Samantha Barks is being lined up for ‘Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream’.
Samantha Barks is set to return as a judge
The ‘Les Miserables’ star - who shot to fame on the Andrew Lloyd Webber-backed BBC hunt to find a Nancy for the West End revival of Lionel Bart’s beloved musical ‘Oliver!’ in 2008 - has been touted by those in the know to be on the judging panel for ITV1's latest search, this time for the next Sophie and Sky in the long-running ABBA jukebox.
An insider told The Sun newspaper’s TVBiz column: “Bagging her for the new 'Mamma Mia!' show is seen as a real coup by the creators as Samantha has firmly established herself as a real stage star.
“Rather like Cheryl Cole becoming a judge on ‘X Factor’, it seems Samantha’s come full circle from a contestant to a judge on a singing competition.
“But she not only brings 15 years of experience with her, she’s also impressed telly bosses with her screen presence on several TV shows.”
Samantha - who is still a mainstay in the theatre world after coming third on the show and is currently appearing as Elsa in ‘Frozen’, based on the 2013 smash hit Disney animated flick - will appear on the show with Zoe Ball and Alan Carr.
At the time of the programme's announcement, Judy Craymer, the writer and producer of the musical, said: “'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.”
Tagged in Alan Carr Zoe Ball Samantha Barks