New movie role for Brian?

Brian Fortuna could be starring in a film soon after he told the Daily Mail that a role was being written specifically with him in mind.

He spoke to the paper about life after Strictly and emphasised that he had used his time since leaving the BBC programme to develop his career as an all-round entertainer. He said: "Since I left the show I’ve done things I thought would never be possible. I’ve done a short film that was shown at Cannes and now a film role is being written for me. I have even been to the Oscars . . ."

Professional dancers earn less than celebrities on Strictly on both the TV show and the tour but can build on their media fame to earn significant money if they are canny, said Brian. He said: "I was offered the chance to be in the troupe, but that was not going to be the career for me. So after Strictly, I decided I wanted to enter the entertainment business.
"You have to understand that Strictly will come to an end for you one day. And if all that you have done with that opportunity is to dance then you will still be only a dancer.
"I set myself the challenge to be an all-round entertainer like Fred Astaire."

Brian said he was rooting for his former dance partner Kristina and her celebrity Jason Donovan to win this year's Strictly.

Brian will be switching on the Christmas lights in Northampton tomorrow afternoon and starring in Aladdin in the Royal & Derngate Theatre in the town.

NB: One correction in the Daily Mail story: Ali and Brian earned perfect scores of 40for the Viennese Waltz and 50 for their semi-final American Smooth as there were five judges on that night.

Ali's tour dates for Chicago

Ali has been cast in the starring role of Roxie Hart in the UK tour of the musical Chicago.

Tour dates were announced today: starting on 10th February at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford, the show will visit Hull, Southend, Birmingham, Manchester among others, before ending on Saturday 16th June at Grimsby Auditorium. More dates may be added.

Other cast members include Stefan Booth, Tupele Dorgu and Bernie Nolan.

Information about tour dates is here.

More tour dates for Over the Rainbow

The producers of Over the Rainbow have announced tour dates for 2012. These include Swansea, Worcester, Manchester, Mansfield, and many more. See the Theatre Productions website. The tour will resume on 26th January in Camberley Theatre in Surrey.

No cast changes have been announced so it is likely Brian will continue in the show in his role as Danny.

In December and early January Brian is appearing as Aladdin in the pantomime of that name in Northampton.

Brian on the radio

Brian talks to Kent radio station KMFM about Over the Rainbow ahead of the show's arrival at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley, from tomorrow.

Win tickets to see Brian's first Over the Rainbow show

The Click Liverpool website is running a competition to win two tickets to see Over the Rainbow this Saturday (3rd September) at the Theatre Royal in St Helens. This will be the opening show for the tour.

For your chance to win, answer this question:

'Which radio personality discovered and promoted Eva Cassidy’s interpretation of ‘Over the Rainbow’ in the UK?'

Email your answer along with your name, age, telephone number and address to competitions@clickliverpool.com.

Clue: the answer is in the story on the Click Liverpool website.


You must be 18 to enter the competition and it ends at 9am on Friday 2nd September.

Brian playing Aladdin? Oh, yes he is!

Brian Fortuna will play the starring role in the pantomime Aladdin at the Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton this Christmas.

The show runs from Friday 9th December to Sunday January 8th.

Story in Northampton Chronicle.

To book tickets, go the the theatre website.

Other stars include Bobby Davro and Basil Brush. Boom boom!

Ali goes to Parliament to raise awareness of illegal puppy farming

Ali Bastian visited Parliament today to highlight the issue of illegal puppy farms.

She joined vet Marc Abraham at a meeting with Helen Grant MP and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Picture here by Marc Abraham.

Other charities involved included Four Paws UK and Be Puppy Farm Aware (BPFA).

Puppy farming is the practice where dogs are bred purely for profit, often with no license and with no concern for the health or welfare of the dogs. The Dogs Trust as well as other charities campaign against this practice.

Ali has tweeted a request for people to contact campaigners if they have any knowledge of a puppy farm in Kent. Email bepuppyfarmaware@yahoo.com if you can help.

Marc Abraham - Marc the Vet - set up Pup Aid Puppy Farming Awareness Day and also helps judge a range of charity dog shows including Scruffts and the Mayhew Dog Show. For more information, see his website.

