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{{Short description|English singer, presenter and actor (born 1962)}}
{{Other people|Michael Ball|Michael Ball (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Michael Ball
| honorific_suffix   = {{post-nominals|size=100%|country=GBR|OBE}}
| image              = File:Michael Ball 20231207.jpg
| image_size         = 
| caption            = Michael Ball, [[Waterstones]], London, 2023
| birth_name         = Michael Ashley Ball
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1962|6|27|df=yes}}
| birth_place        = {{nowrap|[[Bromsgrove]], [[Worcestershire]],}} England
| occupation         = {{Hlist | Singer | actor | presenter | author}}
| alma_mater = [[Guildford School of Acting]]
| years_active       = 1984–present
| known_for          = ''[[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]]''<br>''[[Aspects of Love]]''<br>''[[Hairspray (musical)|Hairspray]]''
| partner            = [[Cathy McGowan (presenter)|Cathy McGowan]]<br /> (1992–present)
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes
| genre           = {{Hlist | [[Pop music|Pop]] | [[soft rock]] | [[musical theatre]] | [[easy listening]]}}
| label           = [[Universal Music Group|Universal]]
| associated_acts = [[Alfie Boe]]
| website         = {{url|michaelball.co.uk}}
}}
}}

'''Michael Ashley Ball''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|OBE}} (born 27 June 1962) is an English singer, presenter and actor. In 1985, he made his [[West End theatre|West End]] debut as [[Marius Pontmercy]] in the original production of ''[[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]]''. In 1989, he reached number two in the [[UK Singles Chart]] with "[[Love Changes Everything (song)|Love Changes Everything]]", from the musical ''[[Aspects of Love]]'', where he played Alex Dillingham. He played the role in the West End and on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]. His album ''Coming Home To You'' reached number one in the UK making it his 4th number one album to date. On 24 April 2020, Ball and [[Captain Tom Moore]] entered the [[UK Singles Chart]] at number one with a cover of "[[You'll Never Walk Alone]]", with combined chart sales of 82,000 making it the fastest-selling single of 2020. In 1992, Ball represented the [[United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest]], finishing second with the song "[[One Step Out of Time]]". 

In 1995, he reprised his West End role of Marius in ''[[Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert]]''. His other West End credits include [[Viscount Raoul de Chagny|Raoul de Chagny]] in ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'' (1987), Giorgio Bachetti in ''[[Passion (musical)|Passion]]'' (1996), and [[Caractacus Pott]]s in ''[[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (musical)|Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]]'' (2002). In 2004, he played [[Jean Valjean]] in a concert performance of ''[[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]]'' for the Queen at [[Windsor Castle]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Davies |first=Caroline |date=21 October 2004 |title=The Queen proudly presents Les Mis at the palace theatre Royal performance for Chirac |url=https://global-factiva-com.ezproxy-prd.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&an=DT00000020041021e0al00030&drn=drn%3aarchive.newsarticle.DT00000020041021e0al00030&cat=a&ep=ASE |access-date=10 January 2025 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |pages=5}}</ref> He has twice won the [[Laurence Olivier Award]] for [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical|Best Actor in a Musical]]. He won in 2008 for his role as Edna Turnblad in ''[[Hairspray (musical)|Hairspray]]'',<ref name="DIDiscs MB">{{cite episode |title=Desert Island Discs with Michael Ball|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/desertislanddiscs_20080302.shtml|series=Desert Island Discs|series-link=Desert Island Discs|network=[[BBC]]|station=[[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]]|airdate=2 March 2008}}</ref> and then in 2013 for [[Sweeney Todd|the title role]] in the revival of ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]''. In 2018, he played Anatoly Sergievsky in the West End revival of [[Chess (musical)|''Chess'']], and he returned to ''[[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]]'' in 2019 and 2020 as [[Inspector Javert]]. He reprised his role of Edna Turnblad in the 2021 revival of ''[[Hairspray (musical)|Hairspray]]'' and in 2023 played the other leading male role of Sir George Dillingham in a revival of ''[[Aspects of Love]]''.<ref>[https://www.abouttheartists.com/artists/503370-michael-ball-1 Michael Ball Theatre Credits AboutTheArtists]</ref> In 2024, Ball reprised the role of Javert in ''[[Les Misérables (musical)#The planned Arena Spectacular world tour|Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular World Tour]]''.<ref name=ArenaWorldTour>[https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/cast-for-les-miserables-arena-tour-announced_1570555/#:~:text=Alfie%20Boe%20and%20Killian%20Donnelly,%2C%20Copenhagen%2C%20Oslo%20and%20Zurich. Cast for Les Misérables arena tour announced]</ref>

Ball was appointed Officer of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[2015 Birthday Honours]] for his services to musical theatre.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/434869/Queens_birthday_honours_list_2015.pdf|title=2015 Birthday Honours|publisher=Gov.uk|access-date=15 June 2015}}</ref>

