Weakest Link

Ok so Rachel was voted off first but she got less questions wrong than any other contestant on the show, banked the money that enabled the team to reach their £5000 target, was referred to as beautiful (TWICE) by Anne and brought the house down with her rendition of 'We Will Rock You'. She even had time to give Miss Robinson a present on her way out.

Check out the videos below which run until Rachel was prematurely voted off or if you want to watch the entire show check out the BBC iPlayer website.

BBC IPLAYER

The link above takes you to the most recent iplayer uploads. Tonights Weakest Link should appear shortly.

Weakest Link (Video 2)

Weakest Link (Video 1)

Competition Play Off

As mentioned in an earlier post we are having a play off poll to decide the winner of our latest competition.

Emily and Lois have sent us their predictions and we're now ready to get this play off underway.

As you can see the new poll 'Do You Prefer Rachel as Meat or Scaramouche?' has now been added to the blog and we'd like as many people as possible to vote.

Anyone can vote but obviously it's going to be easier for those who have been lucky enough to see Rachel in both roles.

However if you haven't you could simply vote for your favourite character.

Weakest Link Tonight + Send us Your Review!

Don't forget that Rachel will be on the 'Weakest Link' West End Special tonight!
It's on BBC1 at 8pm.

Full details here:

WEST END WEAKEST LINK SPECIAL

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Our 'review of the year' blogger posts have proved very popular and several of our regular readers are now working on their own versions. If you'd like to submit your thoughts on how Rachel has influenced your 2008, please email your article to David at dlar193076@aol.com

Jess Highlights of the Rachel Year

Wow! I can't believe in just a couple of months it will already be a year since the Nancy program all started! Have I really been supporting them all that time? Oh dear! Now I could go through every little detail of my favorite Rachel moments but if that was the case you would be reading until 2010 I'm sure!

I have to say I was a late bloomer to being a Rachel fan, well at least compared to David and Andy. Right when the live shows started I labelled her as the "New Connie", which technically isn't a bad thing, but I am never one to root for the one in the lead. So I just said she was a really good performer and was probably going to win the competition. Well that was the first week! It wasn't until she hit rock bottom by being in the bottom two with Sarah that which became my first favorite moment from Rachel. "As If We Never Said Goodbye" was my favorite sing off of the series. Not just because it was so emotional and brought the hairs on my arms on end, but for the first time showed this girl called Rachel in a new light for me. She was no longer just one of the Nancys to me, she was one of my favorites. Just like that, she did a complete 180 for me and I WANTED her to win.

I think the moment that defines Rachel as a true star was much more than just a moment. How about a whole episode? The semi-final I officially refer to as "Rachel episode." She was absolutely mind-blowing!

- She started it off by giving the best solo performance of the series, probably of any of the 3 shows!

- Then to completely giving it more than 100% in "Buenos Aires."

- To leaving me breathless by just saying the lyrics to "As Long As He Needs Me", I could have listened to that forever!

- For crying her eyes out during "Memory"(awwwwwww)

- To giving an exit that will always be remembered.

The semi-final will always be my favorite Nancy hour, that's all thanks to Rachel!

And probably the only other Rachel moment that made me realize I'm seeing something very special was when she sang "As Long As He Needs Me" with Niamh in Belfast. I thought while watching it, Rachel and Niamh won't ever sing this song to an audience again; this was the last time. It made me a bit sad just thinking that. And that the performance while I could only hear and not see it, it was so uplifting! The best rendition I have heard so far, I want to say I will ever hear, but you never know! My two favorite Nancys singing one of my favorite songs; it was an electrifying moment that I will never forget.

I will definitely be re-watching all these moments over again to say goodbye to a year that has made Rachel's life into a fine one!

Thank you so much Rachel for an amazing 2008, and all the best of luck in 2009!!!

2008 Review from Jo

I am absolutely addicted to reality TV, as Rosie mentioned, Liv, Rosie, and I can sit in Starbucks talking about reality TV for hours. After watching Rachel’s performance of about you now on the first live show, I knew immediately that she was my favourite Nancy, and as the weeks went on I saw that Rachel was the only Nancy who had the full package, and that was able to perform 8 shows a week on the west end stage. Rachel was by far the best actress, as she proved during the rats mission, has an absolutely outstanding, powerful voice (Belfast Belter as she was referred to on the show), and does not have two left feet and is a brilliant dancer.

My favourite performances that Rachel delivered from IDA were, about you now, as this was the first performance where Rachel proved to everyone how talented she was. Also “Oh what a night” was a personal favourite, just simply because I really enjoyed watching her performance. I will always love you was also incredible, and last but not least Caberet. Also you cannot forget Rachel’s version of ALAHNM, when I watched the other Nancy’s who had been knocked out of the competition it was just them singing Nancy’s song. However when Rachel performed ALAHNM it was Nancy delivering the song, I thought Rachel’s acting during that performance was incredible, and the emotion that she was able to put across to the audience was amazing.


Opening Night was just something else. I woke up on the morning of the 22nd, with no plans what so ever to attend opening night. I was so gutted because I was desperate to go, but I was 99% sure that the 22nd was the day I was meant to be starting uni, however it turned out to be the following week. Anyway about midday I went onto facebook, and saw that Chris was trying to sell his spare ticket, so I tried to get in contact with Chris but wasn’t able to. However in the end I managed to get hold of a ticket, and decided to travel up to London with my sister who was going to see a concert as well. Travelling around London by myself was quite an achievement for me I felt, as I had never been to London on my own, and was clueless of how to use the underground, so I was sure I was going to get lost. Anyway I managed to get to the dominion with no problems and on time to meet up with Andy, David, Chris and other TT members. We all got on so well, and were stood outside the theatre chatting away about IDA, and then we all met Karen upstairs in the bar area, where both Karen and Richard were telling us all the funny stories of what Rachel and them had been up to when under the influence of alcohol lol!! It was then time to take our seats in the theatre, I would like to thank Chris especially as I was able to sit with him using his spare ticket, David and Andy in the circle, as apposed to on my own in the stalls. As I am sure you have all read numerously Rachel’s performance was mind blowing, it seemed like she had been playing the part of meat for years, you would of never have guessed it was her opening night. The highlight for me was definitely Rachel’s performance of No one but you, words cannot describe how amazing this was to watch. As always Rachel sung the song perfectly with bucket loads of emotion, and the Belfast Belter delivered one of the best live performances I have ever seen.

During the interval I got talking to Rosie, and her friend Eleanor, we all got on like a house on fire, and realised we all had so much in common, which was really nice, and was also one of my highlights of the evening.

