Over the Rainbow (2010 TV series)

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Over the Rainbow
250px
Genre Reality
Directed by Simon Staffurth
Presented by Graham Norton
Judges Andrew Lloyd Webber
Charlotte Church
John Partridge
Sheila Hancock
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of series 1
No. of episodes 18
Production
Executive producer(s) Suzy Lamb
Producer(s) Mel Balac
Production location(s) Fountain Studios
Running time 40–90 minutes
Production company(s) Talkback Thames
Distributor FremantleMedia
Release
Original network BBC One, BBC HD
Picture format PAL (576i), HDTV 1080i
Original release 26 March (2010-03-26) –
22 May 2010 (2010-05-22)
Chronology
Preceded by I'd Do Anything (2008)
Followed by Superstar (2012)
External links
Website

Over the Rainbow was a British television talent series that aired on BBC One from March to May 2010. It documents the search for a new, undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Dorothy in the forthcoming Andrew Lloyd Webber stage production of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and a dog to play Toto for a one-off performance. Produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, the series is presented by Graham Norton and judged by Lloyd Webber. The series has been named after the song "Over the Rainbow" and was also aired by TV3 in Ireland.

Following a public telephone vote, 18-year-old Danielle Hope was chosen as Dorothy to perform the role in the West End starting in 2011. Miniature Schnauzer Dangerous Dave was chosen to play Toto for a one-off performance.

The series follows previous collaborations between the BBC and Lloyd Webber to find new musical theatre performers: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, Any Dream Will Do and I'd Do Anything.

A Canadian version of the show aired on CBC Television in the autumn of 2012.

Format

Creation

Following the end of I'd Do Anything in 2008, Lloyd Webber was asked to work on another show but said that he would not work with the BBC to find a musical theatre performer in 2009 so that he could work on the musical Love Never Dies, the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. He would, however, return in 2010 to find Dorothy for a production of The Wizard of Oz.[1] He subsequently went on to co-write and find the performer for the British entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Eurovision: Your Country Needs You. In July 2009, it was reported that the 2010 series had been dropped so that Lloyd Webber would not be criticised for promoting Love Never Dies,[2][3] and that the series would be taken to commercial broadcaster ITV where restrictions on commercial links are less strict.[4] Lloyd Webber later said that it was a scheduling clash solved by moving the series to later in the year.[5]

The BBC announced the commission of the series in September 2009 with the title The Wizard of Oz; it would search for a performer, cast by the public, to play Dorothy and a dog for Toto. The series will be made by Talkback Thames and, as with the previous series, will be presented by Graham Norton.[6] Following the announcement, Lloyd Webber said in The Daily Telegraph about casting a dog:

A big sticking point for me, this was ... This is what the BBC wanted and I had to point out to them that as a cat man, this was not something that I was very happy about at all. The whole thing fills me with extreme concern. I might insist on having a cat on the programme, because I think the BBC as a public service broadcaster have got to give equal time in my view to cats.[5]

At the Glasgow auditions, he spoke to The Scottish Sun about comparisons with past series, saying:

This is the most difficult show I've had to cast. Joseph, Oliver and Maria all come from established theatre productions which are huge hits. The Wizard of Oz has been done before, but it's never worked properly because they've tried to recreate the movie too closely. I'm essentially writing a whole new musical with some of the greatest songs ever written and composing completely new music for it.[7]

Judges

Black-and-white portrait of a man in his fifties in a dark suit jacket and light shirt, mid-speech with his head tilted slightly to the left, looking to the left of the camera.
Andrew Lloyd Webber led the search for the musical theatre performer.

A panel of judges assessed the contestants during the series. They were:[8][9]

The Daily Mail reported in February 2009 that Lloyd Webber had asked Liza Minnelli, daughter of Judy Garland, to be one of the judges.[10] The Daily Mail also reported that, following the announcement of the judging panel, Denise van Outen, a judge during previous series, had been dropped due to her pregnancy,[11] however this was denied by the BBC.[12] John Barrowman, also a judge for previous series, wanted to judge on the series and he says the BBC wanted him to do it. However, he had already committed to American series Desperate Housewives when Talkback Thames asked him and he turned down the offer.[13][14]

