Presenter and writer Fern Britton, actor Ben Miller, former MP and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, presenter Anita Rani, ex Coronation Street resident Catherine Tyldesley and sports presenter Radzi Chinyanganya will be the celebrity contestants for the Christmas edition of ITV’s All Star Musicals.
As in the previous shows, the contestants have embarked on a crash course in musical theatre performance with the help of experts before performing a famous genre song on the show in the hope of being crowned All Star Musicals Champion.
Commenting on their involvement in the next edition of the popular TV show, Britton said: “A chance to dress up and dance with a full orchestra! What a Christmas present!”
Miller said: “I have new respect for musicals! After weeks of training I am nowhere near ready. In fact, I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Offering a clue to his song choice for the show, Brandeth said: “I can’t sing and I can’t dance, but I can dream! And this is a dream come true – being in a number in my favourite musical, My Fair Lady.”
Rani said: “What better time to come together to perform some show stopping musical hits on stage. It’s a festive treat that’s guaranteed to bring some sparkle to everyone’s living rooms this Christmas”
Tyldesley said: “I’m a huge musical theatre fan- so the chance to sing a song from the first musical I fell in love with is a dream come true. Really excited about the tuition too – a great chance to learn from the best.”
Chinyanganya said “I cannot believe that I’ll be performing in front of the nation doing something that honestly terrifies and excites me in equal measure. I’m starting as a day one, hour one beginner, so I’m really going to be testing the skills of the fantastic musical coaches. I can’t really sing, I don’t normally dance, so what could possibly go wrong?!”
John Barrowman will once again take on hosting duties with Elaine Paige returning as head of the judging panel alongside Samantha Barks (Frozen, Pretty Woman The Musical) and Trevor Dion Nicholas (Hamilton, Aladdin). The show will also feature a performance of ‘Into the Unknown’ from Frozen 2 by the West End’s Elsa, Barks.
Along with Brandreth’s song from My Fair Lady, other featured musicals will include classics including Cats and The Rocky Horror Show along with the Disney Jr. short musical version of hit animation Moana.
Commissioned by Katie Rawcliffe, ITV’s head of entertainment commissioning and entertainment commissioner Peter Tierney, the Multistory Media production will also feature a special group performance by Barrowman and the three judges. The executive producer for Multistory Media is Simone Haywood with Lewis Thurlow as series editor and Rory Dalziel as series producer.
A second show also hosted by Barrowman and featuring the three judges has been announced for 2022.
First seen in 2017 when former Coronation Street regular Lucy Fallon took the crown, the series returned in 2019 when another Weatherfield star Daniel Brocklebank won the title. Chosen by the combining the votes of the judges and the virtual audience, the most recent champion was TV judge and personality Robert Rinder who won hearts and votes with his performance of ‘Be Our Guest’ from Beauty and the Beast.
Angela Thomas
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