Britannia High

[Bryan]

ITV1 has announced the cast of Britannia High, the new musical drama set to be one of the TV events of 2008.

Britannia High’s Director of Choreography, Arlene Phillips and acclaimed theatre producer David Ian devised the original idea for the series. Along with the production team led by Series Producer Brian Grant and Producer Gareth Philips, they have spent the past six months selecting the drama’s super-talented performers who sing, dance and act in a fictional performing arts school.

Britannia High is a contemporary British performing arts school. The cast will play a close knit group of six students, all sharing the same hopes and dreams of success.

The drama series sees the students learning how to make their own mark on the world.

They’re learning to be the best they can, in every possible sense, learning as much about life, themselves and each other as they do about their art.

We follow the lives and loves of Danny, Lauren, Claudine, BB, Jez and Lola, through their first days and months at the school over eight hour-long episodes of the drama.

The series climaxes in a 90-minute finale, taking the form of an end-of-term Students’ Showcase, featuring performances from the cast, intertwined with drama segments that conclude the story and journey of the characters.

Viewers will be given an insight into the show’s casting process before the drama transmits in two specially-filmed 60 minute documentaries, produced by Sarah Woolley.

These episodes will serve as an introduction to the drama itself, as documentary cameras go behind the scenes to meet the writers of the show, its composers, led by Gary Barlow, and see Arlene Phillips in action, putting the cast through their paces.

Starring in the most talked about television event of 2008 are: Marcquelle Ward, Sapphire Ella, Mitch Hewer, Georgina Hagen, Rana Roy and Matthew James Thomas.

Marcquelle Ward hit the limelight last year winning a TV dance competition; he will play BB, who considers himself to be to the Fifty Cent of Britannia High, but is the most grounded and mature of all the students.

Sapphire Elia, best known for her role as Gemma Craig in Dream Team, is Claudine, show-business is in her blood and she’s determined to make it by any means necessary.

Mitch Hewer, famous for his role as Maxxie in Skins, will star as Danny, Britannia High’s exceptional and all round talent, brimming with wit and charm.

Georgina Hagen, who appeared in the last series of Tracey Beaker in addition to numerous theatre roles, plays Lauren, who comes from a small town and a close family and feels lost amongst the huge personalities at Britannia High.

Rana Roy moved to London from Dubai to attend dance school and had her first taste of fame last year when she won a TV dance show; in Britannia High she will be Lola, whose eccentricities and naive optimism make her hugely popular with her friends. She also happens to be a phenomenal dancer, with moves that put Beyoncé to shame.

Matthew James Thomas, who has been acting since the age of six and starred in the Stephen Poliakoff drama, The Lost Prince, will play highly intelligent and quick witted Jez, who finally finds a sense of belonging when he enrols at Britannia High.


Also starring are: Mark Benton as Principal Nugent, Michele Austin as eccentric landlady Mrs Troy and Lorraine Pilkington as music mentor Anna and Chris Jarvis as dance mentor Jason. All have an important impact on the student’s lives, guiding them on their road to find out who they are and who they really want to be.

Gareth Philips, Producer of Britannia High, led the team of writers that created the characters and storylines for the project, which was uniquely developed in house by the ITV Productions drama team in Manchester.

He comments: “We’ve pulled together a top notch team of writers for Britannia High, who are tremendously talented and full of enthusiasm to make this unique show the best drama on television this year.”

Writer Jonathan Harvey, whose previous credits include Coronation Street, Gimme Gimme Gimme and Murder Most Horrid, said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity to be involved in such an exciting and original show; we’ve loved creating some exceptional characters and situations that are topical, current and accessible.”

So excited about Mitch Hewer getting a role in a prime time terrestial drama!

[Katy]

this looks really good, my sister had a letter asking her to audition for this show. They were advertising it around the school

[vikkilouise001]

I can't wait for this, anyone know when it starts?
x

[Kirsty :]]

Seen the adverts for this for a while now.. cannot wait for it! I'm really excited

[Abbie]

Im looking forward to it too it looks like my kinda thing

[DaVeyWaVey]

I don't rate Mitch Hewer much as an actor really... might tune in to see what its like though, doesn't really sound like my thing but will give it a go.