Auditions

Applications for the series from those over 16 were solicited in November 2009 and auditions took place in Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and London from January 2010.[6][15] Speaking to The Scottish Sun at the Glasgow auditions, Lloyd Webber said that: "I don't want to go for a Dorothy who's all peaches and cream. Anyone like Avril Lavigne or a bit like Amy Winehouse or something along those lines would be great."[7]

110 auditionees were invited to the call-backs at the Hackney Empire in London, where they performed in front of Hancock, Partridge and casting director David Grindrod. 54 girls were then invited to attend 'Dorothy Farm', where they received vocal, choreography and acting classes before performing in front of Church, Partridge and Hancock for a place in the top 20. The panel then selected the top 20 to progress to the next stage.[16]

The top 20 performed in front of Lloyd-Webber and the panel for a place in the final 10 and the live finals. The studio show then invited viewers to vote for a 'wild card' from the remaining 10 to join the others in the live finals.[16]

Live finals

The final eleven contestants began competing in the live studio finals on Saturday 3 April, with the results being announced in the pre-recorded results show on Sunday. Each week the contestants sang and performed during the live show, receiving comments from the judges following their performance. The public would then get the chance to vote for their favourite Dorothy, and the two Dorothys with the fewest votes performed in a sing-off in front of Lloyd Webber during the results show. He would then decide which potential Dorothy to keep in the contest. To end the programme, the remaining Dorothys sang "We Thank You Very Sweetly" and "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz while the leaving Dorothy handed her shoes to the saved Dorothy, who gave them to Lloyd Webber. The eliminated Dorothy would then lead the performance of "Over the Rainbow" whilst carried on a crescent moon across the stage.

The Fountain Studios in London hosted the series, with the Sunday results programme being filmed after the Saturday show.[17] Proceeds from viewer votes go to the BBC Performing Arts Fund.[16]

Toto

The series also searched for a dog to play Toto for a one-off performance. The search was led by Jodie Prenger, winner of I'd Do Anything,[16] along with animal experts Gerry Cott and Sarah Fisher.[18] The final 5 contestants were revealed on Sunday 25 April 2010.[19]

Final 5
Dog Age* Breed Colour Owner Status
Dangerous Dave 1 Miniature Schnauzer Blue Rachel Winner
Eddie 1 Pug / Shih Tzu Silver Lucie Eliminated
Missy 3 Cross-breed Pink Anna Eliminated
Spider 5 Beagle Purple Lucy Eliminated
Troy 4½ Cross-breed Lime Green Jackie Eliminated

* as at start of series

Finalists

Eleven contestants made it through the audition rounds and performed during the live shows. Emilie Fleming was selected as the 'wild card' and eleventh contestant following the public vote after the final audition round. Each Dorothy wore a unique coloured dress and silver slippers with bows on them which matched the dress. At the end of every live show, the losing Dorothy would have her shoes stripped by the Dorothy who survived the sing-off, and the shoes would be given to Lloyd Webber. As the winner, Danielle Hope claimed the ruby slippers as her prize, as well as the starring role. Sophie Evans, the runner-up of the series, would later become the alternate Dorothy.

Finalist Age* From Dress Colour Status
Amy Diamond 22 Widnes, Cheshire Lilac Eliminated 1st in Week 1
Bronte Barbe 18 Macclesfield, Cheshire Bubble Gum Pink Eliminated 2nd in Week 2
Dani Rayner 16 Northwich, Cheshire Olive Green Eliminated 3rd in Week 3
Emilie Fleming 19 Tyne & Wear Forest Green Eliminated 4th in Week 4
Stephanie Davis 17 Prescot, Merseyside Acid Yellow Eliminated 5th in Week 5
Jenny Douglas 18 Edinburgh Burgundy Eliminated 6th in Week 6
Jessica Robinson 18 Middlesbrough Emerald Green Eliminated 7th in Week 6
Stephanie Fearon 21 London Gold Eliminated 8th in Week 7
Lauren Samuels 22 Hinckley Cerise Third Place
Sophie Evans 17 Rhondda Purple Second Place
Danielle Hope 17 Urmston, Greater Manchester Red Winner

