Sheridan Smith will return to the London Palladium to host a star-studded transatlantic celebration of the music and stars of musical theatre and film on BBC Radio 2 later this month.
Musicals: The Greatest Show will be the centrepiece of Radio 2 Celebrates Musicals – three days of programming on the national radio station along with extra programming on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer aimed at bringing the music of stage and screen to theatre-starved home audiences.
Featuring a line-up of West End and Broadway favourites, Musicals: The Greatest Show will be broadcast from 7-9pm on 31 January on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds. A 72 minute version of the show will be screened on BBC1 and will be made available on BBC iPlayer in February.
As well as taking on presenting duties, Smith will take to the stage to re-create her showstopping performance of ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ from Funny Girl and will also join Amanda Holden to take on ‘I Know Him So Well’ from Chess.
Commenting on her involvement in the show, Smith said: “I’m thrilled to be hosting this wonderful show from the London Palladium for Radio 2 and BBC1. With so many amazing performers we’re going to hopefully bring some joy to all those at home, with the best songs to help lift the spirits in these very difficult times.”
With some contributions created exclusively for Radio 2 broadcast and all subject to change at short notice highlights of the programme look set to include:
Michael Ball performing ‘Don’t Stop The Beat’ from Hairspray; Kerry Ellis singing ‘Defying Gravity’ from Wicked; Josh Groban’s version of ‘The Impossible Dream’ from Man of La Mancha recorded exclusively for Radio 2 in Los Angeles; and Elaine Paige revisiting her 1996 Broadway debut in Sunset Boulevard with ‘As If We Never Said Goodbye’ also recorded exclusively for Radio 2.
Newer productions are also represented with the cast of Six The Musical performing ‘SIX’; Layton Williams taking on ‘The Wall In My Head’ from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie; Sam Tutty joining fellow West End cast members to perform ‘You Will Be Found’ from Dear Evan Hansen; and Gavin Spokes from the West End production of Hamilton with ‘You’ll Be Back’.
As a preview for the eagerly-anticipated world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, there will be an exclusive first performance by Ivano Turco of ‘Only You, Lonely You’.
The public is also being invited to get involved in the TV version of the show by making a video of themselves performing ‘Any Dream Will Do’ from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and uploading footage to the BBC website. The show will then feature the Palladium’s Joseph, Jac Yarrow performing the song along with the members of the public.
Musicals: The Greatest Show is a TBI Production. The executive producers are TBI’s director of events Andrew Wyke and Phil Critchlow. The producer for BBC1 is Christian Fletcher. Rachel Ashdown is commissioning editor for BBC Television and Laura Busson commissioning executive for BBC Radio 2.
From 29-31 January, Radio 2 Celebrates Musicals will feature a mix of musical-themed programmes and playlists. On Friday between 5am and 7pm each song broadcast on Radio 2 will be one of the genre’s greatest songs with Zoe Ball’s Breakfast Show including a national singalong song.
Musicals editions of the Sounds of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s will feature star guest presenters including Tony Award-winner Jennifer Holliday and West End favourite Jason Donovan.
Musical theatre grande dame and regular Radio 2 presenter Elaine Paige will be Ken Bruce’s guest for Tracks Of My Years and will also reveal the top 20 results of a listener vote to discover the nation’s favourite song from a musical on a special Sunday afternoon show.
Expressing her support for the programming, regular Radio 2 presenter Paige said: “Musicals are such a huge part of my life – as they are for so many of my friends and colleagues – so to be unable to perform or go to the theatre for most of last year was devastating for us all. Radio 2 Celebrates Musicals is a way for us all to come together, to be uplifted and sing out loud to the world’s best show tunes.”
Commenting on the programme, Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said: “2020 left a gaping hole in the lives of musical theatre lovers with the shows being closed due to the pandemic. So instead, we’ll bring the musicals to listeners and viewers on Radio 2 and across BBC1, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. I truly hope our programming will help to lift the spirits and capture the joy and elation that only these wonderful songs and performers can bring.”
Kate Phillips, channel controller, BBC1, added: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with Radio 2 to bring a fantastic array of talented artists to BBC One. Viewers will get the chance to see and hear many iconic songs from some of the best of musicals at a time when visiting theatres just isn’t possible.”
Angela Thomas
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