Starstruck | Interview with Jason Manford

What can viewers expect from Starstruck?

It’s a big Saturday night ball of fun really. It’s singing, it’s dancing, it’s pyrotechnics, it’s laughs. It’s a perfect hour of entertainment.

What do you think you’ll bring to the panel of judges?

I like to think that I’m a bit of a laugh. I hope to not be taking it too seriously and enjoy the fun of it all. But at the same time, I love music and I’m a singer and actor as well so I’ll be looking at how good people are at getting into their roles and the character they’re going to become.

What do you think your fellow judges bring to the panel?

Adam is the lead singer of Queen so he’s looking for showmanship and knows how to work an audience and a crowd. Sheridan – a BAFTA award winning actress – she’s looking to see how well people find the little nuances of their character and how they become that person. And then Beverley is the queen of voice! She’s looking for how similar the voices are to the original artists.

What are you looking for in the contestants’ performances?

I’m mainly looking for whether they’re enjoying themselves and if they’re having a good time. If they’re having a good time, we’re having a good time.

Out of the four of you, who do you think gives the toughest critiques?

I would say Adam is the hardest one to please. Generally, we’re there to celebrate and enjoy it. It’s not like other shows where you feel like you need to critique their performance. They’re already brilliant singers, it’s whether they sound the same as the original.

If you could transform yourself into another music icon, who would it be and why?

With a bit of rehearsal I would probably do Neil Diamond. I reckon I could do a good Neil Diamond. I can do parodies of the Gallagher brothers and Gary Barlow – any Northern singer.

What excites you the most about performing on the stage in front of an audience?

I just love people enjoying themselves. It sounds cliche but to bring joy to somebody is such a special thing to be able to do. To let somebody forget about their tough day for even an hour or so is such a nice gift to be able to give to people.

What advice would you give to the contestants that are performing?

Do your homework. Listen to the artist that you’re trying to be and look at the little moves and moments that might even feel subliminal to people not concentrating. But really it’s about enjoying yourself and letting go a little bit. If you’ve done enough prep and hard-work and rehearsed it a lot then you should be able to enjoy yourself on stage without worrying about it too much. The final performance should be an accumulation of your accomplishments!

Can you remember the first time you performed on stage? What song did you perform?

I sang an Elvis [Presley] song when I was about nine. My family were all in bands and stuff so the grandkids would get called up on stage and we would all sing different songs. Most kids would sing songs of the time but I would always like a really old Elvis song to sing.

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given throughout your career?

That you’re supposed to feel nervous. People feel that nerves are this debilitating thing meaning people can’t do it but you’re supposed to feel nervous before you go out on stage in front of loads of people. It means you care about the result and that you want it to go well. If you’re not nervous, that’s when there might be something wrong with you!

Have you ever been starstruck from meeting any celebrities?

I still get a bit starstruck in general from meeting people but usually it’s like footballers, when you meet your heroes. I’m not even a Manchester United fan but I was terrified when I met Sir Alex Ferguson once. I was genuinely scared of this terrifying man.

Have you been surprised with any of the talent so far?

I haven’t just been surprised by the talent, I’ve been surprised by the warmth of the contestants. They’ve really formed a real bond with each other – these three Elton Johns, these three Tina Turners or these three Rag’n’Bone Men – they’ve worked together and rehearsed together. There is something really special about that which I really like. I loved growing up with Stars In Their Eyes and this show is Stars In Their Eyes 2.0. It’s the same warmth and joy that Stars In Their Eyes brought but you couldn’t get away with that now as people are expecting someone to fly in from the ceiling and there to be dancers and pyrotechnics, lights and staging! You have to think ‘How can we take this to the next level?’ And that’s what we’ve really done on this show.