* at the start of the series

Results summary

Place Contestant Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Final
Part 1 Part 2
1 Danielle Safe Safe Bottom 2 Safe Safe Safe Bottom 2 Safe Winner
2 Sophie Safe Safe Safe Bottom 2 Safe Safe Safe Safe Second place
3 Lauren Safe Bottom 2 Safe Safe Safe Bottom 2 Safe Bottom 2 Third place
4 Steph Bottom 2 Safe Safe Safe Bottom 2 Safe Safe Eliminated Eliminated
5 Jessica Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Eliminated Eliminated
6 Jenny Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Eliminated Eliminated
7 Stephanie Safe Safe Safe Safe Eliminated Eliminated
8 Emilie Safe Safe Safe Eliminated Eliminated
9 Dani Safe Safe Eliminated Eliminated
10 Bronte Safe Eliminated Eliminated
11 Amy Eliminated Eliminated

Episodes

Auditions: Top 20 selection

The series started on Friday 26 March 2010, and the first programme followed the open auditions, call-backs and the contestants at 'Dorothy Farm', concluding with the selection of the top 20.

Auditions: Top 10 selection

Aired on Saturday 27 March 2010, the second episode saw the top 20 contestants perform in front of the panel to secure a place in the top 10. In groups of four, they performed a pop song and a musical song, coached by a West End performer. The show performances were:

  • Group performances:
    • "Yellow Brick Road / We're Off to See the Wizard" (from The Wizard of Oz)

After the panel chose Amy Diamond, Bronte Barbe, Dani Rayner, Danielle Hope, Jenny Douglas, Jessica Robinson, Lauren Samuels, Sophie Evans, Steph Fearon and Stephanie Davis to be in their top 10, Camille Mesnard, Claire Harbourne, Claire Hillier, Emilie Fleming, Emma Warren, Katie Honan, Phillipa O'Hara, Sarah Middleton, Tasheka Coe and Tegan Edwards performed "Over the Rainbow" to be chosen as the 'wild card' and eleventh contestant in the live finals.

The studio guest was Jodie Prenger, who played Nancy in Oliver! after winning I'd Do Anything in 2008, and she performed "As Long as He Needs Me" from Oliver!.

Week 1 (3/4 April)

The first of the live finals on Saturday 3 April 2010 saw the 11 finalists perform to stay in the competition. It also saw Emilie Fleming announced as the 'wild card' contestant following the vote at the end of the previous programme. Their mission during the week was to work on the farm of Countryfile's Adam Henson. He selected Bronte to win the challenge; her prize was an extra performance during the results programme and she chose Amy, Emilie and Jessica to join her.

The results show saw Amy become the first contestant to be eliminated. The performances during the first week were:

  • Panel's verdict on who was not Dorothy:
    • Sheila Hancock: Amy
    • John Partridge: Sophie
    • Charlotte Church: Dani
  • Sing-off:
    • The bottom two were Steph Fearon and Amy Diamond, with Amy receiving the lowest number of public votes. They performed "Whistle Down the Wind" from Whistle Down the Wind.
    • Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save Steph and eliminate Amy, feeling that whilst Amy was 'incredibly talented', she was not suitable for the role of Dorothy. Amy's farewell song has proven extremely popular among fans, due to Amy hitting a unique final note.

Week 2 (10/11 April)

The second live show on Saturday 10 April 2010 saw the 10 finalists perform to stay in the competition. The contestants worked with Hancock during the week, and their mission was to perform, in front of Hancock, the scene in The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy meets the Scarecrow. Also, the search for a dog to play Toto saw the top 50 selected from the open auditions.

The results show saw Bronte become the second contestant to be eliminated. The performances during the second week were:

  • Panel's verdict on who was not Dorothy:
    • Sheila Hancock: Sophie
    • John Partridge: Jessica
    • Charlotte Church: Emilie
  • Sing-off:
    • The bottom two were Bronte Barbé and Lauren Samuels, with Bronte receiving the lowest number of public votes. This result is considered one of the lowlights of the series. They performed "What I Did for Love" from A Chorus Line.
    • Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save Lauren and eliminate Bronte, although he expressed his disappointment in having to choose between the two, both of whom were in his personal 'Top 5'.

Week 3 (17/18 April)

The third week of competition was dance week and the live show on Saturday 17 April 2010 saw the remaining nine finalists perform to stay in the competition. The contestants worked with John Partridge during the week, learning how to walk and perform in heels before performing with him in front of Lloyd Webber and choreographer Arlene Phillips. The search continued for a dog to play Toto narrowing it down to the Top 10.