==Early life==
Ball was born in [[Bromsgrove]], [[Worcestershire]], to a Welsh mother and an English father. His father Tony, who originally wanted to be an actor, trained as an [[Austin Motor Company|Austin]] apprentice at the [[Longbridge plant]] and progressed to become head of global sales at [[British Leyland]].<ref>Grand Tour, Series 2 Episode 4</ref> He was awarded an MBE for services to industry.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bowen |first=David |title=The man in the Mini is a Rolls-Royce speaker |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/the-man-in-the-mini-is-a-rollsroyce-speaker-1597050.html |work=The Independent |access-date=14 May 2022|date=19 August 1995 }}</ref> Ball's maternal grandfather was a coal miner. Ball has a brother, Kevin, four years his senior and a sister, Katherine, almost a decade his junior. He moved to [[Dartmoor]] with his parents when he was three years old. He has never had singing lessons, but as a boy he learned to sing by singing along to music, for example; songs by [[Ella Fitzgerald]], [[Mahalia Jackson]] and [[Frank Sinatra]]. When he was 11 years old he went to [[Plymouth College]], an independent boarding school, because his parents thought this would give him a good education. However this made him unhappy, as he did not fit into the academic and sporting environment at the school at that time.<ref name="DIDiscs MB" /> He did join his fellow junior boarders on Sunday morning at the Pathfinder bible group in St Andrew's church. One summer he went to Pathfinder camp on the isle of Jersey.

Ball was interested in the theatre and his father took him to see shows in the school holidays, including a [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] production at the [[Royal Shakespeare Theatre]] of ''[[King Lear]]'', which impressed him as a youngster of about 14 years' age. He joined a youth theatre, which led to his studying drama at [[Guildford School of Acting]], where he found an environment that suited him. As a student he went busking on Saturdays in [[Guildford]] town with a female student friend to earn a little extra money. He graduated in 1984. After his graduation, Ball's singing career rapidly got off the ground. His maternal grandmother, having a musical ear, was proud of Ball's early singing achievements; she died suddenly, however, of a heart attack about one week before his debut in ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]''.<ref name="DIDiscs MB" />

==Theatre==
{{further|Michael Ball stage credits}}

In 1984, after he had left drama school, Ball's first part was in ''[[Godspell]]'' at [[Aberystwyth]] Arts Centre, after which he worked for a few months in rep in Basingstoke,<ref name="Ball pro">{{cite web|url =http://www.justball.net/home/justmichael/professionalbio.php|title=Professional Biography|publisher =Justball.net|access-date=26 December 2014}}</ref> but his first major break was a star part in the production of ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' at [[Manchester Opera House]]; at an open audition he was selected from about 600 applicants who formed a queue to do singing, acting, and dancing interviews, which were held in three separate rooms. His next important role came when [[Cameron Mackintosh]] cast him as [[Marius Pontmercy|Marius]] in the original London cast of ''[[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]]'', but he caught [[Infectious mononucleosis|glandular fever]] and he took six or seven weeks off sick to recover from the associated [[tonsillitis]] and [[Chronic fatigue syndrome|post-viral fatigue]]. When he returned to work he was still suffering from fatigue, and began to get on-stage [[panic attack]]s&nbsp;— overwhelming anxiety, a rapid heartbeat, sweating, and problems with vision. These also started happening at other times, such as when he was going to work. For most of the next nine months he lived alone in his flat feeling depressed; he did not seek therapy and left ''Les Misérables''.<ref name="DIDiscs MB" />

[[Thames Television]] invited Ball to sing during the [[Miss England]] contest, a live televised event, and he sang well enough despite suffering from anxiety. When he viewed a recording later, he realised that no one would have noticed how nervous he was, and he became less worried about his anxiety problem.<ref name="DIDiscs MB" /> At about that time, Cameron Mackintosh asked Ball to play [[Viscount Raoul de Chagny|Raoul]] in the second casting of ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'' in London, which was necessary after [[Michael Crawford]] (who played the Phantom) and [[Steve Barton]] (who played Raoul) left the London show to appear in the Broadway staging in New York City. Mackintosh thought that Ball would not be under too much pressure as Raoul, and that the part was right for him.<ref name="DIDiscs MB" />

Ball played Alex in ''[[Aspects of Love]]'', both in London and New York, and Giorgio in the London production of [[Stephen Sondheim]]'s ''[[Passion (musical)|Passion]]''. ''Alone Together'' was his one-man show first performed at the [[Donmar Warehouse]] (which was reprised in 2004 for the ''Singular Sensations'' season at the Haymarket). In 1998 Ball performed at three big concerts: ''The Fiftieth Birthday Concert of [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]'' at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] (released on DVD), ''Sondheim Tonight'' at the [[Barbican Centre]] (released on CD) and ''Hey, Mr. Producer: The Musical World of [[Cameron Mackintosh]]'' (released on CD and DVD). In 2002 he took on the role of [[Caractacus Pott]]s in the [[Sherman Brothers]] musical ''[[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (musical)|Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]]'', which was largely considered his comeback role.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}}

In 2004, he co-starred with [[Petula Clark]] in a production of Lloyd Webber's ''[[Sunset Boulevard (musical)|Sunset Boulevard]]'' at the [[Cork Opera House]], later broadcast by the [[BBC]]. Later the same year he was a guest star at Clark's Concert, also broadcast by the BBC. He sang three tracks from his latest album, ''Since You've Been Gone''; "Home" and "One Voice", as well as two [[duet]]s with Clark. Other performances include singing at the [[BBC]]'s [[Saint David's Day|St David's Day]] concert, in the role of [[Marius Pontmercy|Marius]] at the ''[[Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert]]'', the tenth anniversary concert of ''Les Misérables'' in 1995. A lyric baritone, Ball also sang the role of [[Jean Valjean|Valjean]] at a special concert performance of ''Les Misérables'' for the Queen and her guests at [[Windsor Castle]] in 2004. In 2005, with 10 days' notice, he replaced [[Michael Crawford]] as Count Fosco in ''[[The Woman in White (musical)|The Woman in White]]'' after poor health forced Crawford to give up the role.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}}

