john leyton was taken on by robert stigwood when he was building up his new theatrical agency. leyton's first major booking was a role in the tv series "biggles", but better roles were difficult to find for him. stigwood asked leyton if he could also sing, leading to a series of auditions with various recording companies; he was turned down by all of their a&r representatives, but joe meek, unfazed by leyton's initial lack of singing experience, was impressed by the young actor's good looks.