The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
MEET THE SIX ALL SINGING, ALL DANCING CELEBRITIES
As All Star Musicals returns for a Christmas special, six new celebs prepare to wow the judges and audiences. Danielle de Wolfe meets them
Nothing screams Christmas quite like a trip to the theatre. Now, imagine that trip involved your favourite celebrities performing to a live audience hosted by actor John Barrowman – all without having to leave the living room? As if by magic – All Star Musicals is set to return for a festive one-off special. Less of a singing competition and more of a wholesome journey involving musical comradeship, six celebrities will take to the stage to perform a single musical number before one is voted All Star Musicals Champion.
Performing this year are presenter Fern Britton, actor Ben Miller, former MP and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, presenter Anita Rani, actress Catherine Tyldesley, and sports presenter Radzi Chinyanganya. And with the musical masterclass led by a panel of renowned judges, including Elaine Paige (Evita, Cats), Samantha Barks (Frozen, Les Miserables) and Trevor Dion Nicholas (Hamilton, Aladdin), there’s set to be no shortage of entertainment.
Supported by a full West End ensemble, a live orchestra, coaches and choreographers in the run up to the final performance, this year’s instalment is set to be bigger, and better than ever before.
Here, we find out more…
FERN BRITTON
Best known for her decade-long stint presenting This Morning alongside Phillip Schofield, Britton, 64, is no stranger to performing live in front of the camera. Britton says she was initially “scared” about the prospect of the show, before putting her fears aside and declaring “sod it”.
“How often does an older woman get a chance to be taught how to sing, how to dance – and among that, you’ve got a troupe of dancers and an orchestra? I’d be a fool to miss that opportunity.”
CATHERINE TYLDESLEY
“Musical theatre is, depending on what song you have, like being an athlete sometimes,” says actress Tyldesley, 38, best known for playing Coronation Street’s Eva Price. “It’s so intense, especially if you’ve got choreography.”
Despite feeling “really nervous” about taking part in the show, Tyldesley describes how she “loved every second of it” in spite of needing to rid herself of “bad habits”.
“I was really rusty, I hadn’t sung for a long time, I was really nervous,” she said.
“And because I’m pregnant, everything’s changing as well. Because your body’s changing, you start to breathe differently, and it just feels different. So it took some getting used to, with different breathing techniques and whatnot.”
GYLES BRANDRETH
Brandreth, 73, says the All Star Musicals experience has taught him “the world of musical theatre is open to everybody” and “makes the world a better place”.
“You go in and you come out two or three hours later, your mood completely enhanced,” enthuses the former MP,.
“I used to be an MP, so I’m used to people laughing at me – but usually in a bad way. Here, I don’t mind them laughing at me because it’ll be in a good way. I’ve certainly come to the conclusion that being in musical theatre contributes more to the sum of human
happiness than what most politicians do.”
ANITA RANI
Describing All Star Musicals At Christmas as “one of those programmes that’s not there to catch anybody out, it’s just there to provide people with a good time”, presenter Rani, 44, forewarns viewers that she “can’t hold a musical note”.
“Strictly was the most petrifying thing I’ve ever done, hands down. But this – to sing and dance, to perform, and act as well, because it’s the whole lot, and I don’t do any of those – it was absolutely petrifying.”
“When these opportunities come, just take them. Life is so fleeting, why the heck not?”
BEN MILLER
“I made a resolution in lockdown that I was going to be a bit braver because I’m very happy in my little bubble really, just pootling
along, doing my acting,” says Bafta-winning actor and comedian Ben Miller, 55. “I thought, I need to take more risks, really.”
Drawing parallels between his musical stage attire and that of Lord Featherington,
his character in hit Netflix series Bridgerton, Miller says that despite the “totally different periods”, the costumes were “weirdly similar”.
“Quite flouncy around the neck area and quite unforgiving in the downstairs department,” says Miller matter-of-factly.
“But what I forgot about musicals, of course, is that it’s not just the singing and the dancing, it is the sets and the costumes. It was fun.”
RADZI CHINYANGANYA
Blue Peter presenter Chinyanganya, 34,
described his training as “the most joyous process”. When he received a flying visit from
judge Nicholas, the pair “immediately hit it off ” thanks to a shared love of professional wrestling. Explaining how the Hamilton star emphasised the “need to tell a story”, Chinyanganya says the actor was proof that health conditions needn’t hold you back.
“I grew up with asthma and so there are a number of things I’ve always avoided. So hearing that Trevor – whose voice is just
beautiful – has asthma and that actually, the other vocal coach Mary, she has asthma, there
was an immediate kinship.”
All Star Musicals At Christmas returns to ITV this festive season.