ABBA fans are loving ITV's latest singing competition.
Called Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream, the new series is on the hunt for two new West End stars.
Who are the judges on Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream?
Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream is ITV's latest talent show.
The brand new series sees theatre hopefuls compete for the lead roles of Sophie and Sky in the glittering West End production of Mamma Mia!
The show airs at 6pm every Sunday night on ITV, and is set to run until December 10, 2023.
BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball is on presenting duties while there are four judges who critique and whittle down the hopefuls.
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Judy Craymer
Mamma Mia! creator Judy Craymer is leading the hunt for the next Sophie and Skye for the stage performance.
She was responsible for bringing the the show to the West End in the first place, and was the one who pitched the idea to ABBA legends Benny and Bjorn.
Judy was also a producer on both of the film adaptations of the theatre show.
The success of Mamma Mia! also paved way for hits like Queen’s We Will Rock You, Frankie Valli and The Four Season’s Jersey Boys and Carole King’s West End hit Beautiful.
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Amber Riley
Glee star Amber Riley is also on the judging panel.
She is best known for playing Mercedes in the hit high school show.
Since Glee ended Amber has kept busy, and even won Dancing With The Stars in 2013.
Also, Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream isn't Amber's first time at giving her professional opinion on a UK talent show.
She also enjoyed a stint as a judge on BBC One's Let it Shine in 2017.
Samantha Barks
Theatre performer Samantha Barks is best known for starring in the West End version of Disney's Frozen.
She also has a fair idea of what the Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream contestants are going through as she found fame on a similar talent show.
Samantha placed third on BBC's I'd Do Anything in 2008.
She may not have won the show, but she went on to become a West End sensation after landing the role of Eponine in Les Miserables.
She then took this role to the big screen, starring in the 2012 movie version alongside Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway.
Since then, Samantha has gone on to star in West End versions of hit movies Amelie and Pretty Woman, before landing the role of Elsa in Frozen in 2021.
Samantha met her now-husband Alex Stoll when they appeared in Pretty Woman together on Broadway in New York.
Jessie Ware
Pop star Jessie Ware is also giving her professional opinion on the show.
She is best known for her hit 2014 single, Tough Love.
In 2018, Jessie began co-hosting the Table Manners podcast alongside her mother Lennie.
Alan Carr
Comedian Alan Carr is also part of the Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream judging panel.
The popular star shot to fame on the Friday Night Project.
After it ended, Alan went solo and hosted Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong in 2008.
Following this, he fronted his own comedy chat show Alan Carr: Chatty Man, which aired on Channel 4.
Who is in the cast of Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream?
There are 14 contestants taking part in Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream.
The seven men are showing off their skills in the role of Sky, while the women are battling it out to be Sophie.
The full cast includes:
Sophie
- Desmonda Cathabel, 27, London
- Esme Bowdler, 22, Chester
- Leah Rutherford, 20, Redcar
- Maddy Erzan-Essien, 20, Bolton
- Maisie Waller, 22, Margate
- Stephanie Costi, 22, St Albans
- Stevie Doc, 22, Glasgow
Sky
- Callum Ravden, 22, Oxfordshire
- Craig Watson, 26, Perthshire
- Darcy James, 23, Hampshire
- Marcellus Whyte. 36, High Wycombe
- Owen Johnston, 25, Belfast
- Tobias Turley, 22, Somerset
- Zackhiel Smith, 22, London
What is the prize on Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream?
The series sees the 14 hopefuls competing to win the ultimate prize of a role in the West End production of the hit ABBA musical, Mamma Mia!
There are two leading roles up for grabs - Sophie and Sky.
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However the contestants will have a string of challenges to face along the way, with the show set to put singing, dancing and acting skills to the test in their bid to impress the judging panel.
Mamma Mia! has been running in London's West End since 1999, and spawned a 2008 film adaptation starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, followed by a sequel in 2018.
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