Interview: Sam Norman and Aaron Nihal King, Come Dine With Me The Musical

23 Jun

Ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024 we’re chatting with a range of creatives who will be heading to the city over August to find out more about their shows. Today we’re chatting with Sam Norman and Aaron Nihal King about the Come Dine With Me The Musical.

Can you tell us a bit about you and your career so far.

Hello! We’re Sam Norman and Aaron Nihal King, and we’ve been making musicals together for almost ten years (yikes). We met at uni when Sam literally cold-emailed Aaron asking if he wanted to write a show. We also do other stuff, together and separately. Aaron composes film music, and has orchestrated scores including Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (Part I), Dungeons & Dragons, and Life on Our Planet. Sam writes screenplays and opera libretti, with credits at the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center in the USA. It’s an open marriage, artistically speaking. But musical theatre has our hearts, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be bringing Come Dine With Me: The Musical to Edinburgh this year!

What is your show about?

Come Dine With Me is a national treasure. But what goes on behind the cameras? Our (fictional!) musical hones in on the TV crew in a pickle. They’re shooting a milestone episode of the much-loved cooking show, but they suspect one of the contestants is sabotaging their rivals’ food. Who could it be? The Sound Guy is tasked with tracking down the culprit–but, to complicate matters, the prime suspect might just be his childhood crush. Mix in some divas, a splash of romance and a sizzling score, and the result is a joyful musical comedy that’ll leave you craving seconds!

What was the inspiration for the show and what’s the development process been to get to this stage?

We were brought onboard by Nell Butler and Genevieve Welch. Nell invented the Come Dine With Me format at ITV, and Genevieve is her long time colleague. We spent a lot of the pandemic on Zoom, brooding over plot points and unexpected twists .In 2023, we were lucky enough to participate in the MTFest, run by Paul Taylor-Mills at The Other Palace and The Turbine in London. It’s a showcase of eight new musicals, which are given a quick workshop and then several public performances. The whole thing was a great experience for us, and turbo-charged our bid to bring our show to life this year! For that, we really have Paul to thank. He’s scaled the musical up from page to stage. In June 2024, we had another workshop–and now it’s off to Norwich in late July and Edinburgh for the Fringe.

What made you want to take this to the Fringe?

Come Dine With Me: The Musical is the perfect Fringe show–a big-hearted, slightly bonkers musical comedy! Expect a pinch of schmaltz, a dash of mystery and lots of silly rhymes.

Apart from seeing your show, what’s your top tip for anybody heading for Edinburgh this summer?

The weather gods are fickle. Better sacrifice a goat.

Why should people book to see your show?

If you love the TV show, you’ll love the musical! It’s a joyful, irreverent story about a bunch of people who go on a reality show and discover what it means to be human.