HIGHLIGHTS Alfie doesn’t drink so I do it for him. He eats... and I put the weight on

Alfie Boe and Michael Ball have joined forces for an album, tour and TV special. But despite their harmonious voices, the pair couldn’t be more different, as finds out Royal College of Music and the National Opera Studio, avoids watching his own work on screen.

“You can’t do anything about it once it’s recorded, and it’s going to be broadcast. If there’s something better on the other side, I’d sooner watch that. I don’t watch myself on TV. I do watch Crimewatch, just in case I’m on there...”

They usually share a dressing room and eat together, but before a gig, Michael will have a quick lie-down, while Alfie strums on his guitar.

Downtime is spent recharging their batteries – so no wild nights or TVs thrown out of hotel room windows...

“It’s really about just gathering your strength and indulging yourself a little bit on your days off. I think towards the end of the tour, we might get a little bit more frisky, that’s my feeling,” says Michael , 54.

“Alfie doesn’t drink, so I do his for him. It’s my duty to make up for him. The other weird thing is that Alfie does all the eating; I’ve never seen anyone eat more in my entire life. He eats it and I put the weight on.”

Alfie’s wife, eight-year-old daughter and four-year-old son live across the pond in Utah, and the star, 43, admits spending large chunks of the year away from them is a struggle.

“We FaceTime four or five times a day, usually on school drop-off,