In November 2005, Ball returned to Broadway as Count Fosco in ''The Woman in White'', which transferred from [[West End of London|London's West End]]. He was, however, forced to leave the show because of a viral infection supposedly caused by the fat suit required for the role; this reportedly raised Ball's body temperature by several degrees during the show.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}}

In September 2005, Ball made his [[New York City Opera]] debut as Reginald Bunthorne in [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s ''[[Patience (opera)|Patience]]''. He spent the first quarter of 2006 on complete vocal rest, following the illness that caused him to leave ''The Woman in White'' on Broadway. By the middle of July, Ball had taken part in the [[Royal Court Theatre]]'s celebratory performance of ''[[The Rocky Horror Show]]''. He took a leading role in ''[[Kismet (musical)|Kismet]]'' in June and July 2007 for the [[English National Opera|ENO]], and appeared on [[Channel 4]]'s ''[[Richard & Judy]]'' on 22 June 2007 to promote this production. He then appeared as the solo artist in a controversial 'Musical Theatre' Prom on 27 August 2007 for the BBC at London's [[Royal Albert Hall]]. Ball performed a wide range of musical theatre numbers, including several by [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]. The show was broadcast live on [[BBC Four]], as well as on [[BBC Radio 3]].

From October 2007 – July 2009, Ball made his West End return starring as Edna Turnblad in the hit musical ''[[Hairspray (musical)|Hairspray]]'' at the [[Shaftesbury Theatre]] in London. In March 2008, he was awarded the [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical]] for his portrayal. He also won the [[WhatsOnStage Awards|Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Actor in a Musical]] for his portrayal of Edna Turnblad. He recently starred in a new production of ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]'' at the [[Adelphi Theatre]] in the West End, alongside [[Imelda Staunton]] as [[Mrs. Lovett]]. The show premiered at the [[Chichester Festival Theatre]] for six weeks starting 24 September 2011 before transferring to London in March 2012.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}} Michael and Imelda were both awarded Olivier awards, best actor and best actress in a musical for their Sweeney Todd performances. Ball starred as Mack in Mack and Mabel, which toured the UK in 2015.

In 2018, he starred as Anatoly Sergievsky in the West End revival of [[Sir Tim Rice]]’s ''[[Chess (musical)|Chess]]'' at the [[London Coliseum]]. His co-stars included [[Tim Howar]], [[Cassidy Janson]], and [[Alexandra Burke]].

It was announced in February 2019 that Ball will star as [[Javert|Inspector Javert]] opposite [[Alfie Boe]] ([[Jean Valjean]]) in a staged concert production of Les Misérables. The production will open on 10 August 2019, at the Gielgud Theatre and serve as a placeholder while the original West End production of Les Mis at the Queen's Theater is replaced with [[Cameron Mackintosh]]'s new staging of the show at the renamed Sondheim theatre. The staged concert was broadcast live to cinemas in the UK on 2 December 2019, and then encore showings in the UK and the USA. This staged concert has become the highest live stream concert at cinemas in UK history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eventcinemaassociation.org/news/les-miserables-the-staged-concert-becomes-the-biggest-one-night-live-stream-event-of-all-time/|title=Les Misérables:the staged concert becomes the biggest one-night live stream event of all time |website=eventcinemaassociation.org|date=3 December 2019|access-date=22 July 2020}}</ref>
The live stream also became available as a DVD and CD in early 2020. The concert was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on the 5 January 2020.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

In 2021, Ball reprised his role as Edna Turnblad in a revival of ''[[Hairspray (musical)|Hairspray]]'' at the [[London Coliseum]], which opened in June of that year. In 2023, he played George Dillingham in a revival of ''[[Aspects of Love]]'' at the [[Lyric Theatre (London)|Lyric Theatre]]. In 2024, he reprised the role of Javert in ''[[Les Misérables (musical)#The planned Arena Spectacular world tour|Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular World Tour]]''.<ref name=ArenaWorldTour/>

==Recording work==
Ball is a concert artist: he tours frequently around the United Kingdom and has also performed concerts in Australia and the United States. He has also had success in the [[record chart|charts]] with his [[sound recording and reproduction|recording]] work. Since reaching Number 2 in the [[UK Singles Chart]] with "Love Changes Everything" from ''[[Aspects of Love]]'', Ball had lesser success with follow up [[single (music)|singles]], but in the main has concentrated on releasing albums, all of which achieved [[music recording certification|gold]] status within weeks, and in the case of ''The Movies'' album in 1998, platinum in seven weeks (released 26 October, confirmed platinum status on 12 December).{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}}

Ball represented the UK in the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1992]] held in [[Malmö]], Sweden, singing the song "[[One Step Out of Time]]", which finished second. The single reached number 20 in the UK, while an [[eponym]]ous album released in the same year reached number 1.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/Michael%20Ball |title=Michael Ball - Michael Ball |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |access-date=26 December 2014 }}</ref> This began a run of top 20 albums released over the next two decades. In July 2006, Ball was a guest artist on [[Julian Lloyd Webber]]'s album ''[[Unexpected Songs]]'' and in November of that year released a DVD containing all the best songs from his ''Live in Concert'' DVDs. This is split into five sections: Musicals, Love Songs, Personal Favourites, Party Time, and Unplugged. The DVD also included a brand new "Unplugged" session which Ball recorded especially with four other musicians in the studio. It was released on 20 November 2006. Ball took part in many promotional activities at the end of the 2006 to coincide with the release of his album ''One Voice''. This involved singing the song "Home" on ITV's [[GMTV]], ''[[This Morning (TV programme)|This Morning]]'', and the [[BBC One]] programme ''[[The Heaven and Earth Show]]'', hosted by [[Gloria Hunniford]].