The results show saw Dani become the third contestant to be eliminated. The performances during the third week were:

  • Panel's verdict on who was not Dorothy:
    • Sheila Hancock: Jessica
    • John Partridge: Emilie
    • Charlotte Church: Jenny
  • Sing-off:
    • The bottom two were Dani Rayner and Danielle Hope, with Dani receiving the lowest number of public votes. They performed "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret.
    • Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save Danielle and eliminate Dani.

Week 4 (24/25 April)

The fourth live show on Saturday 24 April 2010 saw the remaining eight finalists perform to stay in the competition. Following a one-on-one session with Charlotte Church, the mission this week was learning to perform "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)". In the search for a dog to play Toto, the final 10 auditioned in front of the Toto panel and Lloyd Webber and the final 5 were chosen.

The results show saw Emilie become the fourth contestant to be eliminated. The performances during the fourth week were:

  • Panel's verdict on who was not Dorothy:
    • Sheila Hancock: Emilie
    • John Partridge: Emilie
    • Charlotte Church: Emilie
  • Sing-off:
    • The bottom two were Emilie Fleming and Sophie Evans, with Emilie receiving the lowest number of public votes. They performed "I Know Him So Well" from Chess.
    • Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save Sophie and eliminate Emilie.

Week 5 (1/2 May)

The fifth week of competition was big band week and the live show on Saturday 1 May 2010 saw the remaining seven finalists perform to stay in the competition. Lloyd Webber worked with the contestants this week, and their mission (excluding Jessica who was ill) was to walk through a dark forest alone where they face a choice of going home or going to Oz. This week also saw the first task for the dogs vying to play Toto. After a master class, they performed a scene from Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre and the judges chose Missy as the task winner.

The results show saw Stephanie become the fifth contestant to be eliminated. The performances during the fifth week were:

  • Panel's verdict on who was not Dorothy:
    • Sheila Hancock: Stephanie
    • John Partridge: Stephanie
    • Charlotte Church: Sophie
  • Sing-off:
    • The bottom two were Steph Fearon and Stephanie Davis, with Stephanie receiving the lowest number of public votes. They performed "Tell Me on a Sunday" from Tell Me on a Sunday.
    • Andrew Lloyd Webber (although unimpressed with the result) chose to save Steph and eliminate Stephanie, a decision which has proved highly unpopular with many fans of the show, who have expressed disappointment that Stephanie, who had been a firm favourite to win, was eliminated at such an early stage and that Lloyd Webber chose Steph over Stephanie. Although visibly distressed to be leaving much earlier than was expected of her, Stephanie successfully sang the farewell song and received a standing ovation from the panel and John Partridge in particular.

Week 6 (8/9 May)

File:Richmond Theatre portraitR.jpg
The Richmond Theatre hosted the task for the contestants this week.

The sixth week and quarter-final stage of the competition, with the live show on Saturday 8 May 2010, saw the remaining six contestants perform musical theatre songs for four places in the semi-final. This week, the task for the Toto contestants was to see how they would get on with the potential Dorothys at the Richmond Theatre. The dogs chose the Dorothy they wished to perform with, and with six Dorothys and only five dogs, Lauren was not chosen. The pairs performed in front of the Toto panel and an audience of children; the panel chose Spider as their 'top dog' and the audience chose Dave. Also this week, the contestants went to the opening night of Sweet Charity and met Tamzin Outhwaite backstage; during the results show Outhwaite performed "If My Friends Could See Me Now" from the musical.

This week, Jenny and Jessica became the sixth and seventh contestants to be eliminated from the competition. The performances during the sixth week were:

  • Panel's verdict on who was not Dorothy:
    • Sheila Hancock: Sophie
    • John Partridge: Sophie
    • Charlotte Church: Jenny
  • First sing-off:
    • The bottom two were Jenny Douglas and Lauren Samuels, with Lauren receiving the lowest number of public votes. They performed "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel.
    • Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save Lauren and eliminate Jenny. This marks the first (and only) time in the series that Lloyd Webber did not eliminate the girl who received the lowest number of viewer votes
  • Second sing-off:
    • The bottom two were Danielle Hope and Jessica Robinson, with Jessica receiving the lowest number of public votes. This marks the point where every contestant on the show had been in at least one sing-off, which had never happened before on any of the previous series. They performed "Take That Look Off Your Face" by Tell Me on a Sunday.
    • Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save Danielle and eliminate Jessica.

