Michael Ashley Ball OBE is an English singer, presenter and actor. In 1985, he made his West End debut as Marius Pontmercy in the original production of Les Misérables. In 1989, he reached number two in the UK Singles Chart with "Love Changes Everything", from the musical Aspects of Love, where he played Alex Dillingham. He played the role in the West End and on Broadway. His album Coming Home To You reached number one in the UK making it his 4th number one album to date. On 24 April 2020, Ball and Captain Tom Moore entered the UK Singles Chart at number one with a cover of "You'll Never Walk Alone", with combined chart sales of 82,000 making it the fastest-selling single of 2020. In 1992, Ball represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing second with the song "One Step Out of Time".
In 1995, he reprised his West End role of Marius in Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert. His other West End credits include Raoul de Chagny in The Phantom of the Opera, Giorgio Bachetti in Passion, and Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In 2004, he played Jean Valjean in a concert performance of Les Misérables for the Queen at Windsor Castle.