BBC's I'd Do Anything winner to do six shows a week

Jodie Prenger, winner of the BBC's latest West End casting television programme I'd Do Anything may only be appearing in six of the eight weekly performances of Cameron Mackintosh's eagerly awaited revival of Oliver! This streamlined workload is leaving fans who have already bought their tickets for the musical concerned that they may be unable to see Jodie in action. The Oliver! production team's current scheduling decision means theatre goers with tickets for Wednesday or Thursday evening may miss out on Jodie's performance and instead could be enjoying a show with thus unnamed alternate Nancy.

Die hard Jodie fans need not panic just yet as both the Oliver! website and a spokesperson from Cameron Mackintosh LTD were quick to reassure the public nothing is set in stone at the moment. The Oliver! production team's message optimistically assures theatre fans that final decisions on performance schedules cannot be made until the shows opening in December. The spokesperson for Cameron Mackintosh LTD made a similar public announcement assuring fans that the reduced workload for Jodie is "only a precaution as we enter the rehearsal period".

A cautious initial schedule for Jodie is unsurprising, in 2006 Connie Fisher, the winner of a similar BBC casting show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? began performances with a six show week but public demand caused her to take on a eight show a week workload quickly. This demanding schedule combined with her relative inexperience led to her being forced to take a two week break from performances due to vocal strain. It is reasonable to assume that Jodie is being eased into her role to avoid a similar disaster and so she may still be taking on a full West End schedule by the time the show is ready for its audience in December.

For those with Wednesday and Thursday tickets is it worth considering that the mysterious Nancy II will be chosen by Cameron Mackintosh and given his track record and the considerable talents of the rest of the cast it is clear that the man has excellent taste. With the likes of Rowan Atkinson as Fagin I have no doubt Mackintosh's choice of second Nancy will be as entertaining and talented as the publicly selected Jodie.