JONATHAN Ansell is making a welcome return to Plymouth as he takes on the lead role in Whistle Down the Wind.

The opera singer, who shot to fame when he appeared on X Factor with former band G4, said he is looking forward to returning to the city where he bought his wife's engagement ring.

Jonathan is staring as The Man in Bill Kenwright's critically acclaimed production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's Whistle Down the Wind at Plymouth's Theatre Royal.

Since his childhood days, Jonathan has dreamed of working in musical theatre and is enjoying his first experience.

The play is set in an evangelical community and centres around children's naivety at believing someone could be Jesus Christ.

"That someone is an escaped convict played by me," he said.

"I have been convicted of murder, have escaped from prison and am on the run. The character is blood-stained and dishevelled."

He added: "I have grown my hair out and I have a beard. I am a totally different character on stage to how I have been seen before."

Jonathan continued: "This is the first musical theatre I have done since school.

"It is something I am loving and want to stay in and enjoy for some time in to the future."

Jonathan has already pinpointed some characters he would love to play.

"My ultimate dream is to play Jean Valjean in Les Misérables.

"It is something I have seen so many times, I would love to play that role," he said.

"There are plenty of roles that work with my voice type and the character I am now developing on stage."

Jonathan was brought up in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. Both his parents were primary school teachers, and he was influenced by his mother's tapes of Pavarotti and the Three Tenors.

Aged eight, he joined the West Sussex Boys' Choir.

Then, after a show-stopping performance of Love Changes Everything at a choral society concert in Littlehampton, his local MP, who was in the audience, arranged for him to have a preliminary audition at the Guildhall.

He won a place two years later, and it was during his happy student days that he started busking in Covent Garden with friends, to make ends meet.

Along with three friends he formed the pop opera group G4 who shot to fame in the X Factor, but split in 2007.

On the show, Jonathan quickly became the stand-out favourite of the fans causing some tension within the group.

"We were a four-part harmony group, then all of a sudden Louis and Simon said Jonathan you are taking the lead, you are standing at the front.

"I think because my hair got died so blond and the other guys were so dark I did stand out. But I didn't realise what was going on at the time."

He added: "Pressure did build as time went on. Some of the guys wanted more involvement with some of the tracks. But we had a great mutual respect."

He added: "Professionally, I don't miss them. We are still great mates, but we all wanted to go different ways professionally."

Straight after G4 split Jonathan landed a record deal and has released two successful albums, Tenor at the Movies and Forever.

"It has been exciting since G4 split," he said.

"I always knew G4 wasn't forever. I hoped that I could have a solo career and hoped that off the back of that I could then get into musical theatre.

"It was always a dream of mine and is something I am really privileged to now have started on."

JENNA RICHARDS