Over the moon about Over the Rainbow

Brian Fortuna will be appearing in a musical Over the Rainbow - The Eva Cassidy Story which goes on tour in the UK from September. Tour dates are here.

The show opens in St Helens on Saturday 3rd September and tours the UK until early November, although further dates may be added. Venues already confirmed include Bromley, Liverpool, Blackpool, Barrow, Cheltenham, Dunfermline among others.

The musical is the story of the American singer Eva Cassidy who died tragically young at the age of 33. The role of Eva will be played by Sarah Jane Buckley who appeared in Hollyoaks. Brian will play the role of Danny Cassidy, Eva's brother.

For more details, see the Theatre Productions website.

Brian to announce new TV role

Brian Fortuna will be joining the cast of well-known TV show soon, according to information on a new website. Details about the programme have not yet been released.

The news is on the Sparkle website which went live today and features videos of Brian, including one where he is topless. It will provide further footage and video messages from Brian and other celebrities and also has Facebook and Twitter feeds.

The Sparkle website is run by Sparkle Global Entertainment which is believed to be connected to Camilla Storey, Brian's agent.

Wouldn't it be luverly...

Ali and Brian are both reported to be attending the press night of Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre in London on Wednesday 25th May.

Kara Tointon, who won last year's Strictly, is starring as Eliza Doolittle in the George Bernard Shaw play with Rupert Everett and Diana Rigg. Simon Ward who was due to play her father has had to pull out because of illness.

The film My Fair Lady, starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, was based on Pygmalion.

On the following Saturday (28th May), Brian will be the special guest at a charity event in Hull. He will judge a children's dance competition and run a dance workshop at the Echoes Foundation Vintage Tea Dance at Hull Fruit, Humber Street. For more information, see the Echoes Foundation.

Ali to appear in Brit comedy horror film

Ali has been cast in British comedy horror film Strippers vs. Werewolves which begins shooting in the London area tomorrow.

The film stars Robert Englund, who played Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series, and former EastEnders actor Martin Kemp, who also found fame as a member of the Spandau Ballet pop group in the 1980s.

British film company Black and Blue Films are producing the film which is directed by Jonathan Glendening.

Well done, Ali

She might not have won but gave it a go. Well done, Ali.

Ali takes on the Big Balls today

Ali features in Celebrity Total Wipeout which is screened today at 5.30pm on BBC1.

Other contestants include former rugby player Martin Offiah, who appeared on Strictly and Dancing on Wheels, Blue Peter presenter Andy Akinwolere, and H from Steps. They all travelled to Argentina to shoot the episode which is presented by Amanda Byram and Richard Hammond.

The celebrities taking part are competing to win £10,000 for the charity of their choice.

Total Wipeout is becoming notorious for participants injuring themselves during filming - comedian Dom Joly fractured bones in his foot while competing - but Ali fortunately seemed to have survived the experience injury-free.

The winner of this celebrity episode is a closely guarded secret but all will be revealed this afternoon.

Final Verdict dates for Ali

After three months tour in Verdict, Ali will finish her appearance in the play at the end of April in Richmond, west London. The play has garnered some great reviews and good audiences, and has added to Ali's reputation as an actress.

For reviews and Ali's latest interview with Cambridge News, see the Media links and reviews page.

28 Mar - 2 Apr Churchill Theatre, Bromley 08448 717 620
4 - 9 Apr Derby Theatre, Derby 01332 255800
11 - 16 Apr Arts Theatre,Cambridge 01223 503333
18 - 23 Apr Connaught Theatre, Worthing
25 - 30 Apr Richmond Theatre, Richmond 0844 871 7651

Brian chills out in Bermuda

Brian spent the weekend in Bermuda, as a judge at the WDC World Pro-Am Dancing Championships, and also managed to find time to go for a dip, although for some reason he seems to have not packed his swim things...





Pic from Rooster PR, which is the PR company for the Bermuda Tourism department.

No Rydell High for Brian

Brian has not been cast in the UK touring production of the musical Grease, despite rumours that circulated following comments made during London Fashion Week.

Grease, which is choreographed by Arlene Phillips, closes its four-year run in London's West End in April and opens on tour in Edinburgh in May.

Danny Bayne, from ITV's Grease is the Word, will play Danny Zuko alongside Carina Gillespie, the current Sandy, according to What's On Stage.