A new compilation album entitled ''Michael Ball: The Silver Collection'' was released in July 2007, along with the DVD version of his 1995 film ''England My England''. Towards the end of 2007, Ball recorded his 15th solo album for release on 15 October of that year. The album features songs all written by [[Burt Bacharach]] and is entitled ''Back to Bacharach''. It was released along with a performance DVD of his 2007 tour, ''One Voice Live'', filmed at London's [[Hammersmith Apollo]]. Promotional activities took place throughout October and November 2007 for these releases including appearances on ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' and ''[[Loose Women]]''.{{Citation needed|date=December 2008}}

In February 2013, Ball released his album "Both Sides Now" featuring the song "Fight the Fight" from [[Tim Rice|Tim Rice's]] new musical [[From Here to Eternity the Musical|From Here to Eternity]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/175360-Michael-Ball-CD-Both-Sides-Now-Features-New-Songs-by-Tim-Rice-Andrew-Lloyd-Webber-Plus-Suddenly-from-Les-Miz-Film |title=Michael Ball CD, "Both Sides Now," Features New Songs by Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber |work=Playbill |date=26 February 2013 |access-date=25 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103054341/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/175360-Michael-Ball-CD-Both-Sides-Now-Features-New-Songs-by-Tim-Rice-Andrew-Lloyd-Webber-Plus-Suddenly-from-Les-Miz-Film |archive-date=3 November 2013 }}</ref>

In November 2014, Ball released his new album, ''If Everyone Was Listening''. In March 2019, he released the album ''Coming Home To You''. The album reached number one in the [[UK Albums Chart]] and, although Ball has had many hits, this is his first solo number one selling album in 26 years.

He has recorded three albums with Alfie Boe. Two reached number 1; ''Ball & Boe: Together'' in 2016 and ''Ball & Boe: Together Again'' in 2017. Their third album, ''Ball & Boe: Back Together in 2019''  reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart.

In April 2020, Ball recorded a duet with 99 year old [[World War II]] veteran [[Tom Moore (fundraiser)|Captain Tom Moore]], in aid of the NHS during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Their cover of "[[You'll Never Walk Alone]]" reached number one in the [[UK Singles Chart]] on 24 April, not only giving Ball his first chart-topping single at the age of 57, but also making Moore the oldest ever person in history to score a number one hit.

==Television==
As an actor, Ball briefly appeared as Malcolm Nuttall in ''[[Coronation Street]]'' in 1985. Ball has also turned his hand to presenting both on TV and radio. Ball had his own TV series, ''[[Michael Ball (TV programme)|Michael Ball]]'', in 1993 and 1994 a Christmas Special in 1995 and a three-part series in 1998 filmed by [[BBC Cymru Wales]] ''Ball in the Hall''. These three episodes were combined to make a special which was then broadcast on [[BBC One]]. Ball has presented ''[[The National Lottery Draws]]'' and ''[[Children in Need]]''. He guest presented ''This Morning'' for a short period.

Ball co-judged the second series of [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] reality television show ''[[Soapstar Superstar]]'' in 2007. In 2010 Ball took part in the BBC Cymru Wales programme ''[[Coming Home (UK TV series)|Coming Home]]'' about his Welsh family history.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}} In 2010, Ball presented 30 episodes of ''[[The Michael Ball Show]]'', his own daytime series for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]. In 2010 and 2011, Ball guest presented six episodes of ''[[Lorraine (TV programme)|Lorraine]]'' for [[ITV Breakfast]].

On 10 April 2013, Ball guest hosted ''[[The One Show]]'' for the first time as a stand-in presenter. He has presented the show on several occasions since. On 18 November 2013, Ball guest presented an episode of teatime chat show ''[[The Paul O'Grady Show]]'' after [[Paul O'Grady]] was taken ill.<ref>{{cite news|last=Guardian staff|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/nov/19/paul-ogrady-off-air-angina-attack |title=Paul O'Grady misses show after heart emergency &#124; Television & radio |work=[[The Guardian]] |date = 19 November 2013 |access-date=12 July 2017}}</ref> On 24 November 2013, he guest starred as a fictionalized version of himself in the British sitcom ''[[Toast of London]]''. On 29 December 2013, Ball was a contestant on a celebrity Christmas edition of ''[[Catchphrase (British game show)|Catchphrase]]''.

On 3 January 2014, [[BBC Four]] broadcast a special tribute programme to the lyricist [[Don Black (lyricist)|Don Black]] called ''Diamonds are Forever: A tribute to Don Black'' which took place at the [[Royal Festival Hall]] in London. Ball sang two songs on this show; the first was the song [[Born Free (Matt Monro song)|Born Free]], which won the [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]] and was a hit for the British male singer [[Matt Monro]] in 1966. Black wrote the lyrics for this song and the music was composed by [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]] for the film of the same name, [[Born Free]]. The second song Ball sang during the programme was [[Love Changes Everything (song)|Love Changes Everything]], a song that Black co-wrote with lyricist [[Charles Hart (lyricist)|Charles Hart]] for the musical ''[[Aspects of Love]]'', composed by [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]. This song was released as a single by Ball in 1989 and stayed in the British pop charts for fourteen weeks. The [[BBC Concert Orchestra]] provided the orchestral backing for Ball on both songs for this performance.

