Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream is a British television talent competition that began airing on 22 October 2023 on ITV. The show documented the search for two new, unknown musical theatre performers to play the roles of Sophie Sheridan and Sky Ramand in the West End production of the musical Mamma Mia!. The series was presented by Zoe Ball, and features Samantha Barks, Alan Carr, Amber Riley and Jessie Ware as judges. The series was won by Stevie Doc and Tobias Turley to play Sophie and Sky respectively.
| Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality competition |
| Presented by | Zoe Ball |
| Judges | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Ashley Whitehouse |
| Production company | Thames |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 22 October – 10 December 2023 |
Format
editThe series documented the search to find two unknown musical theatre stars to play the central roles of Sophie Sheridan and Sky Ramand in the 2024 West End production of the musical Mamma Mia!, based on the film of the same name for the musical's 25th anniversary.[1][2] The format was similar to that of the BBC competitions How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria?, Any Dream Will Do, I'd Do Anything and Over the Rainbow which aired on BBC One in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 respectively.[3] ITV later aired a similar programme in 2012, Superstar.[4] The series featured fourteen contestants, seven men and seven women, who took part in masterclasses, challenges and workshops focused on singing, dancing and acting which led to a finale set which took place in a West End theatre where a public vote decided the winners.[5][6]
Production
editIn September 2022, it was reported that ITV were planning to revive the musical theatre talent search format with a new series based on Mamma Mia.[7] In December 2022, ITV confirmed the commissioning of Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream. The series was produced by Thames, the production company behind the reality television formats Britain's Got Talent and I Can See Your Voice. The series is filmed in Corfu, Greece and is presented by Zoe Ball.[8] The judges included Samantha Barks, who was a finalist on I'd Do Anything in 2008, comedian Alan Carr, Glee actress Amber Riley and singer Jessie Ware.[9][10]
Contestants
editThe fourteen contestants competing for the roles of Sophie and Sky were announced on the day of the show's broadcast.[11]
Sophie
edit| Name | Age | Hometown | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maddy Erzan-Essien | 20 | Bolton | Eliminated 1st on 29 October 2023 |
| Maisie Waller | 22 | Margate | Eliminated 3rd on 12 November 2023 |
| Leah Rutherford | 20 | Redcar | Eliminated 5th on 19 November 2023 |
| Desmonda Cathabel | 27 | Jakarta | Eliminated 7th on 26 November 2023 |
| Stephanie Costi | 22 | St Albans | Third/Eliminated 9th on 3 December 2023 |
| Esme Bowdler | 22 | Chester | Runner-Up on 10 December 2023 |
| Stevie Doc | 22 | Glasgow | Winner on 10 December 2023 |
Sky
edit| Name | Age | Hometown | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darcy James | 23 | Hampshire | Eliminated 2nd on 5 November 2023 |
| Callum Ravden | 22 | Oxfordshire | Eliminated 4th on 12 November 2023 |
| Zackhiel Smith | 22 | London | Eliminated 6th on 19 November 2023 |
| Marcellus Whyte | 36 | High Wycombe | Eliminated 8th on 26 November 2023 |
| Craig Watson | 26 | Perthshire | Third/Eliminated 10th on 3 December 2023 |
| Owen Johnston | 25 | Belfast | Runner-Up on 10 December 2023 |
| Tobias Turley | 23 | Somerset | Winner on 10 December 2023 |
Weekly summary
editResults summary
edit- Colour key
| – | Contestant was eliminated |
| – | Contestant was in the bottom two |
| – | the Sophie who received the most public votes |
| – | the Sky who received the most public votes |
| Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stevie Doc | SAFE | SAFE | — | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SOPHIE |
| Tobias Turley | SAFE | — | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SKY |
| Esme Bowdler | SAFE | SAFE | — | BTM 2 | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | RUNNER UP |
| Owen Johnston | SAFE | — | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | RUNNER UP |
| Craig Watson | SAFE | — | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | |
| Stephanie Costi | SAFE | SAFE | — | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | |
| Marcellus Whyte | SAFE | — | SAFE | SAFE | BTM 2 | ELIM | ||
| Desmonda Cathabel | SAFE | SAFE | — | SAFE | BTM 2 | ELIM | ||
| Zachkiel Smith | SAFE | — | SAFE | BTM 2 | ELIM | |||
| Leah Rutherford | SAFE | SAFE | — | SAFE | ELIM | |||
| Callum Ravden | SAFE | — | SAFE | ELIM | ||||
| Maisie Waller | SAFE | SAFE | — | ELIM | ||||
| Darcy James | SAFE | — | ELIM | |||||
| Maddy Erzan-Essien | SAFE | ELIM | ||||||
Week 1 (22 October)
editFor the show's the first episode, the fourteen contestants were placed in either duos or trios and performed a song by ABBA.[12]
Group performances:
