Cowell unveils search for new Grease stars

Simon Cowell unveiled his latest TV project today: a talent search to find two stars for West End musical Grease.

The ITV1 show will follow a format similar to the BBC hit How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?

It will pluck two unknowns from obscurity to fill the lead roles of Sandy and Danny, played in the 1978 film by Olivia Newton John and John Travolta, for a new stage production opening next summer.

BBC bosses had hoped to land the show. BBC Worldwide is already co-producing a US version for NBC, hosted by Denise Van Outen and titled Grease: You’re The One That I Want!

But Cowell snatched the British series from under their noses by striking a deal with the creators of the Grease musical.

The X Factor judge couldn’t resist a joke at the BBC’s expense.

“As with anything you want to buy, you have got to pay a lot of money. These things don’t come cheap and rightly so.

“I think it’s good the BBC haven’t got it so it isn’t coming out of licence-fee payers’ pockets. I think we have done a great service,” he quipped.