Where are the Nancys from I’d Do Anything now?

We’ve been reviewing the situation – and looking to see what these Nancy competitors have been up to since appearing on the TV talent search show, I’d Do Anything!

The 2008 competition set out to find a new leading lady and three young performers for the West End revival of Oliver!. Graham Norton hosted the show, and Andrew Lloyd Webber and theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh oversaw it.

Many have had glorious stage careers…

Keisha Amponsa-Banson

Since the show, Keisha Amponsa-Banson has been on stage in From Here to Eternity, Motown, School of Rock and Caroline, or Change. More recently, she toured the UK as Mrs Neilsen in Girl from the North Country and appeared in the world premiere of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Magician’s Elephant. In 2025, she took part in the workshop for a stage adaptation of Michael Poore’s Reincarnation Blues.

Samantha Barks

Samantha Barks took on Broadway, leading the world premiere of Pretty Woman. Closer to home, she starred opposite Jonathan Bailey in The Last Five Years and has appeared in productions of Chess, Amélie, and City of Angels. In addition, she played Éponine in the Les Misérables film adaptation and led Frozen in the West End – a performance that you can watch as many times as you like on Disney+. This spring, she’ll originate the role of Charity Barnum on stage in the world premiere of The Greatest Showman.

Barks returned to the world of talent search show competitions as a judge on Mamma Mia!: I Have a Dream, which saw musical theatre hopefuls compete for the roles of Sophie and Sky in the West End. Stevie Doc and Tobias Turley won their spots on the island, to great acclaim – and you can find out what the other contestants have done since here. It certainly is a fine life!

Tara Bethan

You might have seen the Welsh performer in a production or two! Notably, Bethan has starred in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Bugsy Malone. Additionally, she’s a regular on the soap opera Pobol Y Cwm and was a judge on the talent search show Junior Eurovision: Chwilio am Seren, which aimed to find the next young Eurovision representative for Wales.

Amy Booth-Steel

We didn’t get to see much of Amy Booth-Steel on screen, but luckily, we’ve seen her a lot on stage since! She’s currently a member (hilarious) of the world premiere cast of Paddington The Musical, while other credits include The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Heathers, Sister Act, Tammy Faye, and many more. Her solo show #HonestAmy chronicled her cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Jessie Buckley

A household name, Jessie Buckley shot to fame in the musical film Wild Rose, before appearing in hit shows like Chernobyl, Fargo and The Last Daughter. She performed in a filmed Romeo and Juliet with Josh O’Connor for the National Theatre, and on stage has appeared in other Shakespeare plays, including The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest. She picked up the Olivier Award for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in the West End revival of Cabaret, opposite Eddie Redmayne. On the big screen, she has starred in the film Wicked Little Letters and a big-screen adaptation of Hamnet, for which she has been presented with the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress.

Francesca Jackson

Francesca Jackson could consider herself at home! She joined the cast of Oliver!, playing the role of Bet at The London Palladium. In addition, she’s appeared in Rent, Million Dollar Quartet, and Bugsy Malone in the West End – most recently in Tina. Further afield, she has taken on roles in beloved Sondheim productions, including Into the Woods, A Little Night Music, and Sunday in the Park with George, and has performed regularly at the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris.

Sarah Lark

Sarah Lark also joined the glorious production of Oliver!, understudying the winner, Jodie Prenger. After that, she joined the cast of Les Misérables, and has stayed on the barricades for 13 years!

Niamh Perry

Oom-Pah-Pah! Niamh Perry continued to work with Webber, performing as Flick in Love Never Dies. Shortly after, she performed as Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia! in the West End before joining the casts of Taboo and Sweeney Todd and reuniting with the composer in The Beautiful Game. More recently, she has played Delphini Diggory in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 

Jodie Prenger

Jodie Prenger won the competition, fulfilling the role of Nancy in a star-studded Oliver!. Following that, the stage favourite has appeared in Spamalot, Calamity Jane, Tell Me on a Sunday, Fat Friends, Annie and A Taste of Honey, to name just a few. The Coronation Street star portrayed Rose in a WhatsOnStage Award-nominated concert production of Gypsy, which we can only hope to see more of. Not only does she act on stage, but she writes for it too, and her festive offering was Lovers, Actually in London.

Ashley J Russell

From Shrek to We Will Rock You to Mamma Mia! – Ashley J Russell has appeared in fan-favourite musicals across the world. She was also part of the first workshops for the sequel to Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies. In the last year, she featured in the world premiere of Wild Rose – extending the Nancy-verse!

Rachel Tucker

This WhatsOnStage Award nominee has been no stranger to the stage, taking on the iconic role of Elphaba in Wicked, originating the role of Beverley Bass in Come From Away in the West End (before playing it on Broadway), and appearing in shows like Songs For a New World, We Will Rock You and John and Jen. More recently, Rachel Tucker was the alternate Norma Desmond in Jamie Lloyd’s revival of Sunset Boulevard, living it up on top as Persephone in Hadestown, roaring like the ’20s in The Great Gatsby and staying at a Small Hotel.