Ricki Lake confirmed as guest judge for the first live show of Let It Shine on BBC One
BBC One announces today that American actress, singer and Emmy Award-winning television presenter Ricki Lake is to join Gary Barlow, Martin Kemp and Dannii Minogue as a guest judge for the first live show next month.
Published: 27 January 2017
I am super excited to be a guest judge on Let it Shine! I love musicals and this is a fantastic show. I was only 18 when I won the role of the original Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray so I can’t wait to share some of my own experiences with the boys.
Ricki says: “I am super excited to be a guest judge on Let it Shine! I love musicals and this is a fantastic show. I was only 18 when I won the role of the original Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray so I can’t wait to share some of my own experiences with the boys. It is truly a pleasure and I’m excited to see the bands perform live for the first time! And not to mention, I am thrilled to be back in the UK!”
Ricki is best known for starring as the original Tracy Turnblad in the cult-classic film Hairspray and for presenting her award-winning day time talk show which was aired internationally for many years. Ricki has appeared on stage in The Vagina Monologues and in a one-off benefit performance of the production Funny Girl on Broadway. She had a cameo appearance in the re-make of Hairspray and recently appeared in the NBC show Hairspray Live. Ricki has also performed twice at Carnegie Hall, New York.
Ricki will appear in the first of three live shows (Saturday 11 Feb). The twenty five boys who have been successful at the auditions and collaborations stage will go on to perform live in front of Ricki and the other judges in five bands. They will go head to head with each other for the first time competing for viewers’ votes. The winning band will join the cast of a brand new touring musical which will feature the music of Take That.
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Notes to Editors
- Already announced, Lulu will join as a guest judge for the second stage of the competition (Saturday 4 Feb) when the contestants collaborate with some of the UK’s most-loved artists including Busted, Beverley Knight, Melanie C, Olly Murs and Kaiser Chiefs.
- Musical theatre star Amber Riley is a guest judge during the audition stages of the competition.
- Further guest judges for the live shows will be announced in due course.
