Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream! When does the show hosted by Zoe Ball start and who are the presenters?

Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream is a brand new talent show hosted by the 52-year-old BBC Radio 2 presenter and featuring a star studded judging panel.

The series premieres on Sunday, October 22 at 6pm on ITV1 and will run for eight weeks.

What is the show’s premise?

Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream sees seven boys and seven girls compete on the Greek Island of Corfu as the show searches for two actors to star as Sophie and Sky in Mamma Mia! on London's West End.

The 14 contestants are put through their paces by producer Judy Craymer, choreographer Anthony Van Laast, musical director Martin Low, and a panel of experts. They do singing, dancing and acting workshops and are judged on their performances by the panel of judges.

The TV competition will see contestants whittled down each week and each show also opens with a song and dance routine set in the streets or the beaches of Greece, very much like MAMMA MIA! the movie.

Who are the judges?

Samantha Barks: the 33-year-old singer/actress from the Isle of Man rose to fame on a similar show when she came third in the BBC talent show I'd Do Anything, which centred around the search for a lead to play Nancy in Oliver! She has since starred in various musicals, including the West End production of Frozen and Pretty Woman: The Musical on Broadway, as well as winning several awards for her film debut as Éponine in Les Misérables

Amber Riley: the American actress/sing, 37, is best known for playing Mercedes in Glee but she also originated the role of Effie White in the West End debut of Dreamgirls in 2016, won Dancing with the Stars in 2013 and has appeared in various British talent shows, including Let It Shine and The Masked Singer.

Alan Carr: the well known British comedian, 47, has also hosted and taken part in various TV shows including Alan Carr: Chatty Man, RuPaul's Drag Race and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, as well as starring in the beloved Christmas film Nativity!

Jessie Ware: the 39-year-old singer rose to fame in 2012 and has had five top 10 albums, been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize twice, as well as being nominated for six Brit Awards, including Best New Artist and British Female Solo Artist.

What has Blackpool’s Zoe said about the show?

ITV has shared an interview they had with Zoe ahead of the Mamma Mia release,..

What impact do you think filming the show in Greece has on the format?

The setting is perfect. For our Sophies and Skys, they're already in the beating heart of the place where this story is set. The girls can get themselves in the head space of Sophie, who's been brought up on an island in Greece. She's not been brought up in a usual manner. She's a real hippie kid. She's quite freespirited. She's just been brought up by her mum. And there's Sky. When I think of Sky, I always think of all the boys I've fallen in love with on holiday who might have been some kind of ski instructor, water sports instructors, who are just hot and dynamic. Everything looks so fabulous. Having said that, you fly out to Greece, and you think the weather's going to be amazing and it was absolutely awful the first few days. Initially, we had torrential rain and some of the sets were blowing away! We had the audience under umbrellas, but then the Gods of Olympus smiled at us, and the sunshine came out. Thank goodness for that! I think there was one show where I was wearing long flares and the water from the set was up to my knees by the end of the show. I had tide marks on my trousers! The performances are in front of an audience in a beautiful villa setting. The creative team has done such an amazing job that you do feel at times that you are part of the story when you are watching the audience.

Why do you think we need a show like this on our screens right now?

It’s fabulous escapism because it's going to go out when the nights have drawn in and we all wish we were away on

holiday. Then you've got the drama of these fabulous 14 whose dream it is to be on the West End and they are all so gorgeous.

I kind of fell in love with all of them really, and I'm hoping the audience will too.

It’s a very empowering show, right?

Yeah. I think that comes from the story about an amazing mum, Donna, who brings up her daughter on her own and is supported by her two best friends - it's such a female-led story.

How did the panel cope having to send people home?

It was really tough. There were some nights where the decision took hours because it's so brutal, and they don't always agree. But I think they have to take so many things into consideration. In the stage show, you've got to do eight shows a week, you've got to have the strength, your voice has to have that strength. You've got to pick up dance moves, but you've also got to have the charisma of Sophie and Sky. Some of the guys are in the industry so they know how it works, but it is heartbreaking when they don't get through - they leave having learned a hell of a lot about themselves though. Some of them have had experience and some of them are just fresh out of college. Some of them have done very little actually on stage so it's quite amazing to see how well they do considering the level that they're all at. But there's a few of them where I can already see them on the West End. There's something you look and think, “Oh, if she doesn't get this part,she'd be a great part in this, or he'd be amazing in that”. I think a lot of them we will get to see on stage at some point. I’mreally excited for them all.

What’s important in finding the next Sophie and Sky?

People who've seen the stage show know that very different people can play those roles, which is great. It leaves it quite open. A big part is the chemistry. They've got to have that chemistry. They've got to show strength on their own, they've got to show strength performing with Donna, with their mum, and then the acting skills. And some of them are great actors, some of them great dancers, some of them are the triple threat, and a lot of them pick stuff up so quickly, it's fabulous. I have to say they all, at some point, put in a performance that is unforgettable. There's a couple of performances that I will never forget. I just was so proud of them