The end to the perfect evening was actually meeting Rachel at the stage door. I had read on the blog how lovely Rachel is from various different fans that had met her at Hyde park etc, but until you actually meet her for yourself you cannot appreciate how much of a lovely, genuine, modest, kind, grateful, and friendly person she is. I thought it was lovely how Rachel made sure that she had made time to talk to everyone of her fans that were there on opening night and how she thanked each and every one of us for coming, and posed with us for photos and signed our tickets. Rachel really does have a lot of time for her fans and has the ability to make each and every one of us feel appreciated. I was so excited to have finally met Rachel after so many months of watching her in inspiration on TV, I could not stop smiling for days!!! Also the stage door was where I met another of my new friends Liv.


Being the poor students that Rosie, liv, and I are, there was a lot of discussion about whether we would be able to afford to attend Scaramouch night. However in the end we decided that we could not miss seeing Rachel in this incredible role, and decided to break the bank balance and go. Rosie, Liv and I had been in a lot of contact via facebook between opening night and Scaramouche night and had become good friends, therefore we decided to meet up before the show. We went off to starbucks and literally sat there chatting non stop about the x factor, strictly, Rachel, the blog, west end shows etc, and the time flew by. We then set of for the dominion where we net up with Andy, David, David’s wife and daughter Catherine. Rachel was absolutely mind blowing in the role of Scaramouche, I remember after Rachel’s performance of SBTL looking at Rosie in disbelief, my jaw had dropped to the floor, it was sensational, she literally blew the roof off the dominion. I also really enjoyed watching Rachel deliver those comedy lines in the show, which she had managed to grasp so well. Who wants to live forever and under pressure were also incredible as well. Rachel was yet again able to deliver so brilliantly yet with such a demanding role, and she just keeps on getting better and better every time I see her.

The stage door was once again a lovely end to a lovely evening, it was much more relaxed than opening night, as there was not so many people, but Rachel was once again lovely, and we all stood there chatting as if we were old friends about the weakest link, some of the other cast members crazy fans, and of course Rachel in the role of scaramouche. Big thank you to Rosie and Liv, as I was able to share Scaramouche night with you guys, we must do it again soon, I had a fantastic evening!!


Last but not least thank you David and Andy for setting up such a wonderful blog for us all to follow, resulting with me being able to make lots of new brilliant friends.

Review of the Rachel Year from Chris

2008 has been a year of massive highs and lows for me and sometimes it's been pretty tough going, but it is no overstatement to say that Rachel's IDA performances provided me with some of the most inspiring and emotionally engaging moments I've seen, and - on WWRY opening night - turned what was potentially one of the saddest days of my life into one of the most memorable. Thank you Rachel and Team Tucker.

I missed the early episodes of IDA and, not normally one to get addicted to these type of shows, wasn't too concerned about tuning in as the finals got under way. Until, that is, I happened to catch Rachel's rendition of Beautiful, which is one of my three stand-out moments from the show. Echoing the comments made in Andy's review, my initial reaction was "wow, what a stunningly beautiful woman", but by the end of the rendition I knew Rachel was the whole package.

Instantly hooked, I made it my business to tune in to IDA every week from then on. As the show went by it became increasingly clear that Rachel just didn't have the public vote, for whatever reason I will never understand! I started trawling the web for various IDA-related threads and it was obvious that the hard-core Jodie and Jessie fans were in the majority. So towards the end I accepted deep down that Rachel wouldn't win, but it still broke my heart when she made her exit (her sing-off with Sam, and her ALAHNM, were my other two stand-out moments). I didn't even watch the final, not through any sense of petulance, but because the star of the show was absent and it just didn't hold any appeal for me.

However, on one internet thread I did notice a large proliferation of posts from someone called "Gas Attack" who was vehemently battling the case for Rachel, declaring himself "Rachel's Biggest Fan" - hold on a minute, I thought, I am Rachel's biggest fan, how dare you! Gas Attack is of course TT's very own Andy, and I have to concede as a result of his (and David's) sterling efforts on this blog that he probably does deserve that title!

For anyone who's wondering why "Cabaret" didn't make my top 3 stand-out moments...... I missed it!! I had travelled up to Edinburgh on that day ready for the Edinburgh Marathon the following day. I was late checking into my hotel and was aware I'd missed the first 5 minutes or so of IDA...... never mind, I thought, Rachel won't be first on...... so I switched on the telly to see ALW et al standing applauding in unison and the crowd erupting behind them..... and then the camera panned to Rachel's beaming face..... I'd missed it! Of course I have since seen in many times via this blog but I'm still gutted I didn't see it live.

Anyway I did the marathon in a time of 3 hours 46 minutes which I was very pleased with. As a little aside, there was another major injustice that weekend - France didn't win the Eurovision song contest when their song ("Divine" by Sebastian Tellier) was clearly the best by some way!!

* cringes in embarrassment at admitting to liking a Eurovision song *

My year started to go downhill from there, my marriage started to break down and on 22 September I spent my last night living with my wife before separating. 22 September was of course WWRY opening night, and I very nearly didn't go, but I am so glad I did because what a fantastic night it was, seeing Rachel perform live, getting her autograph and a fabulous picture with her at the stage doors afterwards, and of course meeting the members of TT and some of the Jessie Buckley bloggers.

This potentially horrendous night for me instead became one that will live long in my memory for all the right reasons and that is all down to one super talented, beautiful, awe-inspiring young lady from Belfast! Thanks Rachel!



Scaramouche night was fabulous and I personally preferred Rachel in that role, mainly because you get to see sooooooo much more of her, and surely now it is only a matter of time before she gets the Velma Kelly role..... I wasn't able to hang around long at stage door afterwards and so I wasn't able to chat to the other TT members, unfortunately my companions and I had a restaurant booking to dash off to!

So now it's looking forward to 9th March where David, Andy and I will be sitting near the front of the stalls to see Rachel in close-up!

Happy 2009 to all Team Tucker members!

Chris

Goodbye 2008

2008 has been an incredible year for Rachel.

She began by sharing a Belfast stage with Liam Neeson, got engaged to Guy, performed to millions on IDA and reached the semi-final, was offered Sally Bowles and accepted Meat in WWRY. She sang at the Belfast Proms and Pride, appeared at Hyde Park alongside the biggest names in world musical theatre, played Meg Giry at the Sydmonton workshops, ran a half marathon, appeared on the Weakest Link and presented a BBC radio show with Niamh.

And of course most importantly of all, she earned the distinction of having the best fansite in the country!

After such a momentous year, we thought it only right (not to mention self-indulgent) to recap on our favourite Rachel-related moments of 2008. So here are the thoughts of all four bloggers.

We'd all like to raise a glass to Rachel, who has made so many people so happy this year. Happy New Year everyone!

