I'd Do Anything ... for Oliver and Nancy to sing real songs

Now that the finalists for Nancy and Oliver have been picked, and the live shows are about to begin, it's time for my musical theatre rant.

Hopefuls for any musical will go along and audition for a part, and if they're any good will try to act and sing in the character they want to be. If they get through to a callback, they might pick a different song, but the essence is still the same. Finally, when they get the part, the lucky person acts and sings in that character. All pretty standard stuff.

Why then - and I'd put money on this happening - do the BBC insist on making the contestants sing pop songs? It drives me mad, when there are so many fantastic musical theatre numbers to choose from. I know it's prime time TV, but surely those who are watching have some interest in the musicals, rather than the karaoke-style pop tunes the producers force the contestants to sing.

This isn't the first time I've ranted about this, but it has to be done. The live shows will no doubt be compulsive viewing anyway and it will be interesting to see what kind of songs the kids get.