G4's Mike Christie on writing his first opera

15 August 2013, 10:56 | Updated: 15 August 2013, 11:00

He found fame as part of the pop-opera quartet and X Factor stars G4, but Mike Christie has now gone on to something something quite different - writing his own opera.

As he explains to Classic FM's Jamie Crick, his opera The Miller's Wife is a tale of the deep intertwining links that families have, and the complications that arise from it, and it was inspired by researching his own family tree.

But the process of writing the opera was, Christie says, very much a learning experience: "I think I've just found my feet as I've gone on… I think I've done what I think was right!"

He also tells Jamie about his musical life, starting off playing timpani at school and eventually deciding that singing was the route for him. And then, of course, the G4 thing happened.

The opera's first run is at the Arcola Theatre in East London.