Alex Hogg
Alex, 27, lives in a small village just outside Leeds. He is a mechanical design engineer, designing surgical instruments and orthopaedic implants. He has been with his girlfriend, Kay, for almost four years.
Why did you enter Musicality?
'I wasn't going to at first, but my sister and girlfriend talked me into it. I recorded the audition video, a cappella, at about 11pm the night before the deadline. I thought to myself, "What have I got to lose?"'
Was it your first audition? Can you describe your feelings during the auditions?
'No, I've been doing amateur dramatics for three or four years now, so I've done a few auditions before.'
'I had absolutely no expectations of getting any further, I was just there to have fun, so to be honest there wasn't that much pressure to start with. It was weird having the cameras in your face, but after a while you forgot they were there.'
Have you ever appeared on stage before? If so, when?
'Yes, I'm a member of my local amateur dramatics society and so I have performed twice a year at Harrogate Theatre, for the past four years.'
What has been the best part about being involved in Musicality?
'Two things: getting the training from Mary, Gareth, Clive and Stacey was invaluable. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Also, meeting all the people, from the other contestants to the production crew, we had such a good laugh.'
And the worst?
'Making a fool of myself on national television.'
Do you always sing at parties?
'Always, but I have a tendency to sing very high, so I normally get laughed at for that!'
What has been the hardest thing to master – singing, dancing or acting?
'I wouldn't say I'd mastered any ... but probably acting, because I've not really had much exposure to it. I've done a lot of singing (mainly in the car) and a bit of dancing, but only little bits of acting here and there, so it's quite new to me.'
What have you learnt from the experts?
'I learned so much from all of them, it's difficult to sum up. The main thing I have realised is that there's much more to being on stage than just singing, acting and dancing.'
Tell us your most embarrassing moment so far on stage – either in Musicality or during another performance?
'I've not really had any howlers. Forgetting the odd line here and there and having to bluff my way through it is probably the worst. My first ever stage appearance (at age nine) was as a frog; looking back on it that was pretty embarrassing.'
Do you hope to carry on with performing?
'Without a doubt. Whether it's amateur or professional – I love to perform.'