| Order | Act | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maddy Erzan-Essien | "Money, Money, Money" | Safe |
| Stephanie Costi | |||
| 2 | Craig Watson | "SOS" | Safe |
| Marcellus Whyte | |||
| Tobias Turley | |||
| 3 | Callum Ravden | "Knowing Me, Knowing You" | Safe |
| Darcy James | |||
| 4 | Esme Bowdler | "Fernando" | Safe |
| Leah Rutherford | |||
| 5 | Owen Johnston | "Waterloo" | Safe |
| Zachkiel Smith | |||
| 6 | Desmonda Cathabel | "Chiquitita" | Safe |
| Maisie Waller | |||
| Stevie Doc |
Week 2 (29 October)
editIn the show's second episode, the Sophies had to demonstrate their acting skills by recreating a scene from the film, before having to perform solo for the first time.[12]
Group performance: "Dancing Queen"
| Order | Act | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Desmonda Cathabel | "I'll Never Love Again" | Safe |
| 2 | Stephanie Costi | "Flashdance... What a Feeling" | Safe |
| 3 | Leah Rutherford | "Somebody to Love" | Safe |
| 4 | Esme Bowdler | "Just a Girl" | Safe |
| 5 | Stevie Doc | "Trustfall" | Safe |
| 6 | Maddy Erzan-Essien | "I Say a Little Prayer" | Eliminated |
| 7 | Maisie Waller | "I Dreamed a Dream" | Safe |
Week 3 (5 November)
editIn the show's third episode, the Skys had to demonstrate their acting skills by recreating a scene from the film, before having to perform solo for the first time.[13]
Group performance: "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"
| Order | Act | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Owen Johnston | "Luck Be a Lady" | Safe |
| 2 | Darcy James | "Kiss Me" | Eliminated |
| 3 | Zachkiel Smith | "Footloose" | Safe |
| 4 | Craig Watson | "Your Song" | Safe |
| 5 | Callum Ravden | "Shivers" | Safe |
| 6 | Marcellus Whyte | "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" | Safe |
| 7 | Tobias Turley | "Pointless" | Safe |
Week 4 (12 November)
editFor the show's the fourth episode, the Sophies and Skys were paired up and had to recreate a scene between the characters and sing "Lay All Your Love on Me, before performing a duet together.[14]
Group performance:
| Order | Act | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esme Bowdler | "The Power of Love" | Bottom two |
| Marcellus Whyte | Safe | ||
| 2 | Craig Watson | "You're the One That I Want" | Safe |
| Maisie Waller | Eliminated | ||
| 3 | Desmonda Cathabel | "Love Is an Open Door" | Safe |
| Tobias Turley | Safe | ||
| 4 | Leah Rutherford | "All for You" | Safe |
| Zachkiel Smith | Bottom two | ||
| 5 | Callum Ravden | "Rewrite the Stars" | Eliminated |
| Stephanie Costi | Safe | ||
| 6 | Owen Johnston | "Shallow" | Safe |
| Stevie Doc | Safe |
Week 5 (19 November)
editFor the show's the fifth episode, the Sophies and Skys were sorted into new pairs and had take part in a choreography work shop before performing a dance style in a duet together.[15]
Group performance:
| Order | Act | Song | Dance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stevie Doc | "All That Jazz" | Fosse | Safe |
| Tobias Turley | Safe | |||
| 2 | Owen Johnston | "Made You Look" | Commercial | Safe |
| Stephanie Costi | Safe | |||
| 3 | Desmonda Cathabel | "You Are the Reason" | Waltz | Bottom two |
| Zachkiel Smith | Eliminated | |||
| 4 | Leah Rutherford | "Night Fever" | Disco | Eliminated |
| Marcellus Whyte | Bottom two | |||
| 5 | Craig Watson | "True Colors" | Contemporary | Safe |
| Esme Bowdler | Safe |
Week 6 (26 November)
editFor the show's sixth episode, the Sophies had to embark on an acting workshop in which they had to recreate a scene from the film between Sophie and her mother Donna Sheridan, played Mazz Murray, who played the role of Donna in West End production of Mamma Mia!. The Sophies and Skys were again sorted into new pairings and had to perform a new duet.[16]
- Guest performance: Mazz Murray—"The Winner Takes It All"
| Order | Act | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Desmonda Cathabel | "Say Something" | Eliminated |
| Owen Johnston | Safe | ||
| 2 | Stevie Doc | "The Best" | Safe |
| Craig Watson | Safe | ||
| 3 | Stephanie Costi | "Falling" | Safe |
| Marcellus Whyte | Eliminated | ||
| 4 | Esme Bowdler | "Who Wants to Live Forever" | Safe |
| Tobias Turley | Safe |
Week 7: Semi-final (3 December)
editIn the semi-finals episode, the Sophies and Skys were sorted into new pairings; (Esme & Owen, Craig & Stephanie and Stevie & Tobias) for their final acting workshop in which each pair had to recreate the wedding scene between Sophie and Sky. Each contestant then performed an ABBA song solo, before the finalists were announced.[17]
Group performance: "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"
| Order | Act | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Craig Watson | "Take a Chance on Me" | Eliminated |
| 2 | Owen Johnston | "When All Is Said and Done" | Safe |
| 3 | Tobias Turley | "Does Your Mother Know" | Safe |
| 4 | Stephanie Costi | "Angeleyes" | Eliminated |
| 5 | Stevie Doc | "The Name of the Game" | Safe |
| 6 | Esme Bowdler | "Dancing Queen" | Safe |
Week 8: Final (10 December)
