Jodie Prenger and Freddie Flintoff rehearsing for Fat Friends The Musical (Picture: Helen Maybanks)

Metro.co.uk can exclusively reveal new cast photos from upcoming touring show Fat Friends The Musical, starring Natasha Hamilton and Sam Bailey and written by Bafta-winning British writer Kay Mellor.

The ITV drama Fat Friends, which inspired the new show, ran for five successful years from 2000 – 2005, and launched the careers James Corden and Ruth Jones.

Natasha Hamilton in rehearsals for Fat Friends The Musical (Picture: Helen Maybanks)

The series documented the lives of a group of friends who bonded over losing weight, and the absurdities of modern weight-loss programmes, and was Bafta-nominated for Best Drama Series.

Now a brand new live show, Fat Friends The Musical will be in the same vein and has been written and directed by Kay Mellor.




Here are the first pictures to be released from the rehearsal rooms.

Rachel Wooding, Jodie Prenger and Sam Bailey in rehearsals (Picture: Helen Maybanks)

Fat Friends The Musical has an all-star cast for the touring production, which begins in Leeds on November 7.

Ex-England Cricketer Freddie Flintoff makes his stage debut alongside former X Factor winner Sam Bailey, former Atomic Kitten Natasha Hamilton, Jodie Prenger from the BBC’s I’d Do Anything, and actress and comedian Elaine C Smith, as well as What’s On Stage award nominee Joel Montague.

Kevin Kennedy, Sam Bailey and Freddie Flintoff (Picture: Helen Maybanks)

Kay Mellor is a television writing stalwart; her extensive credits include Band of Gold, The Chase and The Syndicate.

In the musical, the girls daydream about fitting into dream dresses, and are put through excruciating exercise regimes in this show billed to have big heart, bags of humour and a splash of romance.

The show also stars popular Emmerdale actress Natalie Anderson, and Coronation Street stalwart Kevin Kennedy, aka Curly Watts.

The Fat Friends cast in rehearsal (Picture: Helen Maybanks)

Fat Friends The Musical Tour Dates Leeds Grand Theatre Nov 7 – Dec 2 2017 Bromley Churchill Theatre Jan 16 – Jan 20 Jan 2018 Newcastle Theatre Royal Jan 23 – Jan 27 2018 Hull New Theatre Jan 29 – Feb 3 Southampton Mayflower Theatre Feb 5 – Feb 10 Sheffield Lyceum Feb 12 – Feb 17 Southend Cliffs Pavilion Feb 19 – Feb 24 Milton Keynes Theatre March 5 – March 10 Norwich Theatre Royal March 12 – March 17 Manchester Opera House March 19 – March 24 Nottingham Theatre Royal March 26 – March 31 Birmingham New Alexandra Theatre April 3 – April 7 Dartford Orchard Theatre April 9 – April 14 Edinburgh Playhouse April 19 – April 21 Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre April 24 – Apr 28 Glasgow Kings Theatre Apr 30 – May 5 Belfast Grand Opera House May 7 – May 12 Bradford Alhambra Theatre May 14 – May 19 Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre May 21 – May 26 Blackpool Winter Gardens May 28 – Jun 2

Kay Mellor has enjoyed a successful career as a writer for stage and screen since the late Eighties, and has also worked sporadically as an actress. She once starred in a self-penned one-woman show called Queen. Kay won the BAFTA Dennis Potter Award for Outstanding Writing for Television in 1997.

Kevin Kennedy, Jodie Prenger and Sam Bailey in the rehearsal room (Picture: Helen Maybanks)

She is pleased to be releasing her debut musical in Fat Friends The Musical.

The musical has been produced by Joshua Andrews and Adam Spiegel, and its original music and songs are by Nicholas Lloyd Webber.

The cast are on rotation – to find out who is playing at each venue, check the musical’s website.

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