Karen's Favourite Moments of 2008

Where to start? What a year Rachel has had and I feel so proud to have been part of her journey in 2008. I came to Rachels blog as you know having been invited by David because I had set up Rachels original "Vote Rachel to Win" Facebook group and I was a personal friend. Therefore, seeing as I have the advantage of knowing Rachel since childhood and beginning the Nancy journey together by discussing whether or not to audition in our dressing room at the Lyric Theatre during our run of The wizard of Oz last xmas; I'm going start my review from there.
Rachel is as kind, warm hearted and genuine a person as you will come across in life and she showed this to me many times during the run of Oz. A few of my favourite moments begin here...

I lost my red gloves my husband Richard had bought me for my 30th during rehearsals and I was devasted. We opened the next week and on my dressing room table was a new pair of gloves Rachel has gone out of her way to replace for me. The first of many gifts she passed to me including(The Secret)and supportive words Rachel bestowed on me in the dressing room we shared. Obviously sharing a stage with Rachel for the 3rd time and being struck dumb when Liam Neeson knocked on our dressing room door is very high on my list of Fav's.


Comedy moments to name but a few, in Oz - when the cast completely corpsed (burst out laughing whilst trying to remain in character)because the actor playing Uncle Henry sneezed unexpectedly at the crucially sad and poiniant part of the show when he takes Toto away from Dorothy. Rachel had always said if something would make her laugh on stage it would be someone sneezing; she was creased up so much that she blatently hid behind the dog and wouldnt let Toto go because she didnt want to be caught on laughing onstage....Don't worry the dog will save you my pretty lol

Favourite IDA song performances were;
Beautiful - she blew me away with her passion and her belting ability.
The Way We Were - I had a feeling she'd melt my heart on this and I was right. I cried like a baby
I'm With You - One of Avril Lavingne best songs. Rachel acted this pop ballad wonderfully. Her soft and huskey tones in the verse leading to her clear high and strong belt on the chorus was very impressive.
I will Always Love you - is the second favourite song on my list as I had the privelidge to see this performed live. I was mesmerised and drawn to her standing at the top of the staircase. She looked stunning in her long champagne coloured dressed that fishtailed at the bottom. I was drawn to the purity and control in her voice singing the opening part of the song in accapella like an angel. How she managed to walk so gracefully down that staircase in her dress and sing at the same time, I will never know. I particularly enjoyed yelling out a very large and loud BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! to Barrie Humphries in the studio with her friend Samuel as BH said she was would a good understudy. What a load of B*llucks!
Final performance of As Long As He Needs Me, after she was voted of for me was her best moment yet. Some may argue and say it was Cabaret but I know Rachel of old and her performance in Cabaret will have blown away anyone who didnt already know that she was capable of doing just that with one her of musical idols best known songs. It was just wonderful for this to be the one that finally got the panel sadly not the public on their feet. So for me it her final song of the series. The hurt, the determination to make something of herself, the strength of charachter needed to pick herself back up and again and succeed all came through to me during this song and although I was upset and hurt for her I had no doubt that Rachel would be the next best thing and that her dream was on just around the corner. To top it all I got to see that dream come true on her opening night of WWRU. Where I must admit whilst talking to Rosie in the interval I began to well up with tears. I felt like a proud older sister who had travelled a journey of 17 years to see it all come to fruition.

Thankyou to everyone who has supported Rachel and this blog during 2008. Onwards.... roll on 2009 xxx

Rosie's 2008 Highlights

Returning from my skiing holiday back in March, with a neck-brace, my arm in a sling and a bruised rib, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. After becoming addicted to ‘How do you solve a problem like Maria?’ and ‘Any dream will do’ I found myself setting up ‘I’d Do Anything’ to record on the sky box (as I was physically unable to move!), anticipating that as I didn’t really like ‘Oliver!’ as a musical, I wouldn’t become so addicted. (Also, I have to say the Josephs were going to take some beating!)

However, as you’re all aware I became pretty obsessed and three Nancys especially stuck out: Rachel, Jessie and Niamh.
It’s taken a LOT of narrowing down, but my favourite IDA-related moments are:

- Rachel’s performance in the Bill Sykes/Rats task. That, for me, was what put her ahead of everyone else in the competition.
- Rachel’s performance in the final task with Barry Humphries – speaking the words of ‘As long as he needs me’
- Rachel & Niamh – ‘Another suitcase in another hall’
- Rachel & Jessie – ‘Buenos Aires’
- ‘The week in the life of a Nancy’ – hilarious, especially the bit with Rachel and Jessie messing around in rehearsals
- ‘The way we were’, ‘Cabaret’, ‘You’ve got a friend’, ‘I will always love you’, ‘For once in my life’ were my personal favourite performances of Rachel’s and each one I’ve got on my iPod and listen to daily! Each week she shone. They should have given her the part at the first audition but I’m glad they didn’t for a number of reasons, firstly and most importantly, we wouldn’t have seen so many amazing performances week after week!
- Probably a strange ‘favourite moment’ to have, but Rachel’s last performance of ‘As long as he needs me’ and Cameron’s comment the week after: she gave the performance of her life and became Nancy – and he was gutted!



My next favourite Rachel-related moment of 2008 was most definitely Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 60th Birthday Party in Hyde Park.
Anyone who managed to go I’m sure will agree it was the most phenomenal night (maybe it’s a bit too controversial but I think it may be my ultimate favourite Rachel-related moment of 2008!). I went with my two friends Eleanor and Rachel and we enjoyed a night of phenomenal music... John Barrowman, Idina Menzel, Lee Mead, Elaine Page, Denise van Outen (redeemed herself after some of her ridiculous comments on IDA!), Joss Stone, Duncan James, Hayley Westenra, Gina Beck... Then of course, Andrew himself! And as if the show couldn’t get any better, Rachel, Niamh AND Jessie all come onto stage and deliver a fantastic performance of ‘Light at the end of the tunnel’... WOW! (Yes David I’d have to say you were indeed an idiot to miss this).



Then, just a week later, Rachel’s Opening Night!!!! This was a fantastic night all round and started as soon as Eleanor and I arrive at the Dominion... Meeting David, Andy, Karen (again), Katie, Jackie, Hannah, Jo, Chris, Olivia and then, JODIE PRENGER!!!!! I had to eat humble pie after meeting this amazingly lovely lady, and I cannot wait to see her in Oliver! Rachel herself was just phenomenal. I really didn’t think that anyone could beat Kerry Ellis’ (the original ‘Meat’) version of ‘No-One but You’ but Rachel managed to deliver it in her own special way and it was simply beautiful. Another great moment was Eleanor and I realising that we were sitting next to some of Rachel’s family... slightly embarrassing as we were clearly cheering way too loudly and they turned to us and said “Ahhh, are you Rachel’s friends?” ... Oops. Meeting anyone at the stage door is always fantastic, but meeting Rachel was just the most exciting thing ever. After supporting her all the way through IDA it was brilliant to actually meet her – and she was so so so lovely.


