Sky orders second 'School Musical'

Sky1 has commissioned a follow up to last year's Hairspray: The School Musical.

The broadcaster has asked Mentorn Media to produce a second series of the show, which offers secondary school students the opportunity to become West End stars.

Former Blue singer Duncan James will replace Denise Van Outen as the programme's host.

"I'm really excited to be involved in the show as I've always loved musicals," he said. "It's a fantastic opportunity for the kids, as well as a massive challenge."

Around 1,000 schools have already registered an interest in participating. Following auditions, three schools will be selected to compete in a sing-off to decide which school gets to stage their own West End production.

"We’ve been overwhelmed by the response of schools wanting to take part this year and we’re very excited about the talent waiting to be discovered," said Sky's commissioning editor Donna Taberer.

Last year, pupils from Kingsmead in Enfield won the chance to produce their own version of Hairspray at London's Lyric Theatre.

The programme will be broadcast on Sky1 in the summer.