麻豆社

One fifth of Spandau Ballet, a Kray brother and an EastEnder, it’s safe to say that Martin Kemp knows a thing or two about the world of entertainment.

Spandau Ballet was one of the UK’s biggest bands in the 1980s, selling over 25 million albums and achieving ten Top 10 singles in their 11-year run. After the band went their separate ways Martin pursued an acting career, taking on the lead role of Reggie Kray in the movie The Krays, before spending four years in the nation’s living rooms playing Steve Owen on EastEnders.

It’s safe to say he’s been there, done that… and yet he’s somehow found time in his schedule to fit in some musical theatre! In 2015, Martin took on the role of the Childcatcher in a nationwide tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and more recently he played the role of Sam Phillips, the man who discovered Elvis, in the London leg of Million Dollar Quartet.

So how does he feel about being part of Let It Shine’s dazzling line-up of judges? The star claims he’s looking to pass on his experience to the contestants, but he knows there’ll be plenty of challenges ahead. “There’s one thing that it will take that they don’t know yet, and it’s perseverance.”

As our hopefuls line up to audition, what’s Martin on the lookout for? One word – Charisma. “Charisma is something we don’t really understand, we don’t know what it is,” he explains, “but when somebody walks into a room, we know we can’t take our eyes off them.”

Our eyes will certainly be glued to 麻豆社 One as a whole host of talented boys vie for a spot on the show, and of course, for Mr Kemp’s dynamic judging debut!