With charm, good looks and considerable talent to boot, Alec Porter is a star of the future. In the midst of renewed ABBA mania, he tells Joanna Davis about his starring role in Mamma Mia! the musical.

MANY of us count ourselves among the legions of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again cinema-goers who beat a path to the big screen to see a shiny, feelgood sequel followed by that emotional punch at the end.

However, it left many of us gutted that perhaps that's it and there'll never be a third Mamma Mia, and if there is, will we have to wait another 10 years like we did for the sequel?

While we might have said Thank You for the Music (for now), the music goes on for a new hunky star of the West End who hails from Bridport.

Mamma Mia fans and ABBA-holics alike - you might just want to get yourself to the big smoke for another fix of the sunshine-saturated feelgood musical while supporting an up-and-coming Dorset actor who plays the heart-throb.

Alec Porter, 23, of North Bowood, near Bridport, has landed the role of Sky in the new run of Mamma Mia, which has - remarkably - been going for 19 years.

One of the main roles in the show, Sky - played by Dominic Cooper in the films - is due to marry Sophie, one of Mamma Mia's central characters, who is on a quest to discover who her father is.

Former Broadwindsor Primary School student Alec had no idea he would end up with a West End part, as he originally auditioned for Mamma Mia's international tour.

He said: "I was on holiday and got rung up by my agent who told me it was an audition for Mamma Mia's international tour.

"I changed my flight and came back and did the audition. They then said 'We'd like you to do an audition for the West End and we'd like you to read for Sky.' After another two weeks of intense rehearsals with a lot of dancing, I was called by my agent on a Friday evening and told that I had the part of Sky. It was all a complete whirlwind.

"People are still saying congratulations to me and I don't think they will stop asking about it! I'm just having the best time on stage."

Although Alec had seen Mamma Mia the movie, he decided he would create his own version of Sky.

"I was going to watch the movie again when I got the part as I haven't watched it in a couple of years, but I decided against it," he said.

Forging his own path for the role, Alec says it's an honour and a pleasure to be singing and dancing to classic ABBA songs eight times a week.

His big song is Lay All Your Love on Me - the beach-side duet between Sophie and Sky.

"I can remember dancing around to Dancing Queen when I was young. The ABBA songs are such a presence in the show. People say to me 'you must be sick of hearing all the songs' but I'm not at all. The Winner Takes it All is a phenomenal song.

"It's never a chore being in the show, even if I go in one day feeling sad or if I've had a rubbish day, I still manage to come out of the theatre with a smile on my face - I couldn't really ask for much more.

"Singing Lay all Your Love on Me with Georgia Louise who plays Sophie is a lot of fun. It's amazing to be on stage with her and we have a lot of laughs. It's a great moment in the song when all my boys come on and the dancing in flippers thing is very entertaining!"

And he's very much glad to be part of the renewed Mamma Mia 'bounce' as cinema-goers flock to the theatre.

"A couple of people have told me we're one of the best-selling musicals in the West End right now," Alec said.

"We've been selling out and the film has brought about a renewed surge in ABBA.

"Next year will be the 20th anniversary of Mamma Mia - there's a lot to celebrate."

Alec is one of 14 new Mamma Mia cast members and is now fully in the swing of the show, having made his West End debut on June 11.

He has come a long way since his first role as a supporting cast member in a production of The Sound of Music at the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis - as a six-year-old!

Alec remembers: "The Sound of Music was the first show I ever did and it's a lovely coincidence because I went on to do The Sound of Music UK tour when I was 14."

After winning a scholarship to attend Millfield School in Somerset, Alec developed a love of acting and performed regularly in amateur dramatic productions in Lyme Regis before going on to train professionally at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

He has also appeared in Crime and Punishment - A Rock Musical and The Odyssey at The Scoop Theatre at London Bridge and Sleeping Beauty at The Courtyard Theatre in Hereford. His film credits include American Gun and the music video Levity by The Fous.

Alec, who loves returning to Dorset to have a break from the hectic pace of London, says a lot of his success is down to his mum and dad who are his 'biggest supporters'.

He is contracted to Mamma Mia until June 9, 2019 and will see where his acting career takes him. One thing he is certain about is that acting is his passion.

"I knew that this was what I wanted to do from an early age when I was in Goodnight Mr Tom at the Marine Theatre.I played the little boy in it when I was 12. It's quite a traumatic part and I sang a song in it.

"Now I'm older and have reflected on this I remember very clearly I made my dad cry when he came to watch it. And I realised that to make people feel things is an honour and it's that relationship with the audience I get a kick out of."

*You can see Alec as Sky in Mamma Mia at the Novello Theatre in London. Ticket prices start at £15. See mamma-mia.com/ for tickets.