 He said that although he sang only a couple of lines he was extremely nervous.At the age of 17, Boe became an apprentice mechanic at the TVR factory in Bispham, Blackpool.He enjoyed entertaining his colleagues by singing opera arias while he polished the cars, and one day was overheard by a client with connections in the music industry who was so impressed that he suggested Boe should go to London and audition for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.