Lee Stephen Mead (born 14 July 1981) is an English musical theatre, television actor and occasional singer, best known for winning the title role in the 2007 West End revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat through the BBC TV casting show Any Dream Will Do. As well as subsequent West End roles in Wicked, Legally Blonde: The Musical and The West End Men, Mead has pursued a music career, releasing four solo albums and undertaking concert tours in the UK and Japan.
In 2014, he joined the cast of the BBC One drama Casualty, playing the role of Ben 'Lofty' Chiltern, while continuing to tour the UK with his band between filming commitments. He returned to the stage in May 2016 as Caractacus Potts in the UK Tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In 2017, he returned to the role of Lofty, but in Casualty's sister series, the BBC One drama Holby City.[1]
After studying at performing arts college, Mead gained his first professional stage experience in cabaret as a cruise ship singer on the Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry and then in a summer season at Bridlington Spa Theatre.[2] He moved into musical theatre in 2004, playing both Levi and the Pharaoh[3] in the UK touring production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Following Joseph, Mead performed in the UK tours of Tommy (ensemble and first cover Tommy) and Miss Saigon (ensemble and first cover Chris) before joining the West End production of Phantom of the Opera as an ensemble player and understudy for the role of Raoul.
Any Dream Will Do/Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
While performing in The Phantom of the Opera, Mead auditioned for the BBC series Any Dream Will Do, hoping to win a six-month contract playing Joseph in the 2007 West End revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. From 10,000 initial auditionees, Mead was selected as one of the final 12 potential 'Josephs' who performed live on TV every Saturday night to win the public's vote.
Immediately after he won the final, a single featuring Mead, with fellow Any Dream Will Do finalists Lewis Bradley and Keith Jack, was released in aid of the BBC's annual Children In Need charity appeal. The single, featuring Any Dream Will Do (performed by Mead) and Close Every Door (performed by all three finalists) reached number 2 in the official UK singles chart.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat opened in the West End on 17 July 2007 to generally good reviews: "Lee Mead... turns out to be both talented and enthusiastic... what distinguishes him is an attractive singing voice and, coming from beneath hair that owes more to Uncle Esau than father Jacob, lots of affable charisma... last night's audience seemed enchanted" wrote Benedict Nightingale in The Times.[4]
"Mead is in excellent form vocally" wrote The Stage's Lisa Martland. His performance of Close Every Door, "encapsulating both tenderness and defiance", was a highlight for her.[5]
After 600 performances in the role, Mead played Joseph for the last time on 10 January 2009.[6]
Mead went on to appear in the role of Fiyero in the London production of Wicked,[7] from 10 May 2010 to 5 February 2011 opposite Rachel Tucker as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch Of the West and Louise Dearman as Galinda, the Good Witch. Mead was nominated for the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Takeover in a Role for this role.[8]
Mead then took over the role of Emmett in Legally Blonde in the West End from 20 June to 8 October 2011. He made his television acting debut in August 2011, guest starring in an episode of Casualty on BBC One as newly employed teaching assistant Harry Timms[9] He also appeared in the second series of the science fiction drama, Bedlam, in the episode entitled "Jude" playing Scott, the brother of the title character, on Sky Living in June 2012.[10] In December 2012, he starred in his first pantomime as the title character "Jack" in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton alongside Julian Clary and Nigel Havers.
Mead returned to the West End in May 2013, starring in The West End Men in concert at the Vaudeville Theatre alongside Matt Willis, Glenn Carter, Stephen Rahman-Hughes and David Thaxton. In December 2013, he starred in his second pantomime as "Robin" in Robin Hood at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth.
On 1 March 2014, he made his first appearance as Ben "Lofty" Chiltern in the BBC drama series Casualty. Mead was nominated as Favourite Newcomer in the 2014 TV Times Awards[11] and shortlisted as Newcomer in the 2015 National Television Awards[12] for this role. Alongside Casualty, Mead is continuing to tour the UK with his band, starred in his third pantomime as "Prince Charming" in Cinderella at the New Theatre, Cardiff in December 2014 and stars in his fourth as "Aladdin" in Aladdin at the Hippodrome, Birmingham in December 2015.
In 2016, Mead left Casualty to join the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang UK Tour as "Caractacus Potts" and ended the year playing "Prince Charming" in Cinderella at the London Palladium. In 2017 he joined the cast of Holby City, reprising his Casualty role.[13] He remained as a series regular until his final episode aired on 17 December 2019.
In 2019, he made a guest appearance as himself in the second series of the BBC sitcom Motherland.
