Elvis was spotted alive and strutting his stuff in Bradford this week.

Not just once, but 13 times as the city hosted auditions to find three lucky pelvis-thrusting lookalikes to star in a special tribute show to the King of rock at St George's last night.

And the judges from the official Elvis Presley Fan Club said they were spoiled for choice.

By lunchtime, 13 eager wannabes had turned up hoping the One Night Of Elvis panel would love them tender.

Only two of them came from Bradford, all the others had packed up their blue suede shoes from further afield to hot-foot their way to the theatre door.

Wyke pub singer Mick Howell, 35, and Fagley joiner Dave McFarlane, 44, failed to do it for Bradford and get into the finals.

A disappointed Dave, who got his quiff re-shaped and slapped on a few tanning wipes in preparation for the auditions, said: "I did my best and hoped the judges would like me. I had fun anyway."

House husband and dad-of-two Martin Nowell, 45, was all shook up having come all the way from Kent and not getting picked either.

Scaffolding inspector Rob Lotty from Solihull was also a flop when his bizarre burst of forward and backward flips brought him back down to earth with a bump and the panel said no.

And management trainer Steve Vanderwalk, 47, from Sheffield was left thinking about booking himself into Heartbreak Hotel and facing a lonesome night - despite the effort of wearing an Elvis jumpsuit.

Audition judge Victoria Molloy said the Bradford auditions had been a huge success and picking three contestants to join the One Night Of Elvis cast had been a challenge.

"It's never, ever taken us so long to decide who we wanted to choose. It can be quite clear-cut sometimes but this was a difficult one, they were all brilliant."

One of the chosen ones was 37-year-old Mark Green from Birmingham.

It was second time lucky for the engineer who was runner-up when the show held auditions in his own home city.

Wearing a red-rubied and gold studded white suit all the way from Clarksville, USA, he looked the part - and got the part - this time.

"I couldn't believe it when the judges called out my name. It was worth having another ago, to get this second chance means the world."

Steve Scott from Merseyside was another finalist who made it on to the Bradford stage last night.

Steve, from St Helens, was the only Elvis with no hair - but he did bring a specially-made Elvis wig with him.

"I've got the hair, it was specially made but the judges gave me the choice whether to wear it or not for the actual performance - I don't think I'll bother."

Judge Victoria said: "We've had blonde Elvises, women ones and quite a few bald ones - he's not the first we've had. Steve might not have had the hair but he definitely had the voice."

Last night only one of them would have been voted tops by the St George's audience, winning a date to appear in the show's grand final performance in Blackpool on Saturday.

At the resort, 15 winners from all the theatres visited by the show on its nationwide tour will go head-to-head for overall first place.

The best rock n' roller will be flown to Memphis in August to take part in a special show marking the 30th anniversary of Elvis's death at The Memphian theatre.

e-mail: kathie.griffith @bradford.newsquest.co.uk