Lee Mead to star as Barnum at Nottingham Playhouse

Having shot to stardom with his breakout win on the BBC competition show Any Dream Will Do Lee went on to star in numerous West end musicals including Wicked, Legally Blonde, and most recently Sister Act.

As well as treading the boards, he became a fan favourite in Casualty and Holby City as “Lofty” receiving multiple TV award nominations for his portrayal.

Now Lee is taking on the role of a lifetime, singing, dancing, acting and tightrope walking.

The musical has seen the likes of Michael Crawford, Brian Conely and Marcus Brigstocke on stage – and Hugh Jackman in the film The Greatest Showman – taking on the ringleader’s hat.

And Lee himself has been in the show before – back at school in Southend when he was 13 or 14, when he played the show-hosting Ringmaster.

He said: “I had such a brilliant time and I thought the story and the characters were wonderful.

"And it had all these fantastic songs, like Come Follow the Band, The Colours of My Life and There is a Sucker Born Ev’ry Minute.

"This is definitely my most challenging role in my career so far.

"It’s one of those rare roles for a leading man.

“It’s an enormous part, with huge monologues and so many songs and I don’t think I leave the stage for two hours – apart from the interval of course.”

Then there’s the tightrope walking, which Lee has trained intensely for over several months.

He laughed: "It’s the kind of thing you learn at 24, not 44, so I’ve had to get myself fit and put in the work.

"The rope is about seven feet off the ground and, although I trained with a harness on, there’s no harness during the show itself.

"You have to use your whole body, your whole core and every ounce of your focus and energy to get across that wire – but I like challenge.”

The show is at the Playhouse from Tuesday, May 26 to Saturday, May 30.

Visit nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/barnum/ to book.