HE became known as the country’s best Elton John impersonator after singing to the nation on prime time television every Saturday night. But after seven years the time has come for Weymouth’s Ed Hintze to ditch the flashy glasses and flamboyant costumes for good. He tells The Guide’s Joanna Davis why he will be saying Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and going back to ‘being Ed’

IT all started when Ed Hintze auditioned for The One and Only, a BBC1 Saturday night show designed to find the country’s best tribute act.

Hosted by Graham Norton, it featured the vocal coaching talents of Cary and David Grant and regularly attracted more than six million viewers in 2008.

Wey Valley School music teacher Ed said: “I was part of a Tina Turner tribute band and we needed something else to pad the shows out.

“Someone said to me, ‘You sound a lot like Elton John’ so I incorporated Elton into the show.

“I got a special glittery jacket made and during that time I saw an advert asking for people to audition for The One and Only.

“I went along to the audition and there were 40 or 50 Elton Johns in the room!

“I did my first audition then had a phone call to say I had got through to the last 10 Eltons, then I got to the last three, then I was chosen to go through to the heats.”

Ed, 42, made it to a line-up of tribute acts to international superstars. Among the final 10 were a Cher tribute act and a Dusty Springfield act, who eventually won the series.

Music teacher Ed was ousted from the show in the fourth week after performing ‘I’m Still Standing’.

He said: “I was aware at the time of just how awesome the whole experience was. I was aware that I had to cherish every moment of being at the BBC Television Centre.

“I would get nerves before every live show but it was everything I imagined it to be.

“There would be parties after the show with pizza, beer and wine in the Green Room.

“Graham Norton would also come and see us before the show to wish us luck; he wouldn’t hang around much but I found it brilliant the way he could do a piece to camera.

“He would be chatting away with a glass of wine and he’d put the wine down and off he went with his piece to camera like a real professional.”

Ed is still Facebook friends with Graham and will be joining all the performers from the show for a reunion later this year.

He said: “I’m still in touch with the woman who was Dusty. I spoke to her the other day. She’s living in Memphis at the moment.

“We were all very friendly. There was no real competition. They tried to find out what we didn’t like about the other people but there wasn’t anyone in the group who I didn’t get on with.”

Following the show Ed was booked for gigs in Algeria, the Netherlands and even for a millionaire’s wedding in Belgium.

He said: “It was a very strange experience – the chap was in his 70s and I would be playing between each of the 15 courses.

“I also did a gig in North Holland for their national football team. I remember singing and one of the chaps raising his eyebrows at me – someone pointed out to me that he was one of the richest men in the world.

“I don’t think the Dutch really understand the point of a tribute act unless that person is dead!”

At the time Ed was teaching at All Saints School in Weymouth.

He said: “I was really overwhelmed by the support I had from the school.

“When I went back there to do my first concert the atmosphere was brilliant. The school got behind me 100 per cent.”

Ed also appeared on another television show, Come Dine With Me, as a result of being known as ‘Elton’.

He said: “I didn’t really enjoy my night of hosting the dinner as it was stressful, but I had the week of my life being chauffeur-driven to have food and wine. I’m still in touch with all the contestants, we had a great time.”

Ed said his decision to give up being Elton was two years in the making.

“I think it has reached a natural end. I’m looking forward to doing my own gigs and not having the restriction of always doing Elton John songs.

“For the first few years after The One and Only I was getting gigs all over the place but because we’d started a family, I didn’t want to go off and do my own tours.

“So I stayed in Weymouth and did a number of local gigs. I think reflecting back it’s been a bit of a double-edged sword. It affected my local gigs as me.”

Sadly Ed never had any contact with Elton John himself.

He said: “I was a bit disappointed that Elton never sent me a message. I would have liked to have had some contact with him.

“I would have loved to have jammed with him but his schedule is ridiculous and he has spent a lot of time performing in Las Vegas.

“I can safely say I haven’t developed any Elton-type requests for lilies in my dressing room or only blue smarties.

“The only thing I actually require is a parking space. It’s incredible how many gigs I’ve been to where there’s nowhere for me to park!”

Ed said his favourite Elton John song to perform is ‘Your Song’.

“It’s such a simple tune. I mix it with the version from Moulin Rouge with Ewan McGregor singing.”

Ed set up a choir for Weymouth and Portland and has recently expanded Dorset for Singing to Dorchester.

He is looking forward to doing more gigs as himself, performing party music and writing more of his own material.

“I think there will be tears at my last gig as Elton. It’s going to be emotional.

“I’d really like to say a massive thank you to all the people who have been to every gig I’ve ever done as Elton John.

“I must thank my wife Jenny who has come with me to a lot of gigs. She really is the wind beneath my wings and the unsung hero.

“She does so much and doesn’t get recognised for it.”

An Edible Evening With and Exit from Elton with Ed Hintze is at Weymouth Pavilion on Friday, January 30. Tickets cost £15 including a buffet. Contact the venue for tickets.