"We're good mates"

Brian and Ali exchanged a friendly hug when they met at the What's On Stage Awards on Sunday night, in their first public meeting since they split up in October.

They were both at the event because of their joint nomination as London Newcomer of the Year in Burn the Floor last summer. The award was won by Jonathan Groff but huge congratulations to Ali and Brian for being nominated - and also to Jason Gilkison, from BTF, for his What's On Stage nomination as Best Choreographer.

After the ceremony, both Ali and Brian thanked their supporters for voting for them: Ali tweeted: "Thank you so so much to all who voted for me in the WOS awards, an honour to be nominated and a fab evening with the lovely Lucy Speed," while Brian also thanked the TAFFs, saying: "Great time at the WOS awards last night. Wonderful to see my TAFFs there. Thank you for your continued support!!

Ali: "Life is really good"

Ali loves being back on stage and performing in Verdict, she told the ThisisDevon website in an interview to mark the show's appearance in Plymouth this week. It has also given her a chance to see family members who live in Devon.

The play was also reviewed here. For tour dates, see Break a leg, Ali!.

Ali has also confirmed that she will be attending the WhatsOnStage Awards Concert on Sunday 20 February at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London as a nominee for Best Newcomer for her performance in Burn the Floor. Brian has also confirmed that he will be attending the event.

The concert is sold out but last-minute tickets will be released on Friday - see the What's On Stage Awards waiting list page.

Brian's new starring role

Brian starts filming this week in a short film called Love Plus One. His co-stars are Alison Carroll, known for being the official Lara Croft model in the Tomb Raider game franchise, and Andy Barnes.

Brian and Alison are pictured at the Capital Rocks event in London last December.

Interview with Ali

Ali talks to the Bristol Evening Post about her role in Verdict - and life after Strictly.

Some reviews here: Wiltshire Gazette and Herald and Guide2Bath.

Ali is also modelling for Littlewoods' new Drama Queens collection and features in a video of the modelling shoot.

Break a leg, Ali!

Ali begins her role in Verdict tomorrow at the Theatre Royal in her home turf of Windsor. The play was written by Agatha Christie and is Ali's first stage role since Burn the Floor last summer.

The play will run in Windsor until Saturday 22nd January, after which it transfers to the Theatre Royal in Bath and then other venues. Ali appears in the show until 30th April at the Richmond Theatre in Richmond, west London.

Ali now has her own Appreciation Thread on Digital Spy where there will no doubt be reviews and reports from the show. Click on the right of the page.

11 - 22 Jan Theatre Royal, Windsor 01753 853 888
24 -29 Jan Theatre Royal, Bath 01225 448844
31 Jan - 5 Feb Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 01242 572573
7 -12 Feb Theatre Royal, Plymouth 01752 230440
15 - 19 Feb New Theatre, Cardiff 029 2087 8889
21 - 26 Feb Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton 01902 429212
28 Feb - 5 Mar Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple 01272 324242
7 - 12 Mar Palace Theatre, Southend 01702 351135
14 - 19 Mar Swan Theatre, High Wycombe 01494 512 000
21 - 26 Mar Festival Theatre, Malvern 01684 892277
28 Mar - 2 Apr Churchill Theatre, Bromley 08448 717 620
4 - 9 Apr Derby Theatre, Derby 01332 255800
11 - 16 Apr Arts Theatre,Cambridge 01223 503333
18 - 23 Apr Connaught Theatre, Worthing
25 - 30 Apr Richmond Theatre, Richmond 0844 871 7651

Verdict will continue but please note that casting is not confirmed for the following venues so Ali may not be appearing. More information closer to the time.
16 - 21 May Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells 01892 530613
23 - 28 May Floral Pavilion, New Brighton 0151 666 0000
30 May - 4 Jun Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford 01483 44 00 00

Signed Strictly tour programme auction for charity

Ali and Brian are two of the performers from the 2010 Strictly celeb tour who signed a programme that is being sold to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

The programme is being auctioned on Ebay this week. The package also includes a signed picture of Kristina Rihanoff.

The auction is being organised by Allison Kiln whose daughter has cystic fibrosis, a life-limiting genetic condition. More information from @AllisonLKiln on Twitter.