

I too noticed the lower tone in his duet lines with Keith and like it

and for the first time more of his personality came through when talking to Graham after his song

vote for Craig because he deserves to be in the last 5

I'm inclined to agree with you. At least he seems like a really sweet guy with a good attitude, but I know that's not really the point.

It's difficult not to warm to Craig I think, he is clearly such a nice guy and he is working so hard. I was so happy for him after his performance of 'this is the moment', cause I always suspected he had it in him, and he had it in spades then. This week's effort wasn't so great though.

Unless he pulls it out of the bag again, I'd say his days are numbered. Though he has come so far, he still has a long, long way to go before he could even be considered a threat to Lee. But I'm sure it's been a great experience for him.

stephen gately, donnie osmond, philip schofield and jason donovan have all played joseph.

craig chalmers is joseph

cue posts...

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...9&postcount=26

i have been watching 'any dream will do' since it started. the format is very entertaining. graham as host, the lord, the chorus of judges and the production values are all marvelous. i didn't have a favourite joseph until the sing off on saturday 5th may between you and chris barton. you both had to sing 'the long and winding road'. as you were singing, it began to dawn on me that you were joseph! i looked up digitalspy's 'any dream will do' forum and while i found very lengthy appreciation threads for the others at the top of page 1, i could find nothing for you? that was because you were on page two! the thread was started by the delightful trixiehobbit in your honour. what a clever hobbit while others had backed the hares, trixie backed the tortoise! i looked up your songs on youtube and put them on your appreciation thread for all to see. do you know you are getting a lot of attention from all around the world, for your version of 'this is the moment'? that was a sensational performance. so craig, i can only hope you cross that finishing line first. keep up the hard work because imo you are joseph and well done on getting this far.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...&postcount=217

craig tries the coat of many colours..it fits
http://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/...ngs/joseph.png

Totally agree with this. He's unlikely to make the necessary improvement in the rather short time available (doesn't Joseph open about 4 weeks after this show ends?), but I do applaud his obvious desire to learn everthing he possibly can from the experience. It would have been very easy for him to take the Chris B confidence loss route, and he hasn't. Still don't think he'll win mind you ...

Laurie : re Black and White if you watch it again you will see all the other Josephs on their feet at the end clapping !

I think whoever got that song would have struggled with it and actually the more you watch it the more you can see how well he did.

Yeah, you're right, it was a difficult song to pull off and who knows whether any of the others would have done any better. I hope, for his sake that ALW starts giving him better choices, cause he's really going to need to be spectacular in the next couple of weeks if he's going to pull it off.

i agree...i could never make out half the words, when i hear
michael jackson sing it..top marks craig it was a great vocal

I'm glad he had the chance to do that performance and show what he could do.

I think he's excellent when working in a group.

I think Craig is fantastic- not my Joseph but still fantastic. he gives his all every single week and like Keith the lack of experience is showing compared to the others in the group songs but both are having the most amazing time and will not go away empty handed I am sure, if not Joseph there will be other work for them

They're will

Seeing TITM, you can see exactly what he's capable of .

John B's voice cracks with emotion in his Yes yes yes critique and he said he brought them all to tears. You could see them.

ALW says Craig is a leopard (yay!) who's really changed his spots. Phenomenal. - and then he says this is what the competition is about, nurturing not torturing....

It's that Craig glow, everyone feels it in the end

No, I don't think Craig has been treated harshly or overly criticised. He's quite weak, he has improved, don't get me wrong, and he really is a tryer but he's lacking *something* IMO.

is it envy?

nah its vanity surely He's probably too modest.

If he still gets a negative from DVO this week I guess he'll bite back. Wouldn't blame him. He's worthy of being there.

The whole package is what the gbp are voting for it seems; a stunning voice just hasn't appealed oddly enough. I definitely don't rule out the possibility of Craig having even more appeal to be Joseph if he gives us a belter this week - his confident side must be coming out this week, now Daniel has sadly gone. There is a place now in that final that they, and we, thought was taken. Now its up for grabs, and don't we know what a determined character Craig is when he's pushing himself

>>>trundles off singing "through the barricades..."