Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly; their first collaboration, The Likes of Us, written in 1965, was not performed until 2005. Its family-friendly retelling of Joseph, familiar themes, and catchy music have resulted in numerous stagings. According to the owner of the copyright, the Really Useful Group, by 2008 more than 20,000 schools and amateur theatre groups had staged productions.
Denise van Outen is an English actress, singer, dancer and presenter. She presented The Big Breakfast, played Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago both in the West End and on Broadway and finished as runner-up in the tenth series of the BBC One dancing show Strictly Come Dancing.
William Kenwright, CBE was an English theatre and film producer. He was also the chairman of Everton Football Club for nearly two decades, from 2004 until his death in 2023.
The Really Useful Group Ltd. (RUG) is an international company set up in 1977 by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is involved in theatre, film, television, video and concert productions, merchandising, magazine publishing, records and music publishing. The name is inspired by a phrase from the children's book series The Railway Series in which Thomas the Tank Engine and the other locomotives are referred to as "Really Useful Engines".
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his roles as Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and spin-off Torchwood, (2006–11) and as Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrowverse (2012–19).
How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria? was a British reality television talent show that documented the search for an undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Maria von Trapp in the 2006 Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian stage production of The Sound of Music.
Siobhan Patricia Dillon is an English actress and singer, who rose to fame when she performed in the British talent show-themed television series How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? on BBC One in 2006. Since then, Dillon has performed in the West End, playing the roles of Sandy in Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre, Vivienne Kensington in Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Molly in Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly Theatre, Ellen in Miss Saigon, and Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard with the English National Opera. Siobhan reprised this role at the Palace Theatre in New York City.
Zoë Tyler is an English singer, actress, voice coach, West End performer, and reality television show judge. She is also a soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
"Any Dream Will Do" is a popular song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for the 1968 musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It is generally the beginning and the concluding song of the musical, sung by the title character of Joseph.
"Close Every Door" is a song from the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is the penultimate song of the first act of the musical, sung by Joseph while imprisoned for his supposed relationship with Potiphar's wife. Along with "Any Dream Will Do", it is one of the most popular songs from the musical.
Lee Stephen Mead is an English musical theatre, television actor and occasional singer, best known for winning the title role in the 2007 West End revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat through the BBC TV casting show Any Dream Will Do. As well as subsequent West End roles in Wicked, Legally Blonde: The Musical and The West End Men, Mead has pursued a music career, releasing four solo albums and undertaking concert tours in the UK and Japan.
Benjamin James Ellis is an English stage and script actor who starred in the role of Link Larkin in the West End production of the musical Hairspray from its opening in October 2007 until July 2009.
Keith Jack is a British actor and singer. He was the runner-up on the BBC reality talent show Any Dream Will Do, which offered the chance to be the next West End Joseph for the hit musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. He lost out to Lee Mead in the final on 9 June 2007.
Children in Need 2007 was a campaign held in the United Kingdom to raise money for Children in Need. It culminated in a live broadcast on BBC One on the evening of Friday 16 November, through to the morning of Saturday 17 November. The broadcast was hosted by Terry Wogan and Fearne Cotton, joined by other guest presenters throughout the night. The voice over reading out hourly totals was Alan Dedicoat. The event broke all previous records with a total of £19,089,771 raised by the closing minute. The show's average audience was 9.56 million, a huge amount higher than the previous year's event.
I'd Do Anything is a 2008 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom and broadcast on BBC One. It premièred on 15 March 2008. The show centred on a search for a new, unknown lead to play Nancy and three young performers who would play Oliver Twist in the 2009 West End revival of the British musical Oliver!.
Op zoek naar Joseph was a 2008 talent show-themed television series produced by the AVRO in the Netherlands. It searched for a new, unknown lead to play Joseph in a 2009 Dutch revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Over the Rainbow is a British television talent series that aired on BBC One from 26 March to 22 May 2010. It documented the search for a new, undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Dorothy Gale in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 2011 stage production of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and a dog to play Toto for a one-off performance.
When Joseph Met Maria was a television Christmas special featuring several 'Maria' and 'Joseph' finalists from Andrew Lloyd Webber's BBC talent searches How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? (2006) and Any Dream Will Do (2007), including winners Connie Fisher and Lee Mead. It was aired on BBC One on 24 December 2007 and was presented by Graham Norton.
Your Face Sounds Familiar is a British talent show based on the Spanish series of the same name. The show began on 29 June 2013 on ITV and ended on 3 August 2013. The show was co-presented by Alesha Dixon and Paddy McGuinness, whilst the judging panel consisted of Emma Bunton, Julian Clary, and a different guest judge in each episode. Guest judges included Cilla Black, Donny Osmond, Denise van Outen, Kian Egan, and Peter Andre.
The thirteenth series of Dancing on Ice debuted on ITV on 17 January 2021. During the finale of the twelfth series, it was announced that Dancing on Ice had been renewed for another series. The series was once again filmed in the purpose-built studio at Bovingdon Airfield, which had been set up for the tenth series. Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby returned as hosts, while Ashley Banjo, John Barrowman, Christopher Dean, and Jayne Torvill returned as judges.
