The heat is on as the final 16 Grease Is The Word contestants battle it out live for the most sought after roles in the west end – Sandra Dee and Danny Zuko. Just eight couples are now left fighting for the leading roles. With one couple being voted out each week there is only room for one Sandy and one Danny…

Fame, fortune, and international stardom await the chosen ones, but first they are going to have to earn it. Our hopefuls must survive the most punishing auditioning process ever seen on television. Each must excel in three challenging disciplines, singing, acting and dancing.

Thousands of people initially auditioned in front of our panel of judges – renowned theatre producer David Ian, American showbiz impresario and producer, David Gest; choreographer to Britney Spears and a host of other American stars, Brian Friedman; and The X Factor mentor, 80s’ pop icon, and West End star, Sinitta.

Just seventy made it through this stage of the process, winning a coveted place at Bootcamp.

There the judges put the remaining hopefuls through their paces, testing all of their performance skills and tension rose as all began to feel closer to the prized West End stage.

After tough auditions and three days of concentrated performance, the judges selected their final sixteen and dropped a further bombshell on the contestants. Up to this point, they have auditioned individually but now they must up their game and work together to reprise the sizzling chemistry between Sandy and Danny that will ultimately win them their dream role.

For the first live studio show, the theme for the contestants is disco, featuring some of the biggest floorfillers from the disco era. With only a week to rehearse their song and dance for the first live performance, the contestants are pleased to be working in couples and to have someone else to support them. But all are nervous that if they don’t work hard enough they risk letting down their partner, and as a result could become the first couple to be eliminated.

ITV1 Network Saturday 28 April 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM