Overview

Grease Is the Word was the United Kingdom version of NBCs Grease: You're the One that I Want!. It aired during 2007, and was produced by Syco TV. The winning couple, Susan McFadden & Danny Bayne, went on to star in a new West End production of Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre. The judges were actor and theatre producer David Ian, concert promoter and media personality David Gest, former popstar and television personality Sinitta, and choreographer and former The X Factor judge Brian Friedman. The main ITV show was presented by Zoë Ball, and Holly Willoughby presented Greased Lightnin on ITV2. Greased Lightnin shows extra unseen auditions, behind the scenes gossip and exclusive interviews with the judges and contestants. Cat Deeley was originally scheduled to present the show, but had to pull out at the last minute due to scheduling difficulties with her American shows. Simon Cowell was also supposed to be a judge on the show but could not as it was shown at the same time as American Idol where he was contracted to appear as a judge. He was still an executive producer. Unlike the NBC series, the ITV programme was not based on the How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? format, which is owned by the BBC.