The yellow brick road to fame starts for Dorothys

WITH a click of their heels, 20 wannabe Dorothys tonight started their journeys along the yellow brick road to fame and fortune.

By The Newsroom

Published 26th Mar 2010, 21:28 BST

Updated 26th Mar 2010, 21:29 BST

They are competing to land the lead in Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest musical The Wizard of Oz and slip into the prized ruby slippers.

The 20 hopefuls will be seen going through their paces on BBC1's Over The Rainbow tonight – with only half making it through to the next stage.

They include a mother of twins, a glamour girl who had a role in BBC1's Hustle and a finalist from the 2005 series of Britain's Next Top Model. There is also a French contestant who moved to the UK with the hope of finding West End success.

Over The Rainbow follows other hugely successful TV talent searches by Lloyd Webber such as I'd Do Anything and Any Dream Will Do. Graham Norton is hosting the show, while the judging panel is made up of Sheila Hancock, Charlotte Church and EastEnders star John Partridge.