After eight weeks of reality competition, Stevie Doc and Tobias Turley have been crowned the winners of ITV1 and ITVX's Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream. The pair will step into the roles of Sophie and Sky in the West End production of Mamma Mia! January 29, 2024.
The casting competition was filmed in Greece, and began with 14 aspiring performers, each hoping for the chance to star in the West End production. Each week, the contestants participated in a series of workshops with Mamma Mia! choreographer Anthony Van Laast and musical director Martin Lowe.
Judges Alan Carr, Jessie Ware, Amber Riley, and Samantha Barks narrowed the contestants down to the final four: Doc, Turley, Esme Bowdler, and Owen Johnston. Mamma Mia! creator and global producer Judy Craymer oversaw the process.
For the show's grand finale, the final four contestants shared a group performance of "The Winner Takes It All" live from the Novello Theatre, the West End home of Mamma Mia!, and viewers voted for their favorite performer. See the performance below.
"I’m honestly lost for words," Doc said in a statement. "This is something I could never have imagined, and I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to even be on the show never mind win it! Thank you to everyone who has supported me and helped me to make this happen!”
Said Turley in a statement: “I genuinely have no words, I’m speechless. I feel so grateful to everyone at home who voted for me, and to everyone who has worked on this show for always being so kind to me. This has been the best experience of my life and I am so thankful, it really means the world.”
The pair will head straight into rehearsals with the Mamma Mia! cast, before making their debuts in the new year. In 2024, the production will celebrate its 25th year in the West End.
Mamma Mia! opened April 6, 1999 at London's Prince Edward Theatre. In 2004, it transferred to the Prince of Wales Theatre, then to its current home, the Novello Theatre, in 2012.
Featuring music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA, Mamma Mia! is written by Catherine Johnson, directed by Phyllida Lloyd, and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast. The tale of a mother, a daughter, and three possible dads on a Greek island features fan-favorite ABBA tunes including "Dancing Queen," "Lay All Your Love on Me," and "Super Trouper."
The reality competition is executive-produced by Amelia Brown, Charlie Irwin, and Ashley Whitehouse for Thames (a Fremantle label) and Judy Craymer for Littlestar. The show is commissioned by Katie Rawcliffe, head of Entertainment Commissioning at ITV; Lily Wilson, commissioning editor for ITV; and Louise Major, commissioning editor for ITV.