Finally, Scaramouche Night. Special thank you to Jo and Liv for making this night so fantastic. We all had the best time and had a LOT in common (X Factor, Strictly, John Barrowman etc.) Rachel’s Scaramouche was flawless: hilarious, sweet and what a voice! The stage door again was fantastic – meeting Rachel AND Ricardo (yes, Rosie has a soft spot for Ricardo!)
It was a fantastic night all round – and the best news came at the end of the evening: Daniel was out of the X Factor!

Ok, I’m out – Sorry! Funnily enough I’ve managed to write a LOT here in the space of half an hour, yet my essays still remain a mess and I’ve been doing them for about 3 weeks...
Special thanks to David, Andy, Karen, Jo and Liv. You’re all great and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you all. Also thank you every other TT member I’ve met, as well as Katie, Hannah and Jackie, all of whom were lovely on Opening night!

Finally: Rachel, you are a star!
Am looking forward to everything this fantastic blog brings us in 2009!

Andy's 2008 Highlights

It's difficult to know where to start when listing my 2008 highlights because there have been so many but I guess it's only right to start with IDA.

I didn't see much of the build up to the live shows so Rachel's stunning performance of 'About You Now' was the first time I saw our girl in action and to say I was impressed would be a MASSIVE understatement. I was first struck by her beauty but it wasn't long before I realised she had the talent to match and I already knew she was destined to be a star.

Other IDA highlights include 'Oh What a Night', 'Another Suitcase' (Niamh Sing Off) and of course 'Cabaret' but in truth you could pick almost any of her performances because she was consistently brilliant week after week.

I also really enjoyed the missions where we got to know Rachel a little better. Needless to say she excelled in all of them but if I had to pick a favourite it would probably have to be the comedy mission. The infamous Jaws Joke had me laughing out loud and was typical Rachel.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Jess for her fantastic tribute video. The girl is a genius and somehow managed to capture all the best moments in that 10 minute masterpiece. I know I'll never get tired of watching it.


Unfortunately I wasn't able to travel to NI to see the Gay Pride event but it was great that David and other readers were able to record some footage to at least give us a taste of what it was like. I actually have a fear of flying but I have been practicing my swimming to ensure I don't miss such a special occasion again.



I haven't had much use for the 'Red Button' on my Sky remote but it came to the rescue when Rachel performed at the Proms. I couldn't believe my luck when I discovered I was able to tune into the coverage from Belfast and you'll excuse my bias if I say she was the highlight of a memorable evening’s entertainment.

Like David I found the duet with Niamh particularly moving. She was my second favourite contestant on IDA so it was lovely to see them together again. Northern Ireland can be very proud of both of them.



Next up was Hyde Park. I have to admit I was in 2 minds about going when David told me he wouldn't be able to make the trip. I knew Rachel was only making a brief appearance and with an expected crowd of over 40,000 I didn't think I'd get anywhere near the stage.

I'm so glad I decided to go because it really was a fantastic night. Seeing so many incredible artists on one stage and Rachel in person for the very first time made Sunday 14th September a day I will always remember. Rachel seemed to be having an absolute blast on stage with the other IDA girls and 'Light at the end of the Tunnel' topped off one of the best night's of 2008.



I think I described September 22nd as one of the best days of my life and that really is the truth. To see Rachel fulfil her dream in the West End was incredible and it was great to be joined by so many members of TT. I met so many wonderful people for the first time that night but for obvious reasons I want to single out David, to whom I am so grateful for allowing me to contribute on this blog and Rachel, who was magnificent on stage and every bit as lovely as I knew she would be when I spoke to her at the stage door afterwards.

Scaramouche night was also a very special occasion and in some ways I enjoyed it even more. I was feeling relaxed, confident Rachel would give a faultless performance and as usual she didn't disappoint.



Like David I would like to thank all our readers for their support of Rachel and our blog throughout 2008 and we hope you'll stick with us for what I'm sure will be an equally exciting 2009.


Last but certainly not least, thanks to Rachel for making all the above possible.

David's 2008 Highlights

Yes it's that time when journalists, pundits and bloggers become shamelessly self-indulgent and pick their favourite moments of the year. So not to be outdone, here are my very favourite Rachel-related moments of 2008.

Have to start with IDA of course:

'About You Now' -- An awesome statement of intent, this opening performance was nothing short of jaw-dropping. Having previously only seen Rachel as the demure Dorothy in Oz, this was an incredible image change and above all Rachel radiated confidence, class and star quality. Somewhere in Bristol, someone called Andy was taking notice too.

'You've Got A Friend' -- maybe not everyone's favourite, but I love the sincerity and simplicity of this performance. Delivered straight to camera, this showed Rachel's softer side and put her through to the semi-final.

'Cabaret' -- well what can I say that hasn't been said already? Performance of the series by a mile and the moment that proved Rachel to be world class. For once the judges were 100% spot on with their comments. Three words -- oh my God.

Mission -- 'Rowing Challenge' -- Rachel's grit and determination really shone through here, personality traits which have served her so well in her subsequent career.

Exit Interview -- Gracious, heart-warming, heartbreaking and endearingly ambitious.



Belfast Gay Pride -- Bit of an indulgence this one as very very few fans were priviledged to see this awesome performance. On a tiny stage in a Belfast back street, Rachel performed four incredible numbers entirely solo, including 'Cabaret' and 'Maybe This Time' to a wildly enthusiastic and lucky audience. A huge honour to be present and possibly the highlight of the year for me.



Belfast Proms -- A much bigger audience including thousands on TV, but the star quality was the same. Despite arriving without a ticket, I was able to get a plum spot right in front of the stage and recorded the lot including Rachel's interview. 'Maybe This Time' backed by the Ulster Orchestra was incredible and I particularly loved ALAHNM, the duet with Niamh. Got something in my eye towards the end.



Opening Night -- Where to start? Meeting so many great people, Rachel's family being so kind, stage door photos and -- oh yeah -- there was a show as well. This was Rachel's time to prove herself on the big stage and damn did she do it in style. From the moment that wonderful accent echoed round the Dominion, we knew Rachel had arrived at her true destination -- West End and beyond. 'No-one But You' was flawless, incredible -- I've run out of words. A fantastic night.



Honorary mentions also for Scaramouche Night (is there anything this girl can't do?) and the Munchkins Picnic, which made me realise just what a genuine person Rachel really is.

A couple of regrets -- not going to 'Glinda's Glitter Ball', the charity fundraising finale to Oz in January and Hyde Park (sorry Andy I'm an idiot).

