TWO talented singers, with their roots firmly planted in Hampshire, will be battling it out for the nation's votes on national television tonight.

Tonight, Hampshire-born teenager Antony Hansen will sing live in front of a TV audience of millions as he bids to keep his place in the BBC's latest musical reality show Any Dream Will Do.

Viewers will vote out one of the 12 finalists bidding to win the lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Thousands of hopefuls from all over the country auditioned to get on the show before the best 100 were invited to London to perform for a panel of judges.

Half advanced to Joseph School, where a team of the best coaches in the business taught them vocals, acting and choreography at a series of workshops.

Then the final 12, including Antony, were picked after a live performance at Mr Lloyd Webber's castle in Ireland.

Antony, 17, a student, is bidding to follow in the footsteps of Locks Heath girl Helena Blackman who reached the final two in the battle for the leading role of Maria in the hit stage musical The Sound of Music last year on the BBC show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?

Even from his first acting role, Antony's parents Andy, 39, and Wendy, 36, knew he was destined to be a star.

Now, 14 years later, he stands on the threshold of a glittering career.

Dad Andy, who was born and bred in Hedge End, said: "His first performance was as a shepherd in the Mansbridge playschool nativity at the age of three and it was obvious then that performing is what he was good at.

"He is also a massive Michael Jackson fan and he would often copy his moves from his music videos in the living room. If there was music and dressing up, Antony would be in the middle of it. All his brothers sing but they are nothing like him."

Over on Meridian, lifelong Grease fan Olivia Harrington has beaten off more than 30,000 Sandy wannabes to make it to boot camp in a new ITV reality show.

She is one of 34 girls to succeed at auditions on the latest televised hunt for new West End theatre stars - this time for a new production of Grease.

Tens of thousands of hopefuls put themselves forward for the parts of Sandy and Danny, desperate to be the new Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, who starred in the 1970s movie version.

The auditions before judges David Ian, 80s pop star Sinitta, David Gest and choreographer Brian Friedman are currently being shown on ITV1 and ITV2 on Saturday evenings.

After seeing an advert on TV and calling up, aptly named Olivia, from Lymington, was invited to audition.

But she had to overcome a personal tragedy as her grandmother died the day before her first audition.

The 31-year-old said: "I sang my heart out to the Sandra Dee Reprise.

"The day before the audition my grandmother died in my arms, so it was a really tough decision to actually go to the audition. Nothing seemed as important as the day before so I was completely calm.

"When they told me I was through, I was whooping with joy and had tears streaming down my face! It was a wonderful feeling."