On 26 December 2014, Ball starred in [[Victoria Wood]]'s musical ''[[That Day We Sang]]'', reuniting him with his ''Sweeney Todd'' co-star Imelda Staunton.

Michael has fronted three ITV shows with [[Alfie Boe]]. They were broadcast in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
2016 - ''Ball and Boe: One Night Only''
2017 - ''Ball and Boe: Back Together''
2019 - ''Ball and Boe: A Very Merry Christmas''

==Radio==
Ball hosted ''Ball over Broadway'' and ''The Greenroom'' on [[BBC Radio 2]] and several specials on subjects such as [[Nat King Cole]], [[Cameron Mackintosh]], and [[Cy Coleman]].

His first regular show on BBC Radio 2 was ''Michael Ball's Sunday Brunch'' in 2008, replacing [[Michael Parkinson]] whose show ''[[Parkinson's Sunday Supplement]]'' had ended the previous year. The show aired on Sunday mornings between 11&nbsp;am and 1&nbsp;pm until September 2011, latterly sharing its time slot with ''[[Weekend Wogan]]'' presented by [[Terry Wogan]].

After a short break, in 2013 Ball returned to Radio 2 with a new show, ''Sunday Night With Michael Ball'', airing on Sunday evenings between 7&nbsp;pm and 9&nbsp;pm. Following the death of Sir Terry Wogan, Ball returned to the Sunday morning slot on 10 April 2016, with the show now titled ''The Michael Ball Show''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35841965 |title=Michael Ball to take over Sir Terry Wogan's BBC Radio 2 slot&nbsp;— BBC News |date= 18 March 2016|access-date=2017-07-12|work=BBC News }}</ref> [[Claudia Winkleman]] took over the vacant Sunday evening slot later that month.

He was also a regular stand-in presenter for [[Ken Bruce]] until 2016 on the station.

On 2 April 2024, it was announced that Ball would be moving from his 11{{nbsp}}am–1{{nbsp}}pm Sunday lunchtime slot in June to take over ''Sunday Love Songs'' between 9{{nbsp}}am and 11{{nbsp}}am, following the death of long time host [[Steve Wright (DJ)|Steve Wright]] in February. He was replaced by [[Paddy McGuinness]]. He started his new show, ''Love Songs with Michael Ball'', on 2 June 2024.

==Recent career==
Ball embarked on an extensive British tour during March and April 2007. There were 23 dates on the tour covering England, [[Scotland]], [[Northern Ireland]] and [[Wales]]. The tour started with two nights in [[Belfast]], before a number of shows in the north of England and the Midlands. Ball then headed to [[Glasgow]] and [[Aberdeen]] before returning for shows in London, [[Birmingham]] and [[Northampton]]. Ball took a trip to his old home in [[Plymouth]] before embarking on the final leg of his tour. It saw Ball perform in [[Ipswich]] and Northampton before ending his tour in [[Cardiff]]. He made his debut with the [[English National Opera]] in the lead role of Hajj/Poet in a new production of [[Robert Wright (writer)|Robert Wright]] and [[George Forrest (author)|George Forrest]]'s ''[[Kismet (musical)|Kismet]]'' after this tour.

In August 2007, he made his [[The Proms|BBC Proms]] debut with ''An Evening with Michael Ball'' at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], which marked the first time a musical theatre star had been given a solo concert at the classical music festival. Ball appeared in the [[Royal Variety Performance]] at the [[Liverpool Empire Theatre|Empire Theatre]] in Liverpool on 3 December 2007 singing "[[You Can't Stop the Beat]]" with the rest of the cast from ''[[Hairspray (musical)|Hairspray]]'', the musical he was appearing in at the time. He continued in the role of Edna Turnblad in the musical at the [[Shaftesbury Theatre]] until 29 April 2009. On 2 March 2008, Ball appeared as the guest on the [[BBC Radio 4]] show ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', during which he talked about his early life and his career, including his struggle with stage fright in his early career, and a little about his personal life.<ref name="DIDiscs MB" /> He performed a number of summer concerts, including the Hampton Court Music Festival on 14 June 2008. From 6 April 2008, Ball took over ''[[Michael Parkinson]]'s Sunday Supplement'' on [[BBC Radio 2]] every Sunday from 11&nbsp;am to 1&nbsp;pm Ball won the 2008 [[WhatsOnStage Awards|Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Actor in a Musical]]. He also won the 2008 [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical]], his first Olivier Award.