And special thanks to a few of the wonderful people I've met this year, both in person and online -- Andy, Karen, Rosie, Jackie, Katie, Jess and Krissie. To affiliate bloggers Sara and Julie and to everyone who joined Team Tucker and showed their support.

I want to say what an immense priviledge it is to have the trust of Rachel and Karen in the running of this site. Having fans isn't always a pleasant experience and I was so glad to hear Rachel's endorsement of Team Tucker on Scaramouche Night.

We run this blog to celebrate the immense talent that is Rachel -- she makes us all proud to be her supporters and some great friendships have been formed through our mutual admiration for RT.

Most of all I want to thank Rachel herself -- an absolute inspiration to everyone, and to quote Jackie's excellent opening night review; 'a little gem, an absolute powerhouse of enthusiasm, with her bright eyes sparkling.'

Rachel it has been a delight to support you in 2008 and we'll continue to do so through 2009 and beyond.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Phantom 2 News

An interesting article in Playbill today. Apparently Andrew Llloyd-Webber is set to not only go ahead with 'Phantom 2 -- Love Never Dies', but is planning to open simultaneously in three different cities, including possibly Shanghai!

The Sydmonton workshops, in which Rachel played Meg Giry, are mentioned -- well in fairness one of them is, rather confusingly.

It's a good article though and given the strong Rachel connection, we'll be following the progress of Phantom 2 with interest.

Photo Courtesy of Rachel's Bebo Site.

PHANTOM 2 ARTICLE

Exclusive Sydmonton Audio

Here is a very interesting audio, apparently a 'live' recording of the six Nancies who attended Sydmonton back in July. Rachel's distinctive vocal is very evident and the audio quality is excellent.

According to the Myspace page, the song; 'All Roads Lead To You' was written by Al Lloyd-Webber with lyrics by Don Black. There is also a version sung by Niamh on her own.

It appears that this recording was posted some time ago, but has been well hidden as it's current low number of plays would indicate.

A big thanks to Ginger from the IF for finding this fascinating recording.

The song is track number four on the Myspace page linked below.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO YOU

The song itself has a very poppy, dare I say Girls Aloud type-feel to it, and it's extremely catchy.
Also worth checking out track number 6 which I personally think is great electro-pop.

Sunday Life Article

The Belfast Paper 'Sunday Life' have a small article on Rachel & Niamh today. The photo they used (above) of course dates back to June when Rachel and Guy returned to Belfast for a few days after IDA ended.

I'd Do Anything finalist RACHEL TUCKER is set for one very busy 2009.

Rachel, currently starring in Queen musical We Will Rock You, has revealed she will be planning the biggest day of her life.

She added: "I'm marrying my fiance Guy Retallack next year and I am really looking forward to the big day. I suppose my New Year's resolution would have to be to get more organised as I'm planning the wedding for September and it's not really that far away. I can't wait."

Fellow Ulster I'd Do Anything star NIAMH PERRY is also looking forward to 2009 with anticipation.

"I am excited to see what will happen next year because I am unsure of a couple of jobs and can't wait to see what kind of path I will go for the whole career thing

"I am a firm believer in fate, whatever happens is supposed to, so I can't wait to see what will happen."

Meat or Scaramouche?

After much deliberation we still can't decide who the rightful winner of the competition should be so we've decided the only fair way to resolve it is with a play off.

We have ruled Chris out as he didn't quite manage to predict the winning song but we failed to separate Emily and Lois.

Emily correctly predicted Bo Rap would win and has both the second and third place songs but in the wrong order. However Lois correctly predicted Bo Rap would win, is closer with the votes and although she missed out No-One But You, she did get third place spot on.

Here is how the play off will work:

1) We are going to set up a new poll 'Do you prefer Rachel as Meat or Scaramouche?'

2) Before we add it to the blog we want Emily and Lois to guess which will win and how many votes both will receive.

1st Meat (15)
2nd Scaramouche (14)

3) Once we have both their predictions the poll will start and run for 10 days.

As there are only 2 possibilities you will only be allowed one vote each this time.

Anyone can vote but obviously it's going to be easier for those who have been lucky enough to see Rachel in both roles. If you haven't you could simply vote for your favourite character.


Lois and Emily please email your guesses to either Andy or David:

ANDY
andrew@gasattack.wanadoo.co.uk

DAVID
dlar193076@aol.com

GOOD LUCK!

Rachel & Niamh's Christmas Show

I've just had a listen to Rachel & Niamh's 'Show Stoppers' Christmas Show on BBC Radio Ulster, and trust me it's well worth an hour of your time!

There is some great music and great chat and Niamh and Rachel gel really well. The show will be repeated on 27th December at 12 noon, but in case that doesn't suit, Derek has very kindly recorded the show for us and you can download and listen here:

RACHEL AND NIAMH CHRISTMAS SHOW

I reckon that Rachel could have a back-up career as a late-night radio DJ, as she certainly has the voice for it!

Here is the full song listing:

Food Glorious Food (Oliver)
Me and my Gal (Judy Garland & Gene Kelly)
Tell me it's not True (Kiki Dee)
Send In The Clowns (Judi Dench)
On My Own (Niamh Perry)
Popular (Wicked)
Never Forget (Take That)
Oh What A Night (Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons)
Greenfinch and Linnet Bird (Jane Weisner)
Mammy (Al Jolson)
Maybe This Time (Rachel Tucker)
Wishing You Were.. (Sarah Brightman)
Can It Be You (Niamh Perry & Keith Jack)
Over The Rainbow (Judy Garland)
Thank God It's Christmas (Queen)

Rachel and Niamh had some inter-song chats about IDA, the Proms, Only The Brave, Oz and WWRY.

Interesting that Rachel mentioned 'knocking on doors and getting nowhere' before IDA, which does make you wonder why it takes a show like IDA to make theatre-land take notice of a talent right under their nose.

She also mentioned how nervous she was at the Belfast Proms, something which I must say I did pick up on that evening, being so close to the stage. No surprise as singing in front of a huge crowd with an 80 piece orchestra whilst being broadcast live on TV and radio must have been terrifying. But listening to 'Maybe This Time', she gave a flawless performance as always.

The songs sung by Niamh & Rachel are the Belfast Proms recordings, which are of course already available on the blog, but great to hear them on the radio too.

Enjoy the rest of your Christmas everyone!

Competition Results/Update

Free Glitter Graphics, Merry Christmas Glitter Graphics

First I'd like to wish EVERYONE a very Merry Christmas. I hope you all have a fantastic day and that Santa popped the perfect present in your stocking.

