Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream – First look at the contestants in the new ITV talent show

ITV has revealed a sneak peek of their brand new talent show Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream.

The first 10 minutes of the new show is now playing on ITVX – watch now.

In the excerpt from the exciting new primetime talent show, we are introduced to the 14 contestants for the first time: 7 girls and 7 boys vying to be cast in the lead roles of Sophie and Sky in the West End production of ABBA musical Mamma Mia!

The contestants revealed in the ITVX sneak peek are: Desmonda, Esme, Leah, Maddy, Maisie, Stephanie & Stevie; and Callum, Craig, Darcy, Marcellus, Owen, Tobias & Zachkiel.

Desmonda - Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream (ITV)

Maisie - Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream (ITV)

Stephanie - Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream (ITV)

Stevie - Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream (ITV)

Callum - Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream (ITV)

Marcellus - Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream (ITV)

Zachkiel - Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream (ITV)

Tobias - Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream (ITV)

Hosted by Zoe Ball, the judges of the show are West End darling and star of Frozen The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Samantha Barks; Olivier Award-winning TV and stage star Amber Riley (Glee, The Wiz, Dreamgirls); comedian Alan Carr; and singer songwriter Jessie Ware.

Also, on hand to mentor the contestants and offer her expertise to the judges is Mamma Mia!’s creator and global producer Judy Craymer.

The new series kicks off this Sunday 22 October at 6pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream - The 14 contestants. Photo - ITV : Thames — *Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream – The 14 contestants. Photo – ITV : Thames*

The TV show has been filmed on a Greek island in order to recreate some of the dramatic scenes from the show and hit Mamma Mia! movie starring Meryl Streep.

Also, all 14 contestants live together in a beautiful Greek villa for the duration of the competition.

The contestants are judged and mentored by industry guests stars through musical theatre workshops in singing, dancing and acting, and perform for the judges.

And then competition culminates in a massive live grand-finale, broadcast from a theatre in London’s West End, where two winners will win the roles of Sophie and Sky in Mamma Mia! at the Novello Theatre, as it celebrates its 25th year (the show turns 25 on 6 April 2024).

The West End production of Mamma Mia! currently stars Mazz Murray as Donna, with Meg Hateley as Sophie, and Miles Henderson as Sky.

Meet the Sophies

Desmonda
27-year-old from Indonesia
“People love MAMMA MIA! It’s one of the most recognisable movie musicals ever. I really wanted to be a part of that. Something that is so recognisable.”

Esme
22-year-old from Chester
“In my whole time training I was never typecast as the romantic lead so I never believed I could play any parts like Sophie, but I would love to prove that I can.”

Leah
20-year-old from Redcar
“I would also love to play Sophie because she is very far from me as a person and roles that I would usually go for. It would be a challenge that I am totally up for!”

Maddy
20-year-old from Bolton
“I would love to play the role of Sophie because I admire her a lot as a character, as she’s always so bubbly and headstrong and she cares a lot about the people she loves!”

Maisie
22-year-old from Margate
“I’ve loved the character ever since I first watched the movie. I loved her bubbly personality and adventurous spirit. She has a close relationship with her mum that I can relate to.”

Stephanie
22-year-old from St Albans
“I have always wanted to play the role of Sophie, as I grew up with ABBA and the musical itself, always playing their music in our garden on summer barbecue days. It would just be a dream come true!”

Stevie
22-year-old from Glasgow
“It’s always been a dream role for me. It’s probably one of the first musicals I was introduced to and also it’s a big musical for my family. They all know it, they all love it and for me to play Sophie would mean a lot to them as well.”

Meet the Skys

Callum
22-year-old from Oxfordshire
“Having the opportunity to play a lead role in the West End is something that actors dream of – and on a London stage like the Novello theatre where you’re acting alongside amazing people.”

Craig
26-year-old from Perthshire
“It’s such an iconic role – Sky is a chilled guy and I’m excited about the energy the TV show is going to give to the stage show and want to be a part of that. I have friends who have been in the stage show and they have always spoken so highly of the experience.”

Darcy
23-year-old from Hampshire
“The role of Sky appeals to me because of how fun it is. I like his journey as a character, he goes completely out of his comfort zone to move somewhere away from home so that’s similar to what we were trying to do for this show.”

Marcellus
36-year-old from High Wycombe
“To get a principal role, that would be good. It would be a great achievement for me but more importantly I want to inspire others to never give up on their dreams.”

Owen
25-year-old from Belfast
“MAMMA MIA! itself is so fun, it’s such a feel-good show. I would quite like to steer Sky in a different direction with this show. I think there’s more depth to Sky so why not play him differently with a different edge and I think I have that capability.”

Tobias
22-year-old from Somerset
“It’s a show I love, the music is incredible, I thought I’ll apply and try my best and we’ll see… and then here we are!”

Zachkiel
21-year-old from London
“I’m excited to bring a new essence, a new flair to the character. I want to respect the character – MAMMA MIA! is so famous, everyone has an idea of what Sky and Sophie are like and you can stick to what people know, that’s fine, but you’re also allowed to create and I want to add my own spin to it – to be the Sky that everybody knows and loves but to add coolness and fun.”