Ball's solo album ''Past and Present'' was released on 9 March 2009 by [[Universal Music Group|Universal Music]]. The album includes a compilation of previously released material celebrating Ball's 25th anniversary in the music industry, as well as six new tracks, including "You Can't Stop the Beat", from ''Hairspray''. Ball appeared on a number of television and radio programmes to promote the album. He toured the United Kingdom with an orchestra and five West End stars, (Louise Clare Marshall, [[Louise Dearman]], [[Emma Williams (actress)|Emma Williams]], Adrian Hansel and [[Ben James-Ellis]]), in the autumn, celebrating 25 years in the music industry. His concert at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] on 19 September 2009 was filmed for DVD release. Ball performed in a "one-off" Christmas Concert on 12 December 2009 in aid of ''The Shooting Star Children's Hospice'', which he supports. All profits made went to this charity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shootingstar.org.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000823153014/http://www.shootingstar.org.uk/|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 August 2000|title=Shooting Star Chase|publisher=Shootingstar.org.uk|access-date=26 December 2014}}</ref>
''The Shooting Star Children's Hospice'' and ''CHASE Hospice Care for Children'' joined to become ''Shooting Star CHASE'' in 2011 and Ball is a patron for this charity.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.shootingstarchase.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/ssc_patrons.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426002326/http://www.shootingstarchase.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/ssc_patrons.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 April 2012|title=Shooting Star CHASE Royal Patron, Vice Presidents and Patrons|publisher=Shootingstarchase.org.uk|access-date=19 February 2013}}</ref>

On 14 February 2010, Ball stepped in as a guest judge for [[Robin Cousins]] on [[ITV (TV channel)|ITV1]]'s ''[[Dancing on Ice]]'' while Cousins was in [[Vancouver]] for the [[2010 Winter Olympics|Winter Olympics]]. On 10 February 2010, Ball recorded a television pilot for ITV1, which was commissioned as a full series in the summer, titled ''[[The Michael Ball Show]]''.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}}

The 25th Anniversary Concert of ''[[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]]'' was held at [[The O2 Arena]]. It featured [[Alfie Boe]] as [[Jean Valjean]], [[Norm Lewis]] as [[Javert]], [[Lea Salonga]] as [[Fantine]], [[Ramin Karimloo]] as [[Enjolras]], [[Hadley Fraser]] as [[Grantaire]], [[Katie Hall (actress)|Katie Hall]] as [[Cosette]], [[Matt Lucas]] as [[Thénardier]], [[Jenny Galloway]] as [[Madame Thénardier]], [[Samantha Barks]] as [[Éponine]], [[Nick Jonas]] as [[Marius Pontmercy]], the role Ball delivered in the original London production. Casts of the current London, international tour and original 1985 London productions took part, comprising an ensemble of 300 performers and musicians. Ball and [[Colm Wilkinson]] anchored the encore, with four Jean Valjeans singing "[[Songs from Les Misérables#Bring Him Home|Bring Him Home]]": Wilkinson from the original London cast, [[John Owen-Jones]] from the 25th Anniversary touring production, [[Simon Bowman]] from the current London cast and Alfie Boe, who sang the role in the concert. The original 1985 cast then led the ensemble in a performance of "[[One Day More]]". After speeches from [[Cameron Mackintosh]], [[Alain Boublil]] and [[Claude-Michel Schönberg]], the performance concluded with pupils from school productions of ''Les Misérables'' entering the arena. The evening concert telecast live to cinemas across the UK, Ireland and globally. A Blu-ray and DVD version of the 2010 broadcast was released in November 2010 in the UK and in North America in February 2011.

Ball co-hosted the [[Laurence Olivier Award|Olivier Awards]] with Imelda Staunton on 13 March 2011 at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]], London. His album ''[[Heroes (Michael Ball album)|Heroes]]'' was released on 14 March 2011. It entered the UK charts at number 10.

In 2013, Ball was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the Arts from [[University of Plymouth]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.plymouth.ac.uk/graduation/honorarydegrees/honoraries2013/Pages/Michael-Ball.aspx |title=Michael Ball |publisher=Plymouth.ac.uk |access-date=2014-07-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625020354/http://www1.plymouth.ac.uk/graduation/honorarydegrees/honoraries2013/Pages/Michael-Ball.aspx |archive-date=25 June 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In 2017, Ball backs children's fairy tales app GivingTales in aid of UNICEF together with [[Roger Moore]], [[Stephen Fry]], [[Ewan McGregor]], [[Joan Collins]], [[Joanna Lumley]], [[Michael Caine]], [[Charlotte Rampling]] and [[Paul McKenna]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://givingtales.com/|title=Giving Tales|website=Giving Tales by Unicef}}</ref>

On 29 March 2019, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. ''Coming Home to You'' was Michael Ball's fourth UK number one album, his first solo number one album in the UK since his self-titled debut album in 1992. Talking to the Official Charts Company, he said, "It's the most exciting news! Thank you so much for supporting the album, to the fans who've connected with it and bought it. The hard work has been worth it and this is just the icing on the cake. Amazing!".

