Grant Francis, does a podcast

The hugely successful "Now Thats What I Call" franchise are taking over the stage with their own musical extravaganza "Now Thats What I Call A Musical" directed by Strictly Come Dancing's Craig Revel Horwood this deep dive into pop music and teenage emotions is set to have audiences laughing, crying and having the best night out. Grant caught up with Nikita Johal, who plays 18 year old Jessica in...

And Juliet tells the alternate ending to the Shakespearian tragedy Romeo And Juliet. Starring Matt Cardle of X-Factor fame as Shakespeare and Lara Denning as Anne Hathaway. The story unfolds after Anne suggests to Shakespeare that perhaps there is a more positive ending to the original play and we see how it plays out to popular hits including songs from Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift. This all s...

War Horse is a tale of love, friendship, and discovery set against the backdrop of World War 1. Audiences are treated to a spectacular performance with puppetry, live-action, and visual effects that bring the story to life.  In this podcast, Grant Francis speaks with Anne Marie Piazza, to find out more about this beautiful show, now touring the UK. 

Disney's UK Tour of Aladdin, the musical, is a stage adaptation of the 1992 animated film starring Robin Williams as The Genie. Famously, Williams said he would never reprise the role following a fallout with the company.  The UK stage show brings Disney Magic to the stage, in song, dance and breath-taking live effects, including a REAL flying carpet!  In this episode, I catch up with Desmonda Cat...

Madagascar The Musical comes to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton from the 21st of August 2024 as the final stop on the UK tour. In this episode, Grant chats with Joshua Oakes Rogers, who plays Melman, the hypochondriac giraffe. 

With the Hollywood blockbuster movie Wicked, starring Ariana Grande set to hit our screens in November 2024, the Wicked Tour is getting a fantastic boost at theatres it visits all over the UK. I caught up with Fife actor, Megan Gardiner, who plays Nessarose in the show. #theatre #musical #wicked #wickedwitchofthewest #wizzardofoz #mayflowertheatre #wickedmovie    

Straight out of drama school and onto the stage in an Olivier Award-winning show, Adwitha Arumugam stars in the lead role of Pi alongside a cast of beautiful puppets and stunning imagery.  Grant Francis catches up with with Adwitha on zoom to find out more about her and the show. 

Bob Barrett, is best known for his role as Sacha Levy in the BBC One medical drama Holby City. is coming to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton in an adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel "And Then There Were None". Ten strangers are lured to a solitary mansion off the coast of Devon. When a storm cuts them off from the mainland, the true reason for their presence on the island becomes horribly...

Greatest Days is the official Take That music, featuring over 30 years of iconic pop music. It follows the story of a group of super fans who, after 25 years, finally get to see "The Band" in concert. In this episode, we meet Rachel Marwood, who plays Heather, and she tells me all about the show and how it is a story about friendship.

In this episode, Grant Francis meets Dalton Harris, who rose to fame on X-Favtor in 2018 from humble beginnings by a river in Jamaica. Find out about Dalton and is Starring role in the UK tour of "The Drifters Girl" a brand new stage show which tells the remarkable story of the Drifters and the truth about the woman who made them. From the highs of hit records to the lows of legal battles and pers...

In this episode of Grant Francis Does A Podcast, we meet Marisha Morgan who plays Violet Beauregarde from the musical adaptation of Roal Dahl's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.  Fresh out of stage school, Marisha perfectly embodies Violet, from the character's sassy cheek to her Influencer confidence.  Find out about Marishas favorite parts of the show, her home comforts while away on tour and d...

In this episode of Grant Francis Does a podcast, we meet an actor and performer with an incredible CV, having starred in many TV shows including Casualty, Waterloo Road, Cutting It, and Happy Valley, Jason Merrels is back on stage, in the gritty crime drama "The Verdict".  The verdict comes to the stage of The Mayflower Theatre in Southampton from the 18th July 2023

The National Theatre present a five star, edge of your seat, brand new stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "The Ocean At The End Of The Lane". Of the show, the Daily Telegraph say "The National Theatre at its ver best" and it really is quite brilliant.  In this episode of Grant Francis does a podcast, we meet Joe Rawlinson-Hunt from the production and find out about his late blooming acting career a...

Grant Francis meets the director, choreographer and performer Darren Lee, who's Broadway CV is extensive with shows including Chicago and Guys & Dolls. Darren, who is currently touring the UK in Rodgers And Hammerstein's "The King And I" talked to Grant about where the spark for performance began, how the pandemic affected theatre and how the themes running through his most recent musical reflect...

In this episode, Grant speaks to Pete Staples, former bass guitarist from The Troggs (Wild Thing, Love Is In The Air). Pete has a new book, available from www.petestaples.co.uk which uncovers the musical history of the home town of The Troggs, Andover. 

Grant Francis enters the world of Hundred Acre Wood is joined Alex Cardall from the brand new stage adaptation of Disney's Winnie The Pooh. Created by acclaimed American/Australian producer, director Jonathan Rockefeller. Discover where Alex began his career and find out more about this wonderful re-imagination of the classic tales, using music and puppetry.  Later in the podcast, join Grant and s...

In this series, we meet some of the hidden and often unknown army of Young Carers and listen to their stories. The episodes were recorded in 2020 during lockdown.  Young carers are amazing, inspirational young people. You can support young carers by contacting "The Children's Society" in the UK, or by searching for "Young Carer" in your locality.  Narrated by young people and written by Grant Fran...

In this series, we meet some of the hidden and often unknown army of Young Carers and listen to their stories. The episodes were recorded in 2020 during lockdown.  Young carers are amazing, inspirational young people. You can support young carers by contacting "The Childrens Society" in the UK, or by searching for "Young Carer" in your locality.  Narrated by young people and written by Grant Franc...

In this series, we meet some of the hidden and often unknown army of Young Carers and listen to their stories. The episodes were recorded in 2020 during lockdown.  Young carers are amazing, inspirational young people. You can support young carers by contacting "The Childrens Society" in the UK, or by searching for "Young Carer" in your locality.  Narrated by young people and written by Grant Franc...

In this series, we meet some of the hidden and often unknown army of Young Carers and listen to their stories. The episodes were recorded in 2020 during lockdown.  Young carers are amazing, inspirational young people. You can support young carers by contacting "The Childrens Society" in the UK, or by searching for "Young Carer" in your locality.  Narrated by young people and written by Grant Franc...

In this series, we meet some of the hidden and often unknown army of Young Carers and listen to their stories. The episodes were recorded in 2020 during lockdown.  Young carers are amazing, inspirational young people. You can support young carers by contacting "The Childrens Society" in the UK, or by searching for "Young Carer" in your locality.  Narrated by young people and written by Grant Franc...

In this series, we meet some of the hidden and often unknown army of Young Carers and listen to their stories. The episodes were recorded in 2020 during lockdown.  Young carers are amazing, inspirational young people. You can support young carers by contacting "The Childrens Society" in the UK, or by searching for "Young Carer" in your locality.  Narrated by young people and written by Grant Franc...

As a treat for Christmas, Grant Francis reads Clement C. Moore’s quintessential Christmas Eve poem, “The Night Before Christmas” set to a beautifully orchestrated festive soundtrack. Why not download the podcast and add it to a Yoto Player? 

Grant Francis is joined by international opera superstar, Julia Stikovetsky to talk about her performance as "Queen Of The Night" in the 2023 Welsh National Opera production of The Magic Flute. Learn about her passions and how she manages performances during pregnancy.