Final 20 chosen as Over The Rainbow kicks off

The 20 finalists competing for a shot at West End stardom in BBC1's new talent show Over The Rainbow have been revealed as the series gets underway.

The show is aiming to find a new star to play the role of Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber's new West End production of The Wizard Of Oz. It follows in the footsteps of Lloyd Webber's previous BBC talent shows How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria, Any Dream Will Do and I'd Do Anything.

And the series kicked off on Friday night with footage from across the UK, as thousands of hopefuls auditioned for a place in the final line-up.

In the end, just 50 girls were chosen and put through their paces at 'Dorothy Farm', where they faced further gruelling auditions in front of the show's judges - singer Charlotte Church, veteran actress Sheila Hancock and EastEnders star John Partridge - before the final 20 were chosen.

The 20 who remain will perform on Saturday night's show, with the judges and Lloyd Webber choosing the 10 who will go on to the live finals, beginning next weekend.

However viewers will have the chance to vote their favourite rejected singer back into the show as the eleventh 'wild card' finalist. The person chosen by the public will be revealed on the first live show on April 3.

The lucky 20 who have reached the final stage are:

Bronte Barbe, 18, from Cheshire

Tasheka Coe, 28, from West Midlands

Stephanie Davis, 17, from Merseyside

Amy Diamond, 22, from Cheshire

Jenny Douglas, 18, from Scotland

Tegan Edwards, 17, from Norfolk

Sophie Evans, 17, from Wales

Steph Fearon, 21, from London

Emilie Fleming, 19, from Tyne And Wear

Claire Harbourne, 18, from Lancashire

Claire Hillier, 25, from Wales

Katie Honan, 19, from Republic Of Ireland

Danielle Hope, 17, from Greater Manchester

Camille Mesnard, 21, from Merseyside

Sarah Middleton, 21, from East Midlands

Philippa O'Hara, 23, from Belfast

Dani Rayner, 16, from Cheshire

Jessica Robinson, 18, from Middlesborough

Lauren Samuels, 22, from London

Emma Warren, 20, from Dublin