Mead undertook his first solo concert in his home town of Southend in May 2010 and continued to tour the UK and Ireland during 2010 and 2011 with his own band. A second tour, The Love Tour, followed in February 2012 to coincide with the release of his third album, Love Songs. In the summer of 2012, Mead joined forces with Stephen Rahman-Hughes and Matt Rawle to tour as the West End Men, supported by special guest, Kerry Ellis. A further short tour with the West End Men followed in November 2012 with Ramin Karimloo replacing Matt Rawle in the line-up. Mead also starred in a month-long run of the West End Men from May to June 2013 at the Vaudeville Theatre in London.
Mead completed further UK solo tours in the autumn of 2013 and in 2014 then in 2015, announced a new collaboration with Stephen Rahman-Hughes to form duo, Steve and Lee, their show Both Sides Now debuted in October of that year. Mead's new Some Enchanted Evening tour kicked off in July 2015, followed by the launch of his new album of the same name in February 2016, which is marked by a series of intimate London gigs with further UK-wide tour dates announced for March and October 2016. In November 2016, he joined other West End stars for two Broadway in Concert dates and a further Both Sides Now show with Stephen Rahman-Hughes. Mead has announced a monthly Up Front and Centre residency at London's Pheasantry throughout 2017, the first of its kind for the Chelsea cabaret venue.[citation needed]
2013 dates: The Pheasantry, London (14–17 and 19 August); Villa Marina, Isle of Man (23 August); Forum 28, Barrow in Furness (15 September); Shanklin Theatre, Isle of Wight (24 September); The Platform, Morecambe (26 September); Camberley Theatre, Camberley (27 September); Civic Hall, Bedworth (28 September); and Town Hall, Cheltenham (29 September).
2014 dates: Sherman Cymru, Cardiff (4 May); Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple (1 June); Octagon Theatre, Yeovil (29 June); Beck Theatre, Hayes (20 July); The Capitol, Horsham (10 August); G Live, Guildford (13 August); Theatr Hafren, Newtown (20 September); Cliffs Pavilion, Southend (5 October); Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth (2 November); Wycombe Swan Theatre, High Wycombe (12 November); West Cliff Theatre, Clacton (16 November); and Garrick Theatre, London (7 December – Christmas show).
2015
Steve and Lee – Both Sides Now
The Pheasantry, London (31 October – 1 November); The Capitol, Horsham (29 November).
2015/16
Some Enchanted Evening
2015 dates: The Pheasantry, London (26–28 June – warm up gigs); Civic Hall, Bedworth (19 July); Shanklin Theatre, Isle of Wight (2 August); West Cliff Theatre, Clacton (16 August); Camberley Theatre, Camberley (5 September); The Apex, Bury St Edmunds (19 September); Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple (4 October); Octagon Theatre, Yeovil (25 October); Theatre Royal, Winchester (8 November); Lichfield Garrick Theatre, Lichfield (21 November); and Garrick Theatre, London (6 December – Christmas show).
2016 dates: The Pheasantry, London (4–6 March – album launch gigs); The Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare (10 March); Lighthouse Theatre, Kettering (18 March); The Lighthouse, Poole (23 March); Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa (2 October); City Varieties Music Hall, Leeds (6 October); Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl (7 October); Marina Theatre, Lowestoft (12 October); Embassy Theatre, Skegness (13 October); Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield (14 October); Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton (19 October); Town Hall, Cheltenham (20 October); Oakengates Theatre (The Place), Telford (21 October); New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth (26 October); Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells (27 October) and Cliffs Pavilion, Southend (28 October).
The Pheasantry, London (26 March, 30 April, 28 May, 25 June, 30 July, 27 August, 24 September, 29 October and 26 November); Princess Alexandra Auditorium, Yarm School Stockton-on-Tees (7 October).
Corn Exchange, Newbury (24 February); The Stables, Milton Keynes (25 February); Drill Hall, Lincoln (10 March); The Lowry, Salford Quays (23 March); The Woodville, Gravesend (24 March); The Capitol, Horsham (25 March); Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury (27 April); Lowther Pavilion, Lytham St Anne's (28 April); The Spotlight, Hoddesdon (29 April); Riverfront Arts Centre, Newport (19 May); Festival Theatre, Malvern (20 May); Regal Theatre, Redruth (22 June); Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne Minster (23 June); Royal Hippodrome Theatre, Eastbourne (24 June); The Plaza, Stockport (27 July); Town Hall, Loughborough (28 July); Epsom Playhouse, Epsom (29 July); Medina Theatre, Newport Isle of Wight (28 September); Octagon Theatre, Yeovil (29 September); Theatre Royal, Winchester (30 September); Palace Theatre, Newark-on-Trent (26 October); Castle Theatre, Wellingborough (27 October); Palace Theatre, Redditch (28 October); Corn Exchange, King's Lynn (23 November); West Cliff Theatre, Clacton-on-Sea (24 November); Palace Theatre, Southend-on-Sea (25 November).
