Robbie Williams helps with rehearsals for Let It Shine musical

3 April 2017

Robbie Williams has been helping the winners of 'Let It Shine' prepare for their musical 'The Band'.

Robbie Williams

The 43-year-old part-time Take That singer performed with his band mates - Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen - on the finale of the BBC One programme and has since been giving his expert advice to group Five To Five as they prepare for the Tim Firth production, which sees them tour relentlessly at theatres across the UK from September 8 to July 14.

Yazdan Qafouri, Sario Solomon, Curtis T Johns, Nick Carlsberg and AJ Bentley had no idea that Robbie was going to be helping them out.

Appearing on ITV's 'Lorraine' on Monday (03.04.17), AJ, 21, said: "I was on the phone to my mum, we had a couple of minutes break and then a Range Rover pulled up and in came Robbie Williams.

"I was on the phone to my mum and I was like 'mum Robbie's coming'. So Robbie walked over and I said 'do you mind just talking to my mum'. So that sort of made her life."

Nick, 17, added: "It's been quite a surreal experience to be thrown into it at such a young age is very surreal but it's a great experience.

"For any 17-year-old to be doing this as a job is just incredible. And to be doing it with Take That, we're all massive fans of them."

Five To Five, who were crowned the winners last month, said they will be singing the entire score of the musical despite the show's boss Gary, 46, previously saying they would only be backup singers.

Yazdan,18, said: "We sing the whole score and the music underpins the whole story.

"We hardly ever leave the stage, it's such a physical show.

"We've had conversations with Gary. Obviously the music at the moment is our main priority but after the year tour is over the sky's the limit I guess."

Tickets for the shows, which kick off at Manchester's Opera House on September 8 and wrap up at Edinburgh Playhouse on July 14, have already been a big hit at the box office with takings of £2 million within two hours of them going on sale at noon on Monday (03.04.17).