[Kirsty :]]

I don't rate Mitch Hewer much as an actor really... might tune in to see what its like though, doesn't really sound like my thing but will give it a go.

Aw, but you have to rate him as a hottie surely?? I do! Haha

[DaVeyWaVey]

I don't rate Mitch Hewer much as an actor really... might tune in to see what its like though, doesn't really sound like my thing but will give it a go.

Aw, but you have to rate him as a hottie surely?? I do! Haha

Oh god yeah, he is totally hot! .. I just think his acting isn't that good to be honest..

[Kirsty :]]

I don't rate Mitch Hewer much as an actor really... might tune in to see what its like though, doesn't really sound like my thing but will give it a go.

Aw, but you have to rate him as a hottie surely?? I do! Haha

Oh god yeah, he is totally hot! .. I just think his acting isn't that good to be honest..

Haha ah well fair enough.. at least you agree he's a hottie ahah

[Perdita]

That Mitch Hewer is a bit of a dark horse, you know. After graduating from Skins earlier this year, the young actor landed a part in ITV's big new musical drama Britannia High (and spent some time revealing an entirely different side of himself, but that's not for here). The new role is squarely in "triple threat" territory, requiring Mitch to act, sing and dance. How equipped was he for the challenge? And what on Earth is the deal with that curly new hairdo? We gave Mr Hewer a call to find out.

What's Britannia High about?
"Britannia High is this new, edgy series which follows the lives of seven kids, their friendships and the troubles they go through at stage school. There's a live episode at the end of the series, which has never been done before. I think it's totally different from High School Musical, Fame and that era of dramas."

What's your character, Danny, like? He's very different from Maxxie...
"He's a lot different from Maxxie! Danny is very much the charmer, the ladies' man of the school, the joker. He's an all-round talent and a very accomplished musician who plays the piano to a very high standard. But he does have a problem which threatens his future at Britannia High, and it's the last thing that any of the students want because they're all there to be the best. You find out in episode two what it is."

There are lots of song and dance numbers in the show. Are you a natural dancer?
"I've tapdanced since I was 11 years old. I always wanted to be a tapdancer and that's all I ever wanted to be. I never dreamed of being an actor! [Acting] just kind of came along, which was a bit surreal for me."

You had a big dance number in a church in Skins. Do you think that swung you this role?
"I don't really know. Some people could say that. The only thing I know is that I auditioned like everyone else did and I prepped just as hard as everyone else had to prep. I guess the part of Maxxie in Skins meant I had a profile already, but I still had to have a seven-hour audition with Arlene [Phillips], which was quite tough."

And is it you singing in the show too?
"Yes, it is. I never trained in singing, although I happened to go to a college in Bristol called SWADA (South West Academy of Dramatic Arts) when I was 16. But to me training is when you go to London and train."

What do you make of the comparisons to High School Musical?
"I feel Britannia High is aimed at an older audience than High School Musical. Britannia High is more of a serious drama, with the music and dance on top. Also we have a reason to go into songs, because we're at drama school."

Were you happy with the way things ended for Maxxie on Skins?
"Well yeah, I guess so. It was quite a nice ending, going to London. I had an amazing experience doing Skins. It was the first acting I'd ever done in my entire life, so I had to learn on set for those two years. I had to keep my head screwed on and learn from the other cast."

Have you stayed in touch with the cast since filming ended?
"No, unfortunately I haven't. I guess we've all gone our separate ways. I don't know if they see each other but I'm in Manchester so I'm quite far away from where I originally live. I don't know if they're working now. I haven't got a clue."

Was it your choice to overhaul your hair for Britannia High?
"It wasn't my choice but I think it's good for me as an actor to completely change my look. I don't want to get stereotyped through my blonde hair. Maybe I'll do a film next time and have crazy make-up on!"

What are your career ambitions for the future?
"I'd love to be able to do a really good English movie. My dream is to go to Hollywood and see what happens over there. All I can do is work really hard because I'm sure there's someone out there who has the same level of enthusiasm as me and can do the same stuff as me, if not better. I have to give it everything I have to get where I want, which is in LA doing Hollywood blockbusters."

Britannia High starts Sunday at 6.15pm on ITV1.