Alan Fletcher

Thursday, January 11 2007, 13:03 GMT

By Kris Green, Soaps Editor

Iconic Neighbours star Alan Fletcher became the sixth singer to get the boot from Soapstar Superstar last night.

Following his performance of Elton John's 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me', Erinsborough's Dr Karl found himself fighting to stay in the competition after landing in the bottom two with Coronation Street's Tupele Dorgu.

In continuing our exclusive daily coverage, Digital Spy catches up with Alan who tells us how much he's enjoyed his song choices, what he thought about his performances and reveals how the vocal coaches gave him a slap on the wrist before the competition.

What have you thought to your song choices since the show started?
"Oh, I've had fantastic songs all along; 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters', 'Tears in Heaven' and I would have done 'Eternity' by Robbie Williams last night if I'd have stayed on. Because I'm in a rock and roll band, I'd have loved to have been able to show how I can rock out and I think I was one show away from getting a rock tune. It's all good, though, and all the songs I was given were wonderful and they were a good test for me, too."

And what did you think to your performances?
"I was happy with about 50% of what I did. I got some wonderful feedback from the judges about the vocal work. Because of the type of songs I was singing, they didn't fit in a natural part of my voice in many cases, so they were a bit of a stretch for me. There were a couple of bum notes running around that I'd like to have picked up. Ironically, I gave up smoking about four weeks ago and that plays mayhem with your voice. The vocal coaches slapped me around the ears, saying 'you're crazy to have stopped smoking just before a competition'. I'm not crazy to have stopped smoking, though, I must say."

What has been your thoughts on the judges comments? Do you think they've been fair?
"I think they've actually been more than fair and to me, they've been extremely kind. Obviously in some situation the judges comments are designed to try and get the audience revved up or to provide entertainment for the audience at home but, in general, I think they've have been extremely constructive, fair and reasonable. I think the addition on Michael Ball onto the panel this year and having that second vocal judge has been superb and has lifted the quality of feedback. And, of course, he's coaching everybody tonight in the West End musical songs they're having to perform, with David Gest as a special guest!"

You're recorded a song for the Soapstar Superstar CD haven't you?
"I've recorded Tear In Heaven for the CD. I haven't heard it yet, so I hope it's alright."

How much pressure is it to learn a song in 24 hours? Is it as much pressure as everyone's claiming?
"Well I invite anybody out there to give it a go. It is incredible pressure. Particularly even more so was the medley last night in which everybody acquitted themselves brilliantly but to learn songs that you don't know… I was going to do a Tom Jones medley and learn three songs I didn't know at all. I was still desperately trying to learn the lyrics just before the show started last night. It's probably a God send that the public didn't get to hear me sing it because I'd have probably forgotten it!"

Do you think being in a band made the competition easier for you?
"It almost makes no difference at all. In the band you're performing Indie-rock songs to a live audience on a stage and it's got a completely different feel to it than performing to cameras. This was a very new experience for me and one of the reasons I did the competition was to learn how to play to cameras in a television environment. If I performed in Soapstar Superstar as I do live on stage when I'm gigging, I think it would have been dreadful."

Are you going to keep touring with your band after the competition?
"Absolutely. Back to Melbourne and the boys. I was e-mailing the boys all last week because we're in the process of writing some new material and I'll be back gigging on January 22 in Melbourne. We'll probably come back and tour again at the end of this year I should think, November/December. And hopefully we'll be putting out a live album some stage this year."

Now the competition's passed the half way stage, what's the atmosphere like backstage?
"Surprisingly relaxed. The contestants are so tired and so overwhelmed with the amount of work they have to do and the pressure that there's a quiet resignation backstage. Those of us who are no longer singing in the show come in on a night and we're all chirpy because we've had a reasonably restful day and we see these poor tired people about to go on stage. They're troopers and brilliant performers. When those lights go on at 9 o'clock, you watch the way they sparkle."

Who do you think will go tonight? Tupele or Gemma?
"I Can't call it, I'm afraid. It's impossible because I don’t know who's voting. Look at Tupele. This is her fourth time unsafe which means that when people have been given a 10-minute window in which to ring up and vote, I suspect the Corrie fans have been voting for Antony and then when they find Tupele's unsafe, they come out and vote again in their hoards and make her safe the following night. Gemma, of course, is a very high-profile person. Both of them are singing superbly and I'm just glad I don't have to make any decisions. I think they all deserve to be there."

And who do you want to win?
"I'll be honest with you. I have an enormous admiration for the young Mark Furze - not just because he's an Australian. I've seen the boy perform on many-a-different medium. I think he sets the vocal standard of the show very high because he can sing in lots of genres, a beautiful voice, a cheeky personality and he's a very good looking young lad who could more than likely go on to be a superstar, so I'd like to see Mark do very well.

"I adore Hayley, I think she's done wonderfully. There are five people there and trying to draw a line between them is quite hideous at the thought of doing it."

Digitalspy.co.uk

I have to say that Fletch, who plays Dr Kennedy in the soap Neighbours, came across as an extremely modest sort of person.

His version of Bridge Over Troubled Waters, the Simon & Garfunkel classic, was superb.