Japan
Mead completed his first international concert tour of Japan in December 2011.
Year
Tour
Venues and dates
2011
Tomomi Nishimoto Christmas Adagio
Mead toured Japan in December 2011 in concert with Sojung Lee also a vocalist. Civic Cultural Centre Muse, Tokorozawa (3 December); Suntory Hall, Minato-ku, Tokyo (4 December); Mihara Performing Arts Centre "Popolo", Hiroshima (6 December); Aichi Prefectural Arts Theatre, Nagoya (8 December); The Symphony Hall, Osaka (9 December); Alpha Anabuki Hall, Kagawa (10 December); Minato Mirai Hall, Yokohama (11 December); Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara, Sapporo (15 December); City Cultural Hall, Aomori (17 December); Opera City Concert Hall, Tokyo (18 December)
Performed two solo numbers and two duets with Hayley Westenra, including their first live performance of 'When the Stars Go Blue' from Mead's second album, at the Barbican Centre.
Performed at a BBC Radio 2 'Friday Night Is Music Night' concert at the Hackney Empire, singing two songs, 'From Russia With Love' and 'Do You Mind' by Lionel Bart. Broadcast 24 December 2010.
Made his debut as Emmett from Legally Blonde: The Musical at West End Live 2011, a free annual event showcasing the best of London theatre, performing 'Chip On My Shoulder' with Carley Stenson as Elle
Performed at a BBC Radio 2 'Friday Night Is Music Night' concert devoted to the songs of Irving Berlin at the Watford Colosseum. Broadcast 7 September 2012.
6 July 2012
Olympic Torch Relay Event
Performed a new song, 'Gold' especially composed for the occasion at Sparks Will Fly, an Olympic Torch Relay event in Chelmsford.
Performed a number of songs from his new album, released the same day, and Pure Imagination accompanied by a massed children's choir at this annual event in aid of youth charity Hybu at the Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff.
30 June 2017
Don't Stop Us Now!
Co-hosted and performed three songs at this 10th anniversary event in aid of youth charity Hybu at the Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff.
3 September 2017
Sennybridge Show Concert
Joins Rhydian and others to perform at the annual Sennybridge Show Concert at Sennybridge, Brecon (3 September).
Mead's second solo album includes a mixture of covers and new songs, including some co-writes, and a duet of When The Stars Go Blue with Hayley Westenra.
9 November 2009
Bandaged Together
Mead appears on this double album, duetting with Hayley Westenra and the TOGS Chorus on We All Stand Together as well as singing All You Need Is Love. This charity album consists of a mixture of nostalgic and children's songs from years gone by.
13 February 2012
Love Songs
Mead's third solo album is, as the cover states, dedicated to different Love Songs. It includes moving covers of Falling Slowly, Hallelujah, Fix You and She.
Mead's fifth album celebrates the 10 years since his first West End lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and features 12 of his favourite songs from the musical theatre shows he has been in and from his own concerts.
lastminute.com People's Choice Theatre Award for Favourite Theatre Actor.
18 November 2007
Variety Club Award for "Outstanding New Talent."
8 December 2007
TV Times award for "Favourite Newcomer"
15 April 2008
Gold disc for debut album "Lee Mead."
Personal life
Mead was born in Southend-on-Sea to Joan (née Horning) and Stephen Mead. He has a younger brother, Casey Michael Mead, who is four years his junior.[25]
In November 2007, Mead began dating Any Dream Will Do judge Denise van Outen. The couple married on 25 April 2009 and their daughter was born on 1 May 2010. In July 2013, the couple released a joint statement stating that they had separated.[26]
Lee got engaged to girlfriend Issy on Sunday 5 February 2023.
Charity
Mead is the patron and active supporter of Equal People Performing Arts, a charity based in Rayleigh, Essex that makes the performing arts available to all, and brings together disabled and non-disabled children and young adults to socialise and perform.[27]
He also was ambassador of Vodafone's 2008 Cut It Out Campaign in 2008 which aimed to reduce bullying.[28] The campaign worked alongside the West End stage production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Children were invited to design their own 'dreamcoat' and the winning entries were then worn on stage by Mead during Anti-Bullying week.[29]
^"Wicked proudly welcomes Lee Mead" (Press release). Wicked London Production Ltd. 10 May 2010. Archived from the original on 18 May 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2010. Wicked... welcomes Lee Mead to the cast as Fiyero from today (10 May 2010).