My perfect gift arrived yesterday, 3 tickets to see WWRY on March 9th. David and I will be joined by Chris for what I'm sure will be another memorable night. If you can make it we'd love to see you there.

As you've probably noticed our latest competition ended last night but we have yet to pick a winner. Nobody quite predicted the top 3 in order but we have 2 TT members who came very close and we're yet to decide who the winner should be.

The top 3 turned out to be:

• Bohemian Rhapsody (30)
• No-One But You (29)
• We Will Rock You (26)

Our closest 2 entries were from Emily and Lois. They both correctly predicted 'Bohemian Rhapsody' would win, Emily managed to guess the second and third place songs but in the wrong order and Lois missed out 'No-One But You' but got first and third spot on. We're going to have to give this one some serious thought before announcing the winner. Feel free to let us know what you think by leaving a comment.

Here are their entries:

EMILY
• Bohemian Rhapsody (41)
• We Will Rock You (35)
• No-One But You (30)

LOIS
• Bohemian Rhapsody (36)
• Don't Stop Me Now (33)
• We Will Rock You (29)

Maybe we should also include Chris who had the right 3 songs but had the first 2 the wrong way around.

CHRIS
• No-One But You (45)
• Bohemian Rhapsody (42)
• We Will Rock You (33)

It's a pity we haven't got 3 prizes because it's almost impossible to choose a winner.

I almost forgot....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID

Happy Christmas Rachel!

Christmas Glitter


To Rachel, Guy and all the family -- have a great day!

Karen sends you all her xmas fairy

http://www.glittergraphicsnow.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL YOU BLOGGERS AND TO ALL OUR DEVOTED FANS IN TEAM TUCKER. WISHING YOU ALL LOVE LUCK AND LAUGHTER AT THIS MERRY TIME AND HOPE THAT 2009 BRINGS YOU ALL SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS.

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS LOVE AND BEST WISHES TO DAVID, HEATHER AND CATHERINE XXX

Christmas Message From Jackie

T'was the night before Christmas,
When all through Team Tuckers House,
Not a keyboard was stirring not even the mouse,
I come in peace from the Buckley Blog,
No tea today,just a wee hot toddy and a slice of yule log,
Comments were posted,WWRY fish net stockings hung by the chimney with care,
With any of the rest...I won't even go there.

Empty inbox of delights,a poor ol' Mac,
Taking a longer than expected winters nap,
A hampster driven p.c must do for time be,
The one who pays in waiting is me,
Mr Mac all is forgiven ! you are one in a million,
Never again will elbow meet my wonderful glass of St Emilion.

So on this Merriest of a Christmas day,
A message and toast to Rachel and Team Tucker I pray,
And raise a glass for Mr Bloggy himself,
King of blog Kings,
Born unto us today,
On this his **??? th Birthday !

Happy Christmas Everyone!

Christmas Glitter Pictures

From all of us at Rachel's blog we want to wish everyone a very very Happy Christmas!

Andy and I want to say a huge thank you to all our readers, contributors, bloggers and most of all to Rachel herself for making us all so proud this year. Last Christmas Rachel was playing Dorothy in a tiny Belfast theatre, now she is performing for thousands in the West End.

During the spring we were treated to the rollercoaster that was IDA, and regardless of the outcome, this show was the ideal shop window for Rachel's phenomenal talent. She treated us to some incredible performances and heartbreaking moments, and her career has already eclipsed the Nancy role and looks set to run and run.

Most of Team Tucker have been to see Rachel in WWRY (some several times) and met the lady herself afterwards. I've yet to hear a single complaint -- she is an absolute powerhouse of talent and a lovely, down to earth person as well, the exact words I used in my first post on the Internet Forum back in May. Nothing since has changed my mind for a second.

We'll be doing a little 2008 round-up before the New Year, but in the meantime, don't forget to tune in to Rachel and Niamh's Christmas show (see post below) on Radio Ulster. Remember you can listen again on 27th December.

Also if you haven't already done so, please vote in our 'Queen' poll and the 'Whats On Stage' poll (posts below).

So we want to wish both Rachel and Guy a fantastic Christmas. Enjoy your few days off -- you deserve it!

More WWRY Stage Photos

Check out the great new WWRY site, featuring photos, videos, downloads and biogs:

WE WILL ROCK YOU

Jess has done it again!!!!

Our long-term readers will remember the superb Rachel IDA Fan Video which Jess (Jmor) created back in July. It was so good that Rachel herself mentioned it in one of her updates.
Since then, Jess has done the same for Jessie, Sam and Niamh as well as numerous others.
Now she has created a fantastic video for Siobhan and you really must see it!

If you're not familiar with Siobhan Dillon, who reached the final of 'Maria', just take three minutes and watch this wonderful video -- this is what Siobhan is all about! She has since starred in 'Grease' in the West End and most recently in the touring musical 'Can't Smile Without You', hence Jess' excellent song choice.

SIOBHAN TRIBUTE VIDEO

Siobhan's blog doesn't recieve as many hits as Rachel's, so I'm hoping Rachel won't mind me giving the blog, which is almost entirely run by Jess herself, a little plug. Siobhan is embarking on a solo music career in 2009 and we want to wish her every success.

As for Jess, I'm sure you'll agree she has a unique talent and I honestly think she has a major career ahead in film-making. Nice one Jess -- and erm any chance of another Rachel one?

Just in case you missed it first time round:

RACHEL TRIBUTE VIDEO

Get Voting!!

Just a quickie to say the deadline for competition has now past and the poll has been added to the blog.

Thanks to everyone for their entries and may the luckiest guesser win lol.

Remember you can select as many Queen songs as you like in the poll but we'd suggest it might be best to limit it to your 5 favourites.

Now get voting!

Rachel and Niamh 'Not Home for Christmas'

'The Sunday Life' featured a short article with Rachel and Niamh this week, 'revealing' that neither will be home in Northern Ireland for Christmas. Not a huge surprise of course as Rachel will be wowing the West End as Meat (and Scaramouche as well -- see dates in post below) over the holidays and Niamh is playing Snow White in Eastbourne.
You can read the article below.

Also worth mentioning that Jessie's fifteen week run in 'A Little Night Music' in the Menier is now completely sold out.

Diana Vickers didn't of course win X-Factor, but she seems assured of a major career. Andy and I simply don't have time to continue running her blog, so we have handed over to Charlotte who is a major fan of both Diana and Jessie and want to wish both her and Diana all the best for the future.


''Sunday Life - Not Home For Hols''

I'D Do Anything stars Niamh Perry and Rachel Tucker have revealed their Christmas secrets.

Niamh is going to be spending her first Christmas away from home this year but that hasn't stopped her mum and dad heading out to Eastbourne where she is appearing in panto to be with her.

