{"id":131929,"date":"2023-10-10T04:23:09","date_gmt":"2023-10-10T04:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluemull.com\/?p=131929"},"modified":"2023-10-10T04:23:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T04:23:09","slug":"zoe-ball-channels-cilla-black-on-new-talent-show-mamma-mia-i-have-a-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluemull.com\/tv-and-movies\/zoe-ball-channels-cilla-black-on-new-talent-show-mamma-mia-i-have-a-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Zoe Ball channels Cilla Black on new talent show Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here we go again! Zoe Ball is back on our TV screens with another sunny prime-time show that will have us all singing along on the sofa. Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream follows stage-show wannabes as they jet off to the idyllic Greek islands to compete for the lead roles of Sophie and Sky in the hit ABBA West End musical.<\/p>\n

As a lifelong ABBA fan, Zoe, 52, was determined to get the gig \u2013 even though it meant taking time off from her phenomenally successful Radio 2 Breakfast Show and leaving behind her 13-year-old daughter Nelly and her grown-up son, Woody, 22.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am Mamma Mia! obsessed and absolutely love ABBA, so when I got a call asking if I would be interested I was like, \u2018Yes please!\u2019\u201d Zoe grins.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The star has hosted everything from Live & Kicking to Strictly Come Dancing spin-off show It Takes Two, but winning this job was
a dream come true. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a bit of a nervous wait and then obviously I had to very nicely ask my boss if I could have a bit of time off from the Breakfast Show, but luckily Radio 2 are huge ABBA fans, so we made it all work.\u201d<\/p>\n

To get in the mood before hot-footing it to the airport with her passport, Zoe and her teenage daughter Nelly had a home movie night to watch both Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Zoe also visited the West End to watch the show live.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen it many times before, so I\u2019ve been living and breathing it,\u201d says superfan Zoe. \u201cNelly, my daughter who\u2019s 13, and I watched back-to-back movies and then I went to see the cast in the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When it was time for Zoe to leave, Nelly had a thoughtful gift for her mum in case she got lonely.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy daughter did this lovely little thing,\u201d Zoe says. \u201cShe gave me a picture of us because I\u2019m going to be away for so long and on the back of it it\u2019s got a scan code and it goes straight to Slipping Through My Fingers on Spotify. She\u2019s like, \u2018If you miss me\u2026\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Zoe didn\u2019t have to miss Nelly too much \u2013 the teenager managed to fly out for a few days to see her mum working
on set and meet the contestants of the show. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Zoe still missed her son Woody though, and found the youngsters competing to play Sky made her think of Woody all the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are all around Woody\u2019s age,\u201d said Zoe, who ended up spending time counselling the contestants and being a shoulder to cry on. \u201cThey
are away from home, it\u2019s an emotional process, they\u2019re really nervous \u2013 there are moments when they\u2019re losing their minds over
what they\u2019ve got to do.\u201d <\/p>\n

With enormous admiration for the contestants taking part, Zoe admits she is envious of their talents.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI said to all of them, the Sophies and Skys, \u2018You\u2019re doing what I wanted to do.\u2019 But I cannot act, I cannot sing. I can live my life vicariously through them though, which is wonderful. To have that talent is a little bit of magic and if you have it you\u2019re very lucky.
It\u2019s so wonderful to see them fly with that.\u201d <\/p>\n

Singing and dancing on stage might have been Zoe\u2019s dream, but she\u2019s more than happy with her current showbiz career. \u201cDon\u2019t
worry, you won\u2019t be seeing me on the West End stage any time soon,\u201d she laughs. \u201cDon\u2019t panic!\u201d <\/p>\n

As well as lending an ear and offering support to stressed-out contestants, Zoe also found herself playing
the role of matchmaker when she spotted sparks flying between some of them. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be that chemistry at some point. I was asking the girls, \u2018Who do you think you\u2019d like your Sky to be?\u2019 Obviously I\u2019m slightly stirring for romance! I\u2019m like Cilla Black and they\u2019re like, \u2018It\u2019s not Blind Date Zoe!\u2019 It\u2019s interesting because you\u2019re obviously seeing they\u2019re looking at each other, thinking, \u2018Yes, you bring this to the character.\u2019 You need that chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Zoe\u2019s more often found on the radio than TV these days so being on camera, on location, did throw up some wardrobe challenges, and she was further confounded when she was banned from wearing her trademark black.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis show is a different kind of glam to radio. I was told quite early on, \u2018Zoe, no black.\u2019 And I completely freaked out because that\u2019s
all I do. But I\u2019ve embraced the colour.\u201d <\/p>\n

However, the colour of the season happens to be pink and Zoe\u2019s not sure about it. She laughs, \u201cI might look a bit like Peppa Pig!\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream is coming soon to ITV1<\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n