Nick's on board for a ship-load of fun

Former builder Nick Walton (26) gave up working with scaffolding for singing on the high seas six years ago and has just finished work on Sky 1’s new reality programme Showboaters as a singing mentor.

The new show, dubbed “The X Factor of the cruising world” is partly produced by Yorkshire-based PEEL Entertainment, which organises live entertainment for the Thomson fleet of cruise ships.

Nick knows all about X-Factor-style talent shows, having made it through to the final 50 of the real thing in 2006.

Showboaters sees ten amateur entertainers battle it out on board Thompson’s flagship cruise liner, Dream in front of PEEL entertainment experts and the show team.

The winner, to be revealed at the end of the series, will win a place with the ship’s entertainment team this winter as it sails around the Caribbean.

Nick, formerly of Whiston, has worked as a cruise entertainer for six years and said that it was a “great experience” being part of the show.

He said: “I was basically mentor to the final ten contestants, showing them the ropes of how to perform on a cruise ship.

“It was a real experience teaching people the discipline required to be a cruise ship performer.

“The best thing to come out of a show like this is enhancing the reputation of cruise ship performers, because they get an awful press.

“The fact is, this industry is booming at the moment.”

Filmed earlier this year by production company Fresh One, the show features a trio of judges—Stephen Guy, Mollie Daley and Nick Alexander—who have been billed as the Seven Seas’ answer to Simon Cowell and co.

Nick was offered a job on a ship during his time in the X Factor audition process and credits the TV talent show with reigniting his passion for singing.

“I’ve been singing since I was eight but when I finished my GCSEs I lost interest in it,” he said.

“The competition changed my views on singing totally and really changed my life.

“I met so many different people like Shane Ward and Alexandra Burke, it was fantastic.

“It definitely gets you noticed but a lot of it is understandably for television—I’m not sure I would do it again.”

Showboaters begins on Tuesday on Sky One and is due to run for eight weeks.