Ande follows the yellow brick road

The Wizard of Oz, the classic tale made famous by the classic film starring Judy Garland, features a young girl from Kansas, Dorothy Gale, whisked out of her quiet life in her sleepy town, into the wild and wacky world of Oz. There she meets a variety of characters, including her three best friends - The Scarecrow, played by Ande, Tinman and the Lion.

The story has the four following the yellow brick road, in search of the Wizard of Oz and their hearts desires - along the way there are many obstacles in their way, including Witches, Flying Monkeys and the terrible, terrifying Jitterbug.

On their way to Oz, the foursome take the time to belt out classic hits such as 'We're off the see the Wizard', 'If I only Had a Brain/Heart/The Courage' and the iconic 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow.'

"I'm very excited to be hitting the stage in such an iconic show - in such a great part in such a historic theatre," said Ande, who presents The Culture Club on BBC2. "It's a real honour. The cast is just outstanding. A mix of top local actors, with two new and very talented actresses playing Dorothy."

He continued: "This past August, we had our own mini search for a Dorothy, where over 50 girls auditioned, and while our director, Tony Finnegan may not be as well known as Andrew Lloyd Webber, he sure knows talent when he sees it, and after cutting the field down to just two - Ruby Campbell (16) and Gemma McMeel (16) - he just couldn't chose between them - the results being, there are two really talented girls rotating the part."

The Wizard of Oz is in the Grand Opera House, Belfast from November 16 -20 and tickets are on sale from the Grand Opera House Box Office on 90 24 19 19.