So, you want to mount a West End revival of one of the most successful musicals of all time, but you've got no actors to play the lead roles. What do you do? Why, you launch a reality TV show to find your new stars, of course! Read on for an introduction to the four judges who will be putting wannabe Sandy Dumbrowksis and Danny Zukos through their paces on ITV's Grease Is The Word.


BRIAN FRIEDMAN

Who is he? An American choreographer who’s worked with Beyonce, Pink and Prince. He choreographed the video for Britney Spears’ ‘I’m A Slave 4 U’ – equal parts jiggling, wiggling and gyrating - so he knows how to put the sex into showbusiness.
What does he say? “My job is about getting the contestants to be 100% comfortable on stage, dealing with the acting in their performance and the vocals too: making it all work while they’re dancing.”
Why will he make a good judge? He's already served as a panellist on US TV dancing contest So You Think You Can Dance?. Plus, as a close personal friend of Britney Spears he’s well-equipped to deal with the, um, less emotionally stable contestants.


DAVID GEST

Who is he? The ex-husband of Liza Minnelli who won over the British public on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Outta Here! last year. He’s worked for almost 30 years as a TV producer and concert promoter.
What does he say? “I can’t bear it when contestants sit and tell you that they’re not leaving. I find that repulsive because you’re the judge and they’re the contestant and they have to take direction. If they can’t take direction to leave the stage how are you going to work with them?”
Why will he make a good judge? After 30 years in showbusiness – not to mention 18 months married to Liza - he’s got plenty of experience of dealing with the artistic temperament.


DAVID IAN

Who is he? An actor-turned-theatre producer who helped to discover Connie Fisher on the BBC’s How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? last year. As a chairman of ticketing giants Live Nation he’s responsible for a random sum of anything between £1.50 and £6 being added to the price of your theatre/gig/Dancing On Ice Live tickets in the name of “service charges”.
What does he say? “I’d like to think that I’m constructively critical. I’m not interested in being nasty just for the sake of it, but also I’ve got no interested in disguising the truth.”
Why will he make a good judge? The Stage crowned him the most influential man in UK theatre a couple of years back, so we’re guessing he knows his stuff.


SINITTA

Who is she? An eighties pop star who scored hits with songs like ‘Right Back Where We Started From’, ‘Toy Boy’ and ‘So Macho’. Sample lyric: “I want a man who will dominate me.” She’s appeared as a mentor on The X Factor since 2004 and is rumoured to have been promoted to judge for the next series. Her main claim to fame? Being the only woman in the world to have dated both Brad Pitt and Simon Cowell.
What does she say? “I am the fair one. I need to keep all all the boys on the panel in check, especially Sir David Ian as I’ve now dubbed him!”
Why will she make a good judge? She appeared in musicals like Cats, Hair and Little Shop Of Horrors from the early eighties to the late nineties. Rumours from the set suggest that her shapely legs are keeping David Gest in check...


Grease Is The Word begins on Saturday at 6.05pm on ITV1.