CHRISTOPHER Lee may say it's an exaggeration, but the MediaCorp actor who recently turned host can't deny that his new role has touched hearts.

The endless calls he gets each week, after the 60-minute Life Transformers is shown, attest to that.

And from the responses on some Internet forums and a random poll of 40 people by The New Paper, he has redeemed himself.

Co-hosted by the versatile Quan Yifeng, the programme takes viewers into the lives of the poor, the sick and the uneducated.

Together with 10 volunteers, the pair embark on their mission to inject fresh hope and a little sunshine into participants' often dark lives.

And somehow, it is Christopher who steals the show - and hearts - with his unassuming ways.

Picture this: The leading man squats unceremoniously on a bathroom floor that is all covered with thick, black grime.

He examines the toilet seat - one that you'd likely avoid even if you had the worst runs - and peeks into the bowl.

He is aghast, and there is even some disgust in his look, which he does not try to conceal. But he goes on to disinfect, then scrub the whole bathroom sparkling clean.

Christopher told The New Paper: 'The show captured the real us. How to pretend? If you're there, you'd know what I mean.

'I don't think there's any word you can use to describe the stench. Some homes were so badly cluttered that you can't believe that people actually live there.'

But there was no room for backing out - not that he once considered it.

'While you try to grapple with and understand the situation, how it could have happened, you just have to set your mind on doing the necessary,' said Christopher.

'You don't falter. There's no time for any 'eeee's or 'yucks'.'

Apart from the scrubbing and cleaning, Christopher also shows his other skills such as in white-washing, painting and even doing minor furniture repairs.

It is this earnest approach that has won him fans - some of them new or even former detractors.

Housewife Madam Choo Meilan, 56, said: 'I used to like Christopher and would watch all his shows - until he was jailed for drink-driving.'

The mother of three teenage boys added: 'I felt he was totally irresponsible and that he made a bad role model.'

But she has since changed her mind after following Life Transformers.

Said Madam Choo: 'You can tell he wasn't faking it.'

Filipino maid Rosemerlyn Tindugan, 34, who watches the English-subtitled show with her employers' children, admitted she found some of the scenes appalling.

'It's a condition that even I, as a maid, would cringe over, not to mention having to deal with ants, cockroaches and even bedbugs,' said Ms Tindugan, who has been working here for eight years.

If the show was meant to be a vehicle engineered for his comeback, Christopher insisted he had no idea what the ride was going to be like.

He said: 'Honestly, I'm not bothered by how others may choose to interpret it.

'The thing is, there's no reason for me to 'act' and pretend. Yes, I committed an offence, I've done time and paid my dues, so I move on.'

Besides, it was not the first time that he had been asked to host a show, just that he had never been able to work something in his schedule.

When Christopher was finally able to commit his time, he had no inkling what the show was about.

'I was only told it'd be a reality-type show and that I'd be working with Yifeng,' he said.

No time to rehearse

The two hosts did not meet each other even once before filming started, although it would be their first collaboration.

Yet their camaraderie comes across clearly in the unscripted show.

Yifeng often teased Christopher on how blessed Fann Wong would be after they get married next year.

The happy groom-to-be took it in his stride and often declared openly with his boyish grin: 'Ah, this point is important, you can repeat it.'

So, have the couple discussed how the chores should be shared?

Christopher said: 'Nah, it's not necessary. Honestly, I don't see the need to say who must do what.

'It defeats the whole purpose and that's not how a marriage should be. It should be something you share happily and not turn into a chore.'

Just like how it was when he was growing up in Malacca.

Christopher, who has an elder sister and two younger brothers, said: 'I used to do all the housework and I helped to take care of my brothers.

'That's what being in a family is all about - you should never be calculative.'

It is this same reason why he appreciates the chance to be involved in this project.

He added: 'Most importantly, it was not about just donating some money. However cliched it sounds, it was about teaching them how to fish for food, not just feeding them.'

He is impressed by one other thing: The generosity and love of Singaporeans.

'Yes, I've met all kinds of people, including the insincere ones who'd snigger behind your back or openly diss you.

'But I can tell you, they don't come anywhere close in numbers to those who truly care about others around them - strangers and ex-offenders included.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on Nov 24, 2008.