She said: "Usually we have a Christmas breakfast with my mum's side of the family then we go to Ballynahinch where my dad's side of the family lives.

"I am part of a really big family so we have a huge Christmas dinner and a bit of a sing-song when we are all a little bit tipsy.

"I will miss that this year because unfortunately I'm not home. I'm playing Snow White but my mum and dad are renting a cottage here to be with me. It will be very different but we'll enjoy it all the same."

I'd Do Anything finalist Rachel Tucker has revealed she also won't be spending the festive season at home.

And although her family spend their Christmases having a good old sing-a-long she won't be there this year.

But no matter what Rachel has a few hilarious memories tucked away to get her through the holidays. She said: "My favourite memory as a child was blasting out Shakin' Stevens Merry Christmas Everyone from our living room."

'Oliver' Opening Night Postponed

Chris has just mentioned that 'Oliver' is due to open tonight and of course Chris you're absolutely right. However, rather bizarrely the opening has been delayed until tomorrow night (see BBC article below).

Whether this is some sort of poetic justice, I couldn't possibly say, but what I can say is that this delay will cost Cameron and co. a huge amount both financially and image-wise.

I must stress that the postponement is absolutely nothing to do with Jodie herself and we want to wish her all the very best for opening night tomorrow.

BBC NEWS

The first two planned performances of the new West End production of Oliver!, starring I'd Do Anything winner Jodie Prenger, have been cancelled.

Scheduled shows at the Theatre Royal on the night of Friday 12 December and a matinee the day after have been axed.

The first performance will now take place on the evening of 13 December.

Producer Cameron Mackintosh said extra time was needed to rehearse three teams of 50 child actors. Ticketholders can exchange tickets or apply for refunds.

Cameron Mackintosh said:

The planned previews were cancelled because of the "complexity of the production and the need to safely rehearse 150 children with the adult company of 35 actors on a moving set".

There were three separate teams of 50 child actors because of licensing regulations, Mackintosh said.

"Each scene has to be rehearsed three times and, as the set is very large and complicated, it is imperative that they are rehearsed in complete safety," he said.

Theatregoers with tickets for the two cancelled performances should contact the original point of sale to arrange a refund or to exchange tickets for a later performance.

Prenger won the role of Nancy in Oliver! after winning the BBC talent show I'd Do Anything.

Competition Reminder

Just a quick reminder that all competition entries need to be in before 8:00am on Sunday.

Don't forget to send us yours because you really wouldn't want to miss out on the opportunity to win an official WWRY Songbook. It's been signed by Rachel on page 90, which is the sheet music for 'No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)'. Additionally you'll receive an exclusive photo of Rachel signing it! All posted direct to your door in a lovely padded envelope.

Remember - You've got to be in it to win it!

Check out our 'Competition Time' post for more details on how to take part. It's really easy and everyone has an equal chance.

COMPETITION TIME

The post has been edited as we have now made the competition open to everyone and not just Team Tucker members. We want to give all Rachels fans a chance to take part.

Please email your guesses to either Andy or David:

ANDY
andrew@gasattack.wanadoo.co.uk

DAVID
dlar193076@aol.com

GOOD LUCK!

Rachel's New Year Dates

For anyone who has booked or fancies booking for WWRY over the New Year, here are Rachel's dates:

On Monday 29th December, Rachel is off altogether.

On Tuesday 30th Sabrina is off all day and Rachel is on as Scaramouche.

(New Years Eve) Wednesday 31st-Rachel is on for Scara on the matinee and off altogether in the evening.

(New Years Day) Thurs- Jan 1st –Rachel on as Scara for the matinee.

Do remember that dates can change at short notice due to cast illness etc.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rachel is also quoted in today's Belfast Telegraph, saying how excited she is for Eoghan Quigg, who has reached the final of X-Factor:

''I’d Do Anything star RACHEL TUCKER said she knew exactly how Eoghan was feeling. “I am so excited for Eoghan. He has done so well and done us all so proud back home,” she said.''

Personally I'm not a Eoghan fan -- my favourites Ruth & Diana have gone, but it's nice of Rachel to endorse the little guy in this way.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Footnote -- congratulations to Alexandra on winning X-Factor -- a worthy win IMHO.

What A Review!

Another review from the WWRY forum -- this one is of Rachel as Scaramouche on December 2nd. The really great thing about reviews such as this is that they are NOT written by Rachel fans. These writers are die-hard fans of the show and probably the toughest crowd to win over, which makes it all the more impressive to read accounts like this one.

OK the guy thinks that Rachel comes from Dublin rather than Belfast, but we'll let him off.

''I was very much taken indeed with Rachel's Scara .... Yes there were two fluffed lines but unless you know the script you'd not have realised because there was seamless recovery both times, and yes she was slightly out of position for a nano-second just once or twice, and yes she comes from the little town of Glasagow just outside Dublin, but then she's had limited opportunities to play Scara so far and get the role as intuitive as breathing.

She is a hugely refreshing Scara ... her pacing of PLENTY of the lines is different certainly, phrasing and emphasis altered but simply because that is how this Scara speaks. Where Sabrina's Scara is very shouty, always needs to be seen as right, is scared of losing the superiority she thinks she has and works constantly to retain, Rachel's Scara is completely comfortable in her own skin, knows she doesn't have anything to prove, knows she's way superior and only has to be herself for things to stay that way. No big deal. She's the Aston Martin tootling down the M1 while all the boy-racers melt their tappets passing her in their ego-mobiles, she and they completely aware that a wiggle of her big toe would see them all in the dust.

And she is funny! Scara has to be acerbic, but you can do that different ways. Hannah went for sarcasm and the occasional elbow-in-the-ribs to make her point, Jenna was more the cheeky know-it-all with some great mockery thrown in, Sabrina has her as being completely in-your-face with sharp teeth, a short fuse and a long stiletto, and Rachel is all "Yeah yeah whatever, but look we both know that I am right, right? So stop your prannying-around and lets get on with it because I'm getting hungry. 'Kay?"

She takes most of Scara's barbs and sticks them in just as deep but she delivers them in new and different ways, some soft and invisible til they land, others completely backhandedly ... think of the kind of insult that is delivered right to your face and with a smile, and takes you anything from ten seconds to three months to realise ... very funny, and it also gives Ricardo more to respond to and play-off ...

There's more, including that she can rattle the rafters one minute and whisper the next (when did you ever hear Scara whisper?!), hit every note she went for and went for all of the big ones, and has a neat line in Highland Flings.

However, there's genuinely too much to mention, lovely little things from nuances to attitude-shifts, mannerisms to expressions. Just go-see if you get the chance, make up your own mind. Rachel inevitably comes with some Nancy-baggage that doesn't help - see past that and you won't be disappointed.''

