Alfie Boe would love to be a telly baddie

Mr Selfridge role has inspired Alfie Boe to head in a different direction.

Alfie Boe would love to be a telly baddie. The acclaimed singer makes his screen acting debut in this week’s Mr Selfridge.

And Alfie has told The Sunday Post that it’s given him a desire to branch out in a whole new direction.

“Now that I’ve shown people what I’ve done on Mr Selfridge, it’s a great opportunity to pursue it further,” the Lancashire-born star confided.

“I’d like to play lots of different characters. I love my comedy but I also like playing darker characters. I don’t know why but the villain, the real baddie, is something that really appeals to me.”

Alfie’s already dipped his toe into dark waters having played Jean Valjean, the tough guy hero of Les Miserables, in the smash hit stage musical.

“There were lots of different colours and textures to his character,” says Alfie, who recently admitted to a booze battle.

“Initially he’s a convict, a rough, raw guy who doesn’t care. He comes across as the villain, a criminal.

“But later on in life he becomes a dignitary and then has the fragility of an old gentleman. So there are a lot of stages he goes through.”

Alfie enthuses about the big break Mr Selfridge could give him. But although he plays a singer, just like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in Downton Abbey, he’s no acting novice like the New Zealand opera star.

“I’ve done lots of acting courses and have also worked with great directors who’ve demanded a lot as a singer able to act.

“So when they offered me this part I absolutely jumped at it. I have a lot of musical commitments but you don’t think, ‘I can’t do it because I’m too busy’. You just make time.

“It’s great to be singing on TV again but it’s brilliant to be doing some acting, too.”

Alfie crops up in ITV’s department store period drama as tenor Richard Chapman, an old friend of Katherine Kelly’s Lady Mae Loxley.

She asks him to perform at a charity concert to benefit First World War troops. And as a fan of Corrie, Alfie says sharing the screen with a soap hero was an extra thrill.

“She was so helpful,” adds Alfie. “She’s a great actress and a wonderful lady. It’s such a different role from Corrie and it shows just how clever she is.”

While Alfie’s really keen for more acting roles, he’s not giving up the day job, with an upcoming arena tour, including Glasgow’s SSE Hydro in December.