Lofty may have left Casualty, but Lee Mead isn’t resting on his laurels. He reveals to What’s on TV, he’s in rehearsals for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And although Casualty’s taking a backseat so Lee can fly the magical car made famous by Dick Van Dyke, there’s a possibility Lofty may one day return to the city of Holby!
When we asked Lee why he said yes to the new production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang he said: “I got a call one day from my agent asking me how do I feel about playing Caractacus Potts, and it didn’t take me long to say yes. My last musical was five years ago because I’ve been doing albums and concerts and TV roles.”
Lee added: “I always wanted to come back and do a show but I didn’t know what show that would be – you can’t predict the next production. So I thought I’d focus on TV and the music and I’ll know when the next show comes up if it feels right or not. And getting the call to play Dick Van Dyke, you can’t say no really, can you?
But what about his regular role BBC1’s long-running medical drama, Casualty?
Lee said: “I’ve currently got a year off and I’m in talks with the producers to potentially go back but it hasn’t been confirmed yet. So we’re just going to see how that goes. They’ve given me a year off to fly the [Chitty Chitty Bang Bang] car, do my album and do some theatre for a bit.
“I love filming and Casualty was such a huge thing for me. It was a new chapter in my career. I did guest episodes on TV shows but this was my first full-time role. It’s been an amazing experience to do that for two years, but then I started to get itchy feet and wanting to do some theatre again!
“Going forward I do want to explore that more and hopefully do TV dramas and more TV roles.”
Watch the video above for the full interview, where Lee obligingly does a Dick Van Dyke impression!
For more information on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Lee's new album, Some Enchanted Evening, visit Lee's official website
Image credit: Hannah McKay/PA Wire/Press Association Images