Voting Update

It's still early (voting closes on 31st January), but the figures below show the scale of the task ahead. Although lots of you have been voting, Rachel has slipped into fourth place, with Denis Lawson's granny apparently touring the internet cafes of the UK and racking up some serious votes to nudge him into second.

So if you haven't voted yet, please do it NOW by clicking the link below and going to the eleventh category; 'Best Takeover in a Role'.

VOTE FOR RACHEL

Remember you can only vote once from each PC, so if you can access any other computers, just take a minute and log on to the blog for the link.

Current state of voting:

1. Daniel Boys – Avenue Q at the Noël Coward
(27.4%)

2. Denis Lawson – La Cage aux Folles at the Playhouse
(18.1%)

3. Kelly Brook – Fat Pig at the Comedy
(10.7%)

4. Rachel Tucker – We Will Rock You at the Dominion
(15.3%)

5. Summer Strallen – The Sound of Music at the London Palladium
(16.9%)

6. Suzanne Shaw – Chicago at the Cambridge
(11.6%)

More Weakest Link Information

UPDATE: Apparently all the contestants appear in full costume on the show and are referred to throughout by their stage names!


Weakest Link ‘West End Musicals’ Celebrity Special
Publicity Information

Wednesday 31st December
BBC One, 20.00

Who needs to go back to stage school?

Who’s distinctly off-key?

Who should be calling for their understudy?

Who needs a prompt to get their answers right?

Nine celebrities from the West End musical stage take part in a show more terrifying than their opening night – taking on Anne Robinson, and playing for charity in a special edition of Weakest Link…and they thought that they knew the meaning of stage fright!

Will the musical stars hit the right notes?

Will they be left wishing they’d stayed hidden in the wings?

And will TV’s Queen of Mean, Anne Robinson, leave them hoping that they never work in this town again?


Contestant Line-Up

RYAN MOLLOY – Frankie Valli in ‘Jersey Boys’
Ryan plays the lead role of Frankie Valli in the Jersey Boys. He has also appeared on stage in LA & London. Theatre credits include playing Steve Strange in Taboo, and appearances in Jerry Springer The Opera and works of Shakespeare. As a singer & songwriter has written for Sting, Pussycat Dolls, Trevor Horn and Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

BEN ELLIS – Link Larkin in ‘Hairspray’
Ben is currently playing lead role of Link Larkin in the West End production of Hairspray. Ben was training at The Italia Conti Academy of Performing Arts before auditioning for the BBC One programme ‘Any Dream Will Do’, where he made it to the final 12 contestants. Ben was in the competition for 8 weeks before missing out on a place in the final.

SUMMER STRALLEN – Maria in ‘The Sound of Music’
Summer took over from Connie Fisher as Maria in the Sound Of Music. The niece of Bonnie Langford, Summer has also appeared in Hollyoaks as Summer Straw, and Hotel Babylon. Theatre credits include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Guys and Dolls and The Boyfriend.

RACHEL TUCKER - Meat in ‘We Will Rock You’
Rachel currently plays Meat in the West End production of ‘We Will Rock You’. Hailing from Belfast, Rachel trained at The Royal Academy of Music. She appeared in the final twelve of the BBC show ‘Id Do Anything’, making it through to the semi finals.

JOANNA MUNRO – Rosie in ‘Mamma Mia!’
Joanna plays Rosie, one of the Dynamos in Mamma Mia.
She has appeared in numerous theatre productions including; Blood Brothers, Prisoner Cell Block H, Baby Love and Rough Cross. As an established television actress she has appeared in Casualty, Emmerdale, Dangerfield, The Bill and many others.

SIMON BAILEY – Raoul in ‘Phantom of the Opera’
Simon has been performing professionally for the last five years. He has appeared at the West End in Romeo & Juliet, Joseph, We Will Rock You and currently Raoul in Phantom Of The Opera. Simon is also a member of the male opera group ‘Teatro’.

MARK GOLDTHORP – Nicky in ‘Avenue Q’
Mark appears as the puppeteer for Nicky, Trekkie Monster and the ‘Bad Idea Bear’ in Avenue Q. He has also appeared in numerous touring theatre productions and his West End credits include The Drowsy Chaperone and Whistle Down The Wind. Mark is also a playwright and has directed two films.

DIANNE PILKINGTON – Glinda in ‘Wicked’
Dianne plays the good witch Glinda in West End musical ‘Wicked’. Dianne has also appeared in Les Mis, Taboo and tours of Cats and Beauty & The Beast.

MATT RAWLE – Zorro in ‘Zorro’
Matt is currently appearing as Zorro at the Garrick theatre. Matt is best known for being a successful theatre actor, halving also appeared in West end productions of Miss Saigon, Martin Guerre and Evita amongst others.


PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS:

Round One:
Anne Robinson mocks Matt Rawle (a.k.a. Zorro) for his Brummie accent – ‘So, did you learn your sword skills in Dudley then?’

AR finds out from Summer Strallen (a.k.a. Maria) that she is Bonnie Langford’s niece, and AR then asks her to put her leg behind her head (as Langford did when she appeared on WL). Summer duly obliges!

Round Two:
AR talks to Ben Ellis (a.k.a. Link) about being a ‘failed Joseph’, and asks whether he got ‘…a snog from Andrew Lloyd Webber’.

Ben/Link sings a little song for Anne, finishing on the line ‘Anne Robinson I’m in love with you, no matter what you weigh’.

Round Three:
Simon Bailey (a.k.a. Raoul) sings a song to Anne from ‘Phantom of the Opera’, rewording the last line to ‘Annie…that’s all I ask of you.’

Round Five:
Ryan Molloy (a.k.a. Frankie Valli) sings ‘Sherry Baby’ in a very impressive falsetto!


SILLY ANSWERS:

Round Two:
AR: In cities, Stockholm is the capital of which European country?
Link: Russia?

AR: In medicine, what ‘P’ is traditionally said to be ‘better than cure’?
Frankie: …er…’Prescription’?

Round Three:
AR: Which historic town, about twenty-five miles west of London, has a name that is an old term for virginity, and was the birthplace of Simon Bailey?
Frankie: Crouch End?

Round Five:
AR: In stereotypes, what ‘E’ is the general term for the reference books that door-to-door salesmen were often portrayed trying to sell?
Frankie: …er…Elastic?

Round Six:
AR: According to the proverb, what is ‘no stronger than its weakest link’?
Rosie: Money?

AR: In clothing, which article of Latin American dress is designed to be worn on the head – a poncho, or a sombrero?
Link: A poncho?

Round Seven:
AR: In history, in 1695 a new tax was imposed in England and Wales on occupants of houses with a minimum number of six …what?
Link: Children?