This time last year Keighley-born Christopher Hunt was just finishing his post-graduate work for London's Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.

He had obtained a scholarship to return to college to, as he said, "polish up raw talent". He was what is known in theatre slang as a triple threat - a singer, dancer and actor.

Although in his mid-twenties he had been earning money from acting since his late teens. But the parts were mainly historical set-pieces for tourists - the history of beer making at Tetley's Brewery Wharf in Leeds, London Dungeons, Disneyland in Paris and Madame Tussauds.

Within a week of leaving college, where he had lived on "three bowls of steam a day", he was auditioned for the stage version of Lord of the Rings and accepted.

Rehearsals started in January. The show had 40 previews - full-length dress rehearsals when changes can be made - before it opened in mid-June. Since then Christopher has been on stage at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in eight shows a week - two on Thursdays and Saturdays. Each show lasts for three hours.

Demanding work, but he's happy. "It's so nice to be able to buy food and electricity," he said, waiting for a call for a Thursday matinee.

Though born in Keighley Christopher Hunt was raised in Ilkley, attending the grammar school. His mother works in the local rates office while his father is a technician with West Yorkshire Police at Wakefield. He has a younger brother, Stephen.

He has no vivid recollection of how he made the transition from being a prospect up North' to a serious contender down South'.

"I was commuting quite a lot for auditions. I decided that I might just as well stay full-time. That was in 2002. Fast forward through Disneyland, Madame Tussauds and college.

Now he has more than 100 Lord of the Rings to his name. A sceptic would assume that the stage show is merely a spin-off from the multi-million dollar-earning movies.

"One of the things that was stipulated to us as the cast at the beginning was that the show is based on the books. There are some things in the show that are not in the films. It is a visual feast - all the main battle scenes have more than 50 people running around with swords and weapons - but the story is easy to follow," he said.

Christopher understudies the roles of Boromir, Strider and Treebeard; but he also plays a multitude of orcs, elves and hobbits.

"Because it is an ensemble piece and the set-pieces are humungous, a lot of people are needed to fill the sets. So even if you are understudying you are always on.

"We have swings', other actors in the cast, who track' understudies who cover for an ensemble member who has to take a lead."

Like Starlight Express, now on at the Alhambra, Lord of the Rings makes extraordinary physical demands on a cast of more than 70. Christopher had to learn to walk on three-metre high stilts (that's 9ft). Power-skipping - bouncing about on specially adapted skating boots - and aerial work are part of the show.

"There are so many people from so many varied backgrounds. We've got people from the circus, Royal Shakespeare Company actors, gymnasts, commercial dancers like myself," he added.

When and if the show goes to Broadway he would like to be part of the experience. With the show booking in London until September 27, 2008, the chances are that Christopher will be approaching his thirties by the time he parts company with Lord of the Rings.

Actors tend not to live in the future, to do so would be to risk allowing natural vanity to congeal into conceit - believing that the wider world shares your good opinion of yourself. That's when the Monty Python foot descends to crush hopes and pretensions.

So Christopher merely sketches what he would like to do when this particular show is over.

"Musical theatre is fantastic, but even though I have done quite a lot of work I would like to do straight plays, I would love to give television a bash, films."