editFor the final episode, the show was broadcast live from the Novello Theatre (home of Mamma Mia in the West End) and the Sophies and Skys had to perform one last time in a bid to impress the public, who would vote for who they wanted to win and ultimately play the roles of Sophie and Sky in the West End production of Mamma Mia!.[18]
- Group performance: "Mamma Mia"
| Order | Act | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stevie Doc | "Thank You for the Music" | Sophie |
| 2 | Esme Bowdler | "My Love, My Life" | Runner-up |
| 3 | Owen Johnston | "Our Last Summer" | Runner-up |
| 4 | Tobias Turley | "I've Been Waiting for You" | Sky |
| 5 | Stevie, Esme, Owen, and Tobias | "The Winner Takes it All" | N/A |
- The Final Vote
- The final vote was then announced and it was revealed that the winners were Stevie and Tobias with Judy Craymer saying "It's a joyous result and I'm delighted to welcome Stevie and Tobias to join the West End cast in this very special year celebrating Mamma Mia!'s 25th anniversary. All our contestants are so talented and worked so hard, they went through the most intensive musical theatre boot camp with such energy, flair and commitment. They were all such a joy to work with and are all winners in my eyes." Stevie and Tobias then concluded the series with a performance of "Mamma Mia".
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Daily Telegraph |   [19] |
| The Independent | [20] |
| The Guardian | [3] |
The series was described by Lucy Mangan of The Guardian as a "wildly rushed, tension-free series that is never less than shrill". She ranked the series 2 out of 5 stars and noted that [the programme] showed "virtually nothing of the workshops and even less of the rehearsals" [...] adding that although the show featured full-length renditions of ABBA's greatest hits and great fun, there was "no tension, no investment, no context for any of [the programme]."[3]
Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph was more positive in her review of the show's format, describing it as a "talent show with actual talent" and an "all-singing, all-dancing delight, perfect to distract from Britain's gloomy skies".[19] The Independent ranked the series 4 stars, a noted that the show "wonderfully captured [Mamma Mia's] unhinged party atmosphere, whilst Digital Spy observed that viewers had compared the series' contestants to that of Love Island.[20][21]
References
edit- ^ "Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream". ITV Press Centre. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream". ITV Press Centre. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ a b c Mangan, Lucy (22 October 2023). "Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream review – no reality show has ever featured this much screaming". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream contestants won't just sing ABBA songs". Radio Times. 16 October 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Golby, Joel (21 October 2023). "Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream: an Abba-themed musical TV contest? The prospect is horrific". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Here's Everything You Need To Know About ITV's New Mamma Mia Reality Show". HuffPost. 21 October 2023. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "ITV to reboot musical theatre talent search with Mamma Mia! series". The Stage. 8 September 2022. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Where is Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream filmed?". Radio Times. 22 October 2023. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream on ITV - How it works, who is hosting and who are the judges". Manchester Evening News. 22 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Mamma Mia! It's Alan Carr and Judy Craymer". ITV. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Meet the Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream contestants". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream – Episode 1". ITVX. 22 October 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream – Episode 2". ITVX. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream - Episode 4". ITVX. 12 November 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
- ^ "Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream - Episode 5". ITVX. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream - Episode 6". ITVX. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream - Episode 7". ITVX. 3 December 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream - Episode 8". ITVX. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream, review: shock – a talent show with actual talent". The Daily Telegraph. 22 October 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream review: ITV talent show wonderfully captures musical's unhinged party atmosphere". The Independent. 22 October 2023. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream viewers compare the reality show to Love Island". Digital Spy. 22 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.