The Stage

Festive duet for Mead and Fisher

Published Wednesday 17 October 2007 at 14:00 by Matthew Hemley

Exclusive: Connie Fisher and Lee Mead will perform together for the first time this Christmas, as part of a BBC1 special that unites the finalists from Any Dream Will Do and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?.

The 60-minute show, which has the working title Maria Meets Joseph, is expected to air on or around Christmas Day and has been described by the BBC as an “entertainment extravaganza”.

The pair’s duet is expected to form the centrepiece of the show, which will also see Andrew Lloyd Webber reveal his favourite moments from both of the talent search programmes.

He will be joined by Denise Van Outen and John Barrowman, who are also lined up to sing.

Van Outen, who was a judge on Any Dream Will Do and is currently appearing in Rent, will join the Joseph finalists for a group number, while Barrowman, who was a judge on both shows, will sing with the Marias.

Songs that will be performed have yet to be confirmed, but they are expected to include a number of festive classics.

Not all of the shows’ finalists will appear, but those likely to be included in addition to Mead and Fisher include Daniel Boys, who is now performing in the musical I Love You Because at the Landor Theatre in London, Lewis Bradley, who will cover Mead in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for six weeks next year and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? finalist Aoife Mulholland.

The programme will take a look at what each performer has done since the shows were broadcast.