BBC To Launch Musical Season Headlined With An All-Star Show

The BBC have announced a series celebrating all things musical. Radio 2 Celebrates Musicals will be broadcast on both radio and TV with three days of programming for fans to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes.

The centrepiece of this series is a brand new show called In Musicals: The Greatest Show. Hosted by Sheridan Smith, the show puts the stars, songs and the shows back on stage - filmed at the legendary London Palladium. It will first be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday 31st January from 7-9pm with a 75 minute highlight show airing on BBC One in February.

Stars from the West End, Broadway and TV are among the names taking part in this celebration. Some of the performances on the radio broadcast will be:

• Amanda Holden and Sheridan Smith perform I Know Him So Well, from Chess.

• Nicole Scherzinger with Never Enough from The Greatest Showman

• Josh Groban sings The Impossible Dream from Man Of La Mancha

• Elaine Paige with Sunset Boulevard’s As If We Never Said Goodbye

• Gavin Spokes, from the West End production of Hamilton, performs You’ll Be Back

• Michael Ball performs You Can’t Stop The Beat from Hairspray

• Sheridan Smith performs Don’t Rain On My Parade from Funny Girl

• Ivano Turco with the first performance of Only You, Lonely You from Cinderella

• The cast of SIX The Musical performing SIX

• Ramin Karimloo sings The Music Of The Night from The Phantom Of The Opera

• The three West End lead actors of MAMMA MIA! perform Dancing Queen

• Aisha Jawando from TINA, The Tina Turner Musical performs The Best

• Lea Salonga performs I Dreamed A Dream from Les Misérables

• Layton Williams of Everybody's Talking About Jamie performs The Wall In My Head

• Sam Tutty and the Dear Evan Hansen cast sing You Will Be Found

• Nicole Raquel Dennis sings And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going from Dreamgirls

• Kerry Ellis sings Defying Gravity from Wicked

• Christine Allado & Alexia Khadime perform When You Believe from The Prince Of Egypt

• Jac Yarrow, with the public, performing Any Dream Will Do from Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat

As well as that stellar lineup, the public can get involved by making a video of themselves performing Any Dream Will Do from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat! By uploading footage via the BBC website they’ll have the chance to be part of this very special moment.

Radio 2 presenter and theatre legend Elaine Paige said “Musicals are such a huge part of my life, as they are for so many of my friends and colleagues, so to be unable to perform or go to the theatre for most of last year was devastating for us all. Radio 2 Celebrates Musicals is a way for us all to come together, to be uplifted and sing out loud to the world’s best show tunes.”

Sheridan Smith says: “I’m thrilled to be hosting this wonderful show from The London Palladium for Radio 2 and BBC One. With so many amazing performers we’re going to hopefully bring some joy to all those at home, with the best songs to help lift the spirits in these very difficult times.”

As well as this amazing show, other new musical content from the BBC includes a brand new on-demand musicals show on BBC Sounds hosted by Sheridan Smith where she will be joined by a different musical guest each episode, a session from Marisha Wallace on Thursday 28th January and a countdown of the greatest musical theatre songs hosted by Elaine Paige.

Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2, says: “2020 left a gaping hole in the lives of musical theatre lovers with the shows being closed due to the pandemic. So instead, we’ll bring the musicals to listeners and viewers on Radio 2 and across BBC One, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. I truly hope our programming will help to lift the spirits and capture the joy and elation that only these wonderful songs and performers can bring.”

Kate Phillips, Channel Controller, BBC One, says: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with Radio 2 to bring a fantastic array of talented artists to BBC One. Viewers will get the chance to see and hear many iconic songs from some of the best of musicals at a time when visiting theatres just isn’t possible.”

This season of new content is brilliant while we're all stuck at home unable to enjoy everything that comes from going to the theatre.