Legendary music mogul Pete Waterman brings new show to Leeds Grand and reveals likelihood of Pop Idol return

The renowned record producer, best known for bringing global attention to the likes of Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley, has raided his back catalogue for new show ‘I Should Be So Lucky’.

It’s set to land at the Leeds Grand Theatre next Tuesday (November 12), with feel-good tunes from the Stock Aitken Waterman label and a hilarious story by Debbie Isitt.

Ahead of its arrival in the city, Pete spoke to the Yorkshire Evening Post about the show, explained why the UK will never win Eurovision, and revealed whether he’d consider a return to Pop Idol.

“We’ve been talking about doing a musical for the last 10 years, but none of the ideas we saw resonated with us,” he explained.

“When we read this script, we said yes straight away. The reaction has been nothing short of phenomenal.”

The show tells the story of an ill-fated wedding and a raucous afterparty, featuring bops like Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ and Bananarama’s ‘Love In The First Degree’.

It even has a surprise cameo from megastar Kylie, but audiences will have to wait to see exactly how that plays out.

For Pete, the show is an excuse to get back to one of his favourite cities. He knew Leeds well in the days of late 80s TV show ‘The Hitman and Her’, which he presented with co-host Michaela Strachan in nightclubs across the country.

One of those nightclubs was the now-closed city centre gem Ritzy, in the Merrion Centre.

Pete said: “We always had fantastic nights there. We were rammed solid and were turning people away by 10pm. It was fantastic.”

On his Leeds bucket list this time around?

“A pint,” he said, resolutely. “I’m happy to go anywhere.”

In the golden years of records, Pete knew the industry like the back of his hand. But he admitted to being “baffled” by the influence of modern platforms like TikTok and its short snippets of music.

“It’s a completely different market,” he said. “In some ways, a lot of talent goes out the window. You couldn’t get Kylie Minogue or Jason Donovan now. It would be impossible.

“It’s all about streaming, which is about social media. I mean, there are still great artists – I love bands like the Jonas Brothers. But the industry is very different.”

Many will remember Pete from his time as a judge on Pop Idol in the early noughties.

There has been talk of the show – or its rival X Factor – returning to a primetime slot. But in the age of #BeKind, the series famous for ridiculing its contestants would likely reappear as a sanitised version of its former self.

Could Pete imagine its return at a time when everyone is so conscious about mental health?

"Firstly, I don't believe mental health is an issue in the way you think it is,” he said.

“I've been told all my life that I wasn't good enough and it hasn't affected me. In fact, it's the opposite. It spurred me on.”

He added: “Certainly when I was on the show, I'd never be cruel to somebody. I’d tell them the truth and there's nothing wrong with that. But I wouldn't be cruel.

"That’s why I walked away in the end. It started to get clichéd and it wasn’t for me.”

His reality days are done, he confirmed, citing the moment he knew the format had run its course: “They put a lad on in a banana suit. A banana. What’s that all about?”

Pete has written and produced songs for the Eurovision Song Contest in the past, but he has no hope of the UK winning any time soon.

“We’ll never win,” he said. “It’s not a song competition, it’s a popularity contest. And right now, we’re about as popular as a hippopotamus in a supermarket.

"I've been part of it and I’ve seen all the political voting. Terry Wogan and I used to have a laugh about it, we’d bet on how many points we’d get.”

Another of Pete’s interests is lesser known – his passion for rail. He’s presented several programmes on trains and has some strong opinions about connectivity in the north of England.

"Axing HS2 was a disaster,” he insisted. “People are obviously too frightened of jobs going north. Leeds is a vibrant city, for God's sake. It should be quicker to get to London. Getting rid of it sent completely the wrong message.”

Returning to the musical, Leeds audiences are in for a treat. The feel-good show features 10 number 1 singles and more than 30 era-defining songs.

It is perhaps testament to the party spirit of the musical – and the wild reactions of recent audiences – that his final message to the YEP relates to boozing.

He warned merrymakers: “Have a drink, but please don’t get too drunk. It’s a wedding.”