YOU can’t help but like Joe McElderry, he’s just one of those bubbly personalities who always seems so positive.

But then he’s got a lot to be positive about. He’s certainly come a long way since winning the X Factor in 2011with a strong of chart hits and albums to his name, great success on several reality TV shows and also as a musical theatre star.

For the last 18 months, Joe has been donning the famed coat of many colours in a hit musical which was first performed almost 50 years ago.

Joe has become Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat but his time in the role is finally coming to an end.

“We’re coming to the end of the tour now, we’ve only got about six weeks left before we wrap everything up and it’s quite sad,” said Joe who brings the show to Manchester next week.

“I’ve had such a wonderful year-and-a-half doing the show and the audiences have been incredible.”

Originally written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice as a school production, Joseph has become one of the most popular stage musicals.

“The music is great, the storyline is great, it’s so catchy,” said Joe. “I think it has that combination of all those things which make for a great show.

“At the end of the day most people, when they come to a concert or the theatre, just want to have a great time – they don’t want anything too heavy, they want a release from the crazy world we all live in at the minute.”

Having been in one role for so long, has his performance changed over time?

“I suppose the more you do it, the more you embellish certain parts,” he said.

“But you are always progressing as a performer. I don’t really think I’ve consciously tried to change the way I play the role but with experience, you do develop.

“The more you do it the more natural and second nature it becomes which makes it easier in a sense.”

But Joe has been very keen not to let any complacency slip in.

“We’ve been doing 10 shows a week,” he said, “and you have to be very aware about your performance levels when you are doing so many shows.

“It would be very easy to slip into autopilot for some shows and that would be a huge mistake.

“Because I’m on stage so much during the week you can almost become too relaxed about it. So before I go on stage, I always gee myself up.”

Still only 26, Joe was just 18 when he beat Olly Murs in the live final of X Factor and his debut single, The Climb, topped the charts.

Since then he has released five top 20 albums and become the undisputed king of reality TV, winning both Popstar to Opera Star and The Jump.

The Joseph tour ends in December with a fortnight at Newcastle Arena in Joe’s native North East.

“I’ve seen so many people playing there when I was growing up and I’ve been lucky enough to play there in my own concerts and with the X Factor live show,” he said. “But to be able to go back with this show makes it really special. Normally you only get to play there for one night, which makes it even more special really.”

With the show coming to an end Joe hopes he can come away with a special souvenir.

“I hope I can keep the coat,” he said. “They made it for especially me, so I’m hoping that I can maybe pack it in my case at the end. It would be a nice memento.”

After the run ends Joe has promised himself some time off.

“I plan to have a bit of chill time and recharge the batteries.” he said. “I haven’t really been able to do that this year as I’ve only had the odd week off so I really need to take care of myself, I want to spend some time with family and friends and appreciate the normal things in life and then I’ll be raring to go again with new projects.”

As a former winner of X Factor, Joe is the ideal person to give some advice to this year’s hopefuls including bookies’ favourite Grace Davies from the Ribble Valley.

“I haven’t seen her on the show but did see her audition because my mam texted me about her and said YouTube her as she’s brilliant,” he said.

“It is when they get to the live shows that the real hard work starts.

“Grace and all the others who get through have just got to get their heads down and knuckle down, work hard and make sure you’ve got the right people around them.

“You don’t want to get too far ahead of the game and just pace herself.

“Grace is clearly very talented and I’m sure she will do very well and I wish her all the luck in the world.”

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Palace Theatre, Manchester, Tuesday, October 17 to Saturday, October 21. Details from 0844 871 3019 or www.atgtickets.com