Week 7 (15/16 May)

The seventh week of competition was the semi-final stage of the series. On 15 May 2010 the four remaining contestants sang live for a place in the final. The final task for the Toto contestants was to pull back a curtain to reveal the Wizard (Lloyd Webber); he chose Troy as his task winner, and the panel chose Eddie. Sierra Boggess visited the contestants during rehearsals, and she performed "Love Never Dies" from Love Never Dies during the results show.

The results show saw Steph became the eighth contestant to be eliminated from the competition. The performances during the seventh week were:

  • Panel's verdict on who was not Dorothy:
    • Sheila Hancock: Steph
    • John Partridge: Steph
    • Charlotte Church: Steph
  • Sing-off:
    • The bottom two were Steph Fearon and Lauren Samuels, with Steph receiving the lowest number of public votes. They performed "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" from Evita.
    • Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save Lauren and eliminate Steph. When she was eliminated, Steph received a standing ovation from the audience and judges, including Lloyd Webber.[20]

Week 8 (22 May)

In the run-up to the final, the three remaining contestants visited Lloyd Webber's estate. There, their mission was to perform a scene and sing "Over the Rainbow". Also during the week, the eight eliminated contestants went to see Hancock in Sister Act and met her and some of the cast (including Amy Booth-Steel, an I'd Do Anything finalist) backstage.

Grand Final Show 1

  • Third Place and the winning Toto:
    • Having received the lowest number of votes from the viewers, Lauren Samuels finished in third place, and Dangerous Dave was revealed as the winning Toto.

Grand Final Show 2

  • Final performances
    • Following the elimination of Lauren, the final two each performed "Over the Rainbow" and their favourite song from the series:
      • Sophie: "Reflection" (from Mulan)
      • Danielle: "Mambo Italiano" (Rosemary Clooney)
  • The Final Vote
    • The final vote was then announced and it was revealed that the winner was Danielle Hope with Andrew Lloyd Webber saying, "Well I'm really pleased with the result; the nation's never got it wrong yet. You're a most fantastically talented kid with a huge future ahead and now the hard work starts, but my goodness me, you can act from the soul and that's something that's very, very special." Danielle then collected her ruby slippers from Lloyd Webber and concluded the series with a performance of "Over the Rainbow".

Reception

The two audition episodes attracted 4.28 million (18.4% audience share)[21] and 5.22 million viewers (23.9% share)[22] according to unofficial overnight figures. The first live show attracted 5.417 million viewers (25.4% share).[23]

All ratings are taken from the UK Programme Ratings website, BARB.[24]

Show Date Official rating
(millions)		 Weekly rank
on BBC
Auditions: Top 20 Selection 26 March 2010 4.55 #24
Auditions: Top 10 Selection 27 March 2010 5.53 #11
Live Show 1 3 April 2010 5.61 #10
Results 1 4 April 2010 4.30 #31
Live Show 2 10 April 2010 5.61 #13
Results 2 11 April 2010 4.79 #19
Live Show 3 17 April 2010 4.82 #18
Results 3 18 April 2010 4.84 #16
Live Show 4 24 April 2010 5.41 #13
Results 4 25 April 2010 5.99 #9
Live Show 5 1 May 2010 5.44 #14
Results 5 2 May 2010 5.61 #12
Live Show 6 8 May 2010 5.78 #11
Results 6 9 May 2010 5.75 #12
Live Show 7 15 May 2010 5.56 #14
Results 7 16 May 2010 5.61 #13
The Final Live Show 22 May 2010 5.97 #10
The Final Results 6.95 #6
Show Average: 5.45 million

Doctor Who controversy

The series attracted a different kind of media interest when an animated banner advertisement, also known as a "trail", depicting an animated Graham Norton dancing alongside the title of the series, aired during the climactic cliffhanger of the 24 April 2010 broadcast of the Doctor Who episode, The Time of Angels. The BBC apologised after receiving over five thousand complaints.[25] Norton himself went on to parody the incident in his own show by placing a similar banner at the bottom of the screen and having a Dalek exterminate his own cartoon caricature.[26][27]

References

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  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/dorothy/totos/
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ http://www.barb.co.uk/whats-new/weekly-top-30? BARB Official Site
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ The Graham Norton Show. BBC. BBC One. 3 May 2010. No. 4, series 7.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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