Seems a bit second rate if they've picked Ben Richards. Surely they can do better than that.

He's neither evil enough nor charismatic enough.

What an awful choice if this is true, a very wooden actor IMO

If its him then crap decision.

So WHO would make a good Bill Sykes?????
How about nasty Nick Cotton from Eastenders????

Bill Ward (Charlie from Corrie) would make a good Bill Sykes

I was going to say that too!

Really hope it is not Ben Richards - far too cheesey!

Sykes is hardly the most riveting of characters is he. IMO It's Fagin, Nancy and Dodger that make the show worth watching.

Lets not run away with this idea, there is no definite here.
He cam up as a possibilty for the part of Sykes as he was part of the NANCY SCHOOL on the first day, the girls performed for him with him being described as thier Sykes for this performance, but the odd thind was they did not show any of this on the Nancy School footage, was the reason being that maybe they have cast him in the part????

So we do not know if it is true or not yet.

Oooh no, you need a good chilling, menacing Sykes, you want to be scared witness when he's around. That's one of the reasons why I love the musical so much, there are so many outstanding characters.

According to the mirror Nick Knowles is being lined up to play Bill Sikes.

Hope this link works

http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/2008...9520-20379435/

Nick Knowles as Bill Sikes cant see it

No - it's not going down very well on BBC boards (where I nicked this info from). It's not a very big role but don't think Nick has much experience?

For me Nigel Harman or Robert Kazinsky

At least the older looking Nancy's (Rachel, Ashley, Keisha and Jodie) wouldn't look odd against Nick I guess and the young ones would look ok too apart from maybe Niamh who would look more like his daughter

Oh please no. That just might be enough to make me regret buying tickets already.

I don't know who Ben Richards is either!

I don't think Ben Richards is second rate, but I would have thought him too clean cut for Sykes.

Isn't Ben Richards currently in the Bill?

I remember he helped out on Grease, acting with the Sandy's.

The bloke that used to be in Eastenders and The Bill, he acted with the Nancy's last week, playing Fagin, he was really good. He always plays a nasty character, maybe they will use him.

The actor is called Stephen Hartley.
Last edited by FreddieP : 12-04-2008 at 11:27

Ben Richards was in Holby City, i think. And Footballers Wives.

But, prior to that, he was a stage musical actor, and was in Grease several years ago (as Kenickie). He was also in Saturday Night Fever, and The Magic of The Musicals with Marti Webb.

Better qualified than Danny Dyer or Nick Knowles, but I'm still not sure he looks right.

IMO, any actor can look the part with the right make up and costume ... although they would need to have a deep, gruff voice to play Bill ...

Sorry to show my obvious ignorance, but who is Ben Richards?

Yuk! Couldn't agree more.

He mustn't have made much of an impact then - most people (myself included) have never heard of him.

Marti Webb, by the way, is one of the worst singers ever so whoever he is he's got to be better than her at least.

Necer heard of him? He is a fantastic actor, dancer and singer. I saw him in Guys and Dolls and he was superb. As for him being lightweight, he was very menacing and chilling in Footballers wives - a role not a million miles away from Bill Sykes.

google him...I bet you'd know him if you saw a photo!
Although he has actually worked a lot in theatre, most people know him as a soap actor & therefore dismiss him unfairly.

(I don't rate Marti either!!!! but was just using an example of his work.)