==="You'll Never Walk Alone"===
In April 2020, to mark 99-year old [[Tom Moore (fundraiser)|Captain Tom Moore]] completing the first phase of his fundraising walk during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]], Ball sang "[[You'll Never Walk Alone]]" for him live on ''[[BBC Breakfast]]''.<ref name="ITV">{{cite news |title=Captain Tom Moore launches You'll Never Walk Alone charity single with Michael Ball |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2020-04-18/captain-tom-moore-launches-you-ll-never-walk-alone-charity-single-with-michael-ball/ |access-date=18 April 2020 |work=ITV News }}</ref> Within 24 hours,<ref name="ITVN-launches">{{cite web |title=Captain Tom Moore launches You'll Never Walk Alone charity single with Michael Ball |date=18 April 2020 |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2020-04-18/captain-tom-moore-launches-you-ll-never-walk-alone-charity-single-with-michael-ball/ |publisher=ITV News |access-date=24 April 2020 }}</ref> the performance was recorded, and made into a digital single featuring the NHS Voices of Care Choir, and Moore's spoken words.<ref name="ITV" /> Released by Decca Records,<ref name="OC-29504">{{cite web |title=Captain Tom Moore scores UK's top trending song |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/captain-tom-moore-and-michael-ball-walk-it-to-the-top-of-the-official-trending-chart__29504/ |publisher=Official Charts |access-date=22 April 2020 }}</ref> with all proceeds going to [[NHS Charities Together]], the recording went straight to number one in the United Kingdom's "[[The Official Big Top 40]]" chart. It sold almost 36,000 copies in its first 48 hours,<ref name="ITVN-charts">{{cite web |title=Captain Tom Moore and Michael Ball land UK number one with charity single |url=https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2020-04-19/captain-tom-moore-and-michael-ball-land-uk-number-one-with-charity-single/ |website=ITV News |date=19 April 2020 |access-date=22 April 2020 }}</ref> and was "biggest trending song" as measured by the [[Official Charts Company]].<ref name="OC-29504" /> On 24 April, it became No. 1 in the weekly "Official" [[UK Singles Chart]], making Moore the oldest person to achieve that position and meaning that he will be at No. 1 on his 100th birthday.<ref name="OC">{{cite web |title=Official Singles Chart Top 100 |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/singles-chart/ |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |access-date=24 April 2020 }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Ball lives with his partner, the former presenter of ''[[Ready Steady Go!]]'', [[Cathy McGowan (presenter)|Cathy McGowan]] in [[Barnes, London|Barnes]], [[London]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Maxwell |first=Dominic |date=2023-05-17 |title=Michael Ball: why I had to bring back Aspects of Love |newspaper=[[The Times]] |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/theatre-dance/article/michael-ball-interview-aspects-of-love-andrew-lloyd-webber-musical-9pq7lcz0m |access-date=2023-05-17 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> They met around 1989 when she was an entertainment reporter for a [[BBC]] London magazine show and interviewed him during rehearsals for ''[[Aspects of Love]]''. They have lived together since 1992. On 23 December 2000, she saved his life by dragging him out of a house fire.<ref name="DIDiscs MB" /><ref name="Ball personal">{{cite web|url=http://www.justball.net/home/justmichael/personalbio.php|title=Personal Biography|publisher=Justball.net|access-date=26 December 2014}}</ref> McGowan was previously married to actor [[Hywel Bennett]], the marriage producing a daughter, Emma. Ball is godfather to Emma's son.

Ball returned to the [[Guildford School of Acting]] in April 2022 to deliver a speech to the graduating postgraduates of that year. Whilst there, the [[University of Surrey]] awarded Ball with an [[Honorary degree|honorary doctorate]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 April 2022 |title=Michael Ball receives Honorary Doctorate from GSA |url=https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?next=/p/Cc48gXYoNVL/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Instagram.com}}</ref>

Ball's step granddaughter [[Grace Crompton]] represents England at [[rugby sevens]] and was chosen for the [[2022 Commonwealth Games]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20221005031034/https://teamengland.org/team-england-athletes/grace-crompton] </ref>

==Stage credits==
{{further|Michael Ball stage credits}}

==Discography==
===Solo albums===
{{see also|Michael Ball discography}}
* ''[[Michael Ball (album)|Michael Ball]]'' (1992)
* ''Always'' (1993)
* ''One Careful Owner'' (1994)
* ''First Love'' (1995)
* ''The Musicals'' (1996)
* ''The Movies'' (1998)
* ''The Very Best of Michael Ball – In Concert at the Royal Albert Hall'' (1999)
* ''Christmas'' (1999 & 2000)
* ''This Time... It's Personal'' (2000)
* ''Centre Stage'' (2001)
* ''A Love Story'' (2003)
* ''Love Changes Everything – The Essential Michael Ball'' (2004)
* ''Music'' (2005)
* ''One Voice'' (2006)
* ''Back to Bacharach'' (2007)
* ''Past and Present: The Very Best of Michael Ball'' (2009)
* ''[[Heroes (Michael Ball album)|Heroes]]'' (2011)
* ''Both Sides Now'' (2013)
* ''If Everyone Was Listening'' (2014)
* ''[[Together (Michael Ball and Alfie Boe album)|Together]]'' with [[Alfie Boe]] (2016)
* ''[[Together Again (Michael Ball and Alfie Boe album)|Together Again]]'' with Alfie Boe (2017)
* ''[[Coming Home to You]]'' (2019)
* ''[[Back Together (album)|Back Together]]'' with Alfie Boe (2019)
* ''[[Together at Christmas (Michael Ball and Alfie Boe album)|Together at Christmas]]'' with Alfie Boe (2020)
* ''We Are More Than One'' (2021)
* ''[[Together in Vegas (album)|Together in Vegas]]'' with Alfie Boe (2022)
* ''[[Together at Home (album)|Together at Home]]'' with Alfie Boe (2024)

