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| Gary Barlow teams up with BBC for Take That talent show Let It Shine | Gary Barlow teams up with BBC for Take That talent show Let It Shine |
| (2 months later) | |
| The BBC has turned to Gary Barlow in its hunt for the next Saturday night hit as he attempts to find a new Take That to take part in a Mamma Mia-style stage musical. | The BBC has turned to Gary Barlow in its hunt for the next Saturday night hit as he attempts to find a new Take That to take part in a Mamma Mia-style stage musical. |
| Let It Shine will be presented by Graham Norton and The Great British Bake Off’s Mel Giedroyc. | Let It Shine will be presented by Graham Norton and The Great British Bake Off’s Mel Giedroyc. |
| With distinct echoes of BBC1’s Andrew Lloyd Webber shows such as I’d Do Anything – also fronted by Norton – the new show will put together a group to join new stage show The Band, featuring the music of Take That. | With distinct echoes of BBC1’s Andrew Lloyd Webber shows such as I’d Do Anything – also fronted by Norton – the new show will put together a group to join new stage show The Band, featuring the music of Take That. |
| The musical has been created in association with Barlow and his Take That bandmates Mark Owen and Howard Donald. | The musical has been created in association with Barlow and his Take That bandmates Mark Owen and Howard Donald. |
| The BBC will hope it will help fill the hole left by another of its Saturday night talent shows, The Voice, which it lost to ITV. | The BBC will hope it will help fill the hole left by another of its Saturday night talent shows, The Voice, which it lost to ITV. |
| BBC1 has struggled to come up with new Saturday entertainment formats, with flops including celebrity gymnastics show Tumble and big-budget adventure gameshow Prized Apart. | BBC1 has struggled to come up with new Saturday entertainment formats, with flops including celebrity gymnastics show Tumble and big-budget adventure gameshow Prized Apart. |
| Culture secretary John Whittingdale has criticised BBC1 for not being distinctive enough. It remains to be seen if the Barlow show will pass this test. | Culture secretary John Whittingdale has criticised BBC1 for not being distinctive enough. It remains to be seen if the Barlow show will pass this test. |
| It is at least not a bought-in format, like The Voice, which prompted much criticism of the BBC by MPs, and will be made in-house by BBC Studios. | It is at least not a bought-in format, like The Voice, which prompted much criticism of the BBC by MPs, and will be made in-house by BBC Studios. |
| It may also attract some of the criticism levelled at Lloyd Webber’s Saturday night shows for BBC1, which also included Any Dream Will Do and Over The Rainbow. | It may also attract some of the criticism levelled at Lloyd Webber’s Saturday night shows for BBC1, which also included Any Dream Will Do and Over The Rainbow. |
| Critics said the BBC was serving Lloyd Webber’s commercial interests by devoting a sizeable chunk of its Saturday night schedule to a programme about one of his shows. | Critics said the BBC was serving Lloyd Webber’s commercial interests by devoting a sizeable chunk of its Saturday night schedule to a programme about one of his shows. |
| Actor and theatre director Kevin Spacey was among the most prominent critics, saying the Lloyd Webber shows unfairly distorted the West End theatre market. | Actor and theatre director Kevin Spacey was among the most prominent critics, saying the Lloyd Webber shows unfairly distorted the West End theatre market. |
| “I felt that was essentially a 13-week promotion for a musical – where’s our 13-week programme?” Spacey said in an interview in 2008 in which he said they were “crossing the line” and “unfair”. | “I felt that was essentially a 13-week promotion for a musical – where’s our 13-week programme?” Spacey said in an interview in 2008 in which he said they were “crossing the line” and “unfair”. |
| Unlike the Lloyd Webber shows, the Take That musical will start out as a touring production. The BBC has no commercial stake in the stage show. | Unlike the Lloyd Webber shows, the Take That musical will start out as a touring production. The BBC has no commercial stake in the stage show. |
| Contestants do not have to be lookalikes to have a hope of winning because the show is a story which features Take That songs, rather than the story of Take That. | Contestants do not have to be lookalikes to have a hope of winning because the show is a story which features Take That songs, rather than the story of Take That. |
| The show may also pose a few interesting diversity questions for the BBC, including whether women can take part (the band is expected to be all-male). | The show may also pose a few interesting diversity questions for the BBC, including whether women can take part (the band is expected to be all-male). |
| Barlow said: “Back in 1989, we were just a group of normal guys from Manchester who came together to become Take That. | Barlow said: “Back in 1989, we were just a group of normal guys from Manchester who came together to become Take That. |
| “The secret to our success was that each of us brought something different to the group and that the five of us had real chemistry.” | “The secret to our success was that each of us brought something different to the group and that the five of us had real chemistry.” |
| He added: “Now with Let It Shine we’re looking for people from all walks of life to form another unique group who can recreate that magic. | He added: “Now with Let It Shine we’re looking for people from all walks of life to form another unique group who can recreate that magic. |
| “If you think you’ve got what it takes, we want to see it.” | “If you think you’ve got what it takes, we want to see it.” |
| Over eight weeks of competition, Barlow and three mentors will be looking for talented individuals to form a new group exuding Take That’s showmanship and stage presence. | Over eight weeks of competition, Barlow and three mentors will be looking for talented individuals to form a new group exuding Take That’s showmanship and stage presence. |
| Co-presenter Norton said he was looking forward to helming the forthcoming series. | Co-presenter Norton said he was looking forward to helming the forthcoming series. |
| “The combination of the BBC, everyone’s favourite band and Saturday nights made this an offer I simply couldn’t refuse,” he said. | “The combination of the BBC, everyone’s favourite band and Saturday nights made this an offer I simply couldn’t refuse,” he said. |
| Norton added: “If I wasn’t a part of Let It Shine I know I would be watching it at home – this way I just get the best seat in the house.” | Norton added: “If I wasn’t a part of Let It Shine I know I would be watching it at home – this way I just get the best seat in the house.” |
| Giedroyc, who will soon be back on screen co-hosting The Great British Bake Off with Sue Perkins, said Let It Shine will be “utterly spectacular”. | Giedroyc, who will soon be back on screen co-hosting The Great British Bake Off with Sue Perkins, said Let It Shine will be “utterly spectacular”. |
| “This show brings together so many of the things I love – singing, dancing, Gary Barlow and Graham Norton. What’s not to love?” | “This show brings together so many of the things I love – singing, dancing, Gary Barlow and Graham Norton. What’s not to love?” |
| Giedroyc continued: “I can’t wait to meet the singers and see the performances which I know will be utterly spectacular. | Giedroyc continued: “I can’t wait to meet the singers and see the performances which I know will be utterly spectacular. |
| “If you know someone who’s got the moves, whether they already sing in the shower or on the stage, we want to see them.” | “If you know someone who’s got the moves, whether they already sing in the shower or on the stage, we want to see them.” |
| Charlotte Moore, BBC controller of TV Channels and iPlayer, said: “BBC1’s new Saturday night show will bring families together to celebrate Britain’s love of musical theatre, combining singing, performance and dance in a hotly contested search to find a new group. | Charlotte Moore, BBC controller of TV Channels and iPlayer, said: “BBC1’s new Saturday night show will bring families together to celebrate Britain’s love of musical theatre, combining singing, performance and dance in a hotly contested search to find a new group. |
| “Masterminded by Gary Barlow, our hosts will guide viewers through eight weeks of unmissable competition, all to win a dream place in a new stage show.” | “Masterminded by Gary Barlow, our hosts will guide viewers through eight weeks of unmissable competition, all to win a dream place in a new stage show.” |