Sing out for musicals...

Hancock, 77, who is a judge on Andrew Lloyd Webber's TV search for an unknown to play Dorothy in a West End production of The Wizard Of Oz, accused the acting world of snobbery.

The veteran actress, who has been starring in the 7m West End stage adaptation of Hollywood film Sister Act, told the Radio Times: "There's an incredibly grand attitude towards musicals. I don't understand why my profession is so snooty about it.

She added: "We should be so grateful for musicals and the amount of work that goes into these shows is easily comparable to things I've been in at the National (Theatre) and the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company). Why do we think it is less important?"