The new ITV talent show based around West End hit show Mamma Mia! may be getting a fabulous new judge.
Comedian and presenter Alan Carr is rumoured to be in talks with ITV to join the judging panel on Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream.
As announced back in December, the talent show will follow in the footsteps of TV shows like Any Dream Will Do!, which searched for a star of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolr Dreamcoat, How do you Solve a Problem like Maria?, looking for the lead to play Maria in The Sound of Music, I’d Do Anything, searching for a Nancy to star in Oliver! and Over the Rainbow, casting Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, but this time with contestants competing to win a role in hit ABBA musical Mamma Mia!
The show will conduct a nationwide search later in 2023 for two actors to take the roles of Sophie and Sky in the hit musical, currently played in the West End production by Meg Hateley and Miles Henderson. Donna is played by Mazz Murray.
The eight-part Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream series will screen on ITV1 at the end of the year, and will be filmed on a Greek Island – the backdrop to where the story is set.
The live finale of the show will be hosted in a West End theatre, and see the final contestants pitted against each other to win the ultimate theatre prize.
Produced by Fremantle’s Thames, who also make Britain’s Got Talent, the TV series will be co-executive produced by the musical’s creator and global producer Judy Craymer, who will also be on hand to mentor the contestants.
When news of the TV show was first announced, Judy Craymer said in a statement that: “Mamma Mia! has always been a show that has encouraged young actors and given opportunities to those making their stage debuts – just as our current Sophie and Sky in London (Meg Hateley and Miles Henderson) are making their West End debuts – so it feels the perfect fit for a TV show that will seek out new talent for musical theatre. In the lead-up to the celebrations for the stage musical’s 25th birthday in 2024, we’re really looking forward to working with Thames and ITV on this show and involving our well-loved musical as much as possible in the programme.”
Amelia Brown, Managing Director of Thames, said: “The excitement we have for making this show is like no other – it’s a dream come true for so many of us at Thames. Merging the global brand of Mamma Mia! and all the talent at Littlestar with the power behind the talent show juggernauts such as Britain’s Got Talent will mean it’s a show that can’t be missed.”
Katie Rawcliffe, Head of Entertainment Commissioning at ITV said: “Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream is everything we could want in an entertainment show – legendary music, an iconic West End theatre show, high energy performances, and a brand new search for talent, set against the backdrop of a gorgeous island.”
Whilst nothing has been officially announced, we think Alan would be PERFECT as a judge on the show.
ABBA are on a roll in London at the moment, with Mamma Mia! still playing to packed houses in the West End; Mamma Mia! The Party – a whole ABBA evening of food, drink, a live show and dancing at The O2 still going strong; and mega-hit concert ABBA Voyage wowing audiences at ABBA Arena in London.
This news first appeared in the Daily Mail.
Book tickets to Mamma Mia! at the Novello Theatre in London