===Cast recordings===
* ''[[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]] – Original London Cast'' (1985) as [[Marius Pontmercy]]
* ''[[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]] – Complete Symphonic Recording'' (1988) as [[Marius Pontmercy]]
* ''Rage of the Heart – Concept Album'' (1989) as [[Peter Abelard]]
* ''[[Aspects of Love]] – Original London Cast'' (1989) as Alex Dillingham
* ''[[West Side Story]] – Studio Cast'' (1993) as Tony
* ''[[Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert|Les Misérables – 10th Anniversary – The Dream Cast in Concert]]'' (1995) as [[Marius Pontmercy]]
* ''[[Passion (musical)|Passion]] – Original London Cast in Concert'' (1997) as Georgio
* ''Sondheim Tonight'' (1998) – Concert Cast
* ''Hey, Mr. Producer: The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh'' (1998) – Concert Cast, Raoul in ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'', Marius in ''[[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]]''
* ''[[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (musical)|Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]] – Original London Cast'' (2002) as Caractacus Potts
* ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]] – London Revival Cast'' (2012) as [[Sweeney Todd]]
* ''[[Les Misérables: The Staged Concert|Les Misérables]] – The Staged Concert'' (2019) as [[Javert]]

==Filmography==
;Television
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year
! Show
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1985
| ''[[Coronation Street]]''
| Malcolm Nuttall 
| 
|-
| 1993–1995
| ''[[Michael Ball (TV programme)|Michael Ball]]''
| Presenter
| 
|-
| 1998
| ''Ball in the Hall''
| Presenter
| 
|-
| 2004–2005, 2007, 2018
| ''[[This Morning (TV programme)|This Morning]]''
| Guest presenter
| 
|-
| 2006–2007, 2009
| ''[[The National Lottery Draws]]''
| Presenter
| Wednesday night draws 
|-
| 2007
| ''[[Soapstar Superstar]]''
| Judge
| [[Soapstar Superstar#Series 2|Series 2]]
|-
| 2010
| ''[[The Michael Ball Show]]''
| Presenter
| 30 episodes
|-
| 2010–2011
| ''[[Lorraine (TV programme)|Lorraine]]''
| Guest presenter
| 6 episodes
|-
| 2013, 2016—
| ''[[The One Show]]'' 
| Guest presenter
| 13 episodes
|- 
| rowspan=2|2013
| ''Andrew Lloyd Webber: 40 Musical Years'' 
| Presenter
| One-off special
|- 
| ''[[The Paul O'Grady Show]]'' 
| Stand-in presenter
| 1 episode
|- 
| 2014
| ''[[That Day We Sang]]'' 
| Tubby (Jimmy)
| 
|- 
| 2016
| ''[[Josh (TV series)|Josh]]'' 
| Paul
| 
|- 
| 2016
| ''Ball & Boe: One Night Only'' 
| Himself
| With [[Alfie Boe]]
|- 
| rowspan=2|2017
| ''Our Friend Victoria'' 
| Presenter & guest 
| 
|- 
| ''Ball & Boe Back Together'' 
| Himself
| With [[Alfie Boe]]
|- 
| 2021
| ''Michael Ball's Wonderful Wales'' 
| Presenter
| Four-part series<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/nwsvnt/wonderful-wales-with-michael-ball-season-1/?episode=nwsvnv|title=Michael Ball's Wonderful Wales|website=radiotimes.com|access-date=10 July 2021}}</ref>
|- 
|}

;Guest appearances
{{Div col}}
*''[[Would I Lie to You?]]'' (2009)
*''[[Never Mind the Buzzcocks]]'' (2009, 2010, 2014)
*''[[Coming Home (UK TV series)|Coming Home]]'' (2010)
*''[[Toast of London]]'' (2013)
*''[[Sunday Brunch]]'' (2013, 2014, 2015)
*''[[Catchphrase (British game show)|Catchphrase: Christmas Special]]'' (2013)
*''[[Room 101 (British TV series)|Room 101]]'' (2014)
*''Diamonds are Forever: A Tribute to Don Black'' (2014)
*''[[Mel & Sue (TV series)|Mel & Sue]]'' (2015)
*''[[Backchat (2013 TV series)|Backchat]]'' (2015)
*''[[Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled]]'' (2015)
*''[[Michael McIntyre's Big Show]]'' (2016)
*''[[Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway]]'' (2018)
*''[[Inside No.9]]'' (2024)
{{div col end}}

==Bibliography==
Ball's debut novel ''The Empire'' set in the 1920s about a fictional theatre in the north of England was released on 13 October 2022.

On 12 October 2023, he released a memoir titled ''Different Aspects'' reflecting on his appearances in the original production and the 2023 revival of ''[[Aspects of Love]]''.<ref>{{cite book | last = Ball | first = Michael | date = 2023-10-12  | title = Different Aspects: The magical memoir from the West End legend | location =  |publisher = Blink Publishing | isbn = 978-1785120060}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0050431|name=Michael Ball}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Official website|http://www.michaelball.co.uk}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001zxvr ''Love Songs with Michael Ball''] (BBC Radio 2)

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach}}
{{succession box |
| before=[[Samantha Womack|Samantha Janus]]<br />with "[[A Message to Your Heart]]"
| title=[[United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest]]
| years=[[Eurovision Song Contest 1992|1992]]
| after=[[Sonia (singer)|Sonia]]<br />with "[[Better the Devil You Know (Sonia song)|Better the Devil You Know]]"
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Michael Ball}}
{{OlivierAward MusicalActor}}
{{United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest|state=collapsed}}
{{Eurovision Song Contest 1992|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Michael}}
[[Category:Alumni of the Guildford School of Acting]]
[[Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters]]
[[Category:English operatic baritones]]
[[Category:English male musical theatre actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English people of Welsh descent]]
[[Category:English television presenters]]
[[Category:Laurence Olivier Award winners]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Musicians from Worcestershire]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People educated at Plymouth College]]
[[Category:People from Bromsgrove]]
[[Category:British ballad musicians]]
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants]]