Mamma Mia: The Story of the World's Favourite Musical

MAMMA MIA! London Cast 2017/2018 — (Image credit: Brinkhoff/Moegenburg; Brinkhoff/)

Channel 5 dedicate an evening to the hit musical Mamma Mia! includes documentaries and a live concert by Abba at Wembley in 1979

Did you know one in four UK households owns Mamma Mia! on DVD?

So what’s behind the appeal of the film, and the musical, which has taken $1.5billion at the box office?

We hear from those behind its success, including screen and script writer Catherine Johnson as well as celebrity fans, musicologists, critics and key cast members.

Mamma Mia: The Story of the World' Favourite Musical. Abba pictured — The Swedish supergroup Abba

Also on is Britain’s Favourite Abba Songs (5.50pm), there's another chance to see the fascinating documentary about the female half of the band in Abba: The Secret Life of Agnetha & Anni-Frid (7pm), and catch a live performance of Abba at Wembley in 1979 in Live in Concert (10.25pm).

TV Times rating: ****

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As TV Times Highlights Editor I get to hear about all the latest TV shows coming soon. Here at TVT HQ we are in the privileged position of selecting the best programmes from across all the channels and streaming platforms. Our mission is to make it easier for our readers to decide what to watch - and give them lots of choice of genres - all the latest shows, plus some nostalgic choices we call hidden gems, too. My career began with a postgraduate degree in periodical journalism (ahem, yes old school!) in 1991 and I’ve worked in TV media since 2000.