Thanks to KazzC on Twitter for the tip and to an anonymous friend for the transcription, here's what appeared in today's Evening Standard (print edition only so far):

ANY Dream Will Do star Lee Mead has agreed to return to the West End — while he waits to hear whether his next dream comes true.

The 31-year-old, who won the chance to play Joseph of dreamcoat fame in the TV talent show and was last seen on the London stage in Legally Blonde two years ago, is due to hear whether he has got roles in two new Hollywood series.

It would be his breakthrough in Los Angeles if a role in either pilot comes through after auditions earlier this year.

But he has now agreed to star in a short run of a new show called West End Men, singing numbers by Coldplay and Stevie Wonder as well as hits from musicals after a successful run of similar concerts around the UK last year. “Like anybody, I want to move forward in my career. I haven’t spoken about LA much. It’s a hard place to get work and I’m still waiting to hear on these pilots,” he said.

“But I’ve missed being in London. It’s also really hard to get a show in the West End. This is a great offer.”

Mead, who married his Any Dream judge Denise Van Outen, said he had turned down work that took him away from home and their daughter, Betsy, nearly three, and added: “You don’t really get those years back. I want to make the most of it.”

Kerry Ellis, star of shows including Les Misérables, Wicked and Oliver!, will join Mead after spending the last year working with Brian May in concert and on a new album.

West End Men will run at the Vaudeville Theatre from May 25 to June 22.

Interesting!

If he gets a part how long will he be away filming? a serie's would that take months or even a year?

Thanks PKP, lovely interview and really well written,
nice to see that some newspapers can print a good honest article.

Yes, it is a good article, isn't it? Glad to see most of it about Lee, unlike one or two WEM promotions I've read today which seemed to imply that he was appearing as KE's guest, rather than the other way round!

Thanks for posting a transcript of the article PKP!

I like Lee's honesty in admitting how tough it is to get decent roles, whether in LA or in the West End. Fingers crossed for the pilots he is waiting to hear about - even if it means more time far away in LA!

Acer, pilots that are picked up by a network won't be announced until mid-May at an event called the "network upfronts". Once a show is picked up, they can go into pre-production with principal photography generally starting sometime in July. Some shows could start earlier if they involve more complicated special effects or later if they're sitcoms.

Shooting duration? Depends on the role and the kind of show it is. Normally when an actor is contracted for a pilot they sign a contract that requires them to "hold" the dates that are expected for the show to shoot for an entire season. A regular cast member would be expected to shoot for each episode. A recurring role would allow for less time but varies a lot depending on the show and the role. Some recurring characters appear just a couple of times, others could be there for almost an entire season. Network shows shoot from July/August to May with breaks for holidays.

Plus, network tv here in the States is very different to the UK. Even if a show gets picked up, it might get dropped later or be pushed towards being a mid-season replacement. If it does begin airing, it can get cancelled very quickly if ratings don't meet the network's expectations, as early as 1-3 episodes in. In other words, you can't count your chickens with network tv.

I don't think it's an accident that the WEM dates finish at the end of June. He probably can't schedule anything substantial for the rest of the year until he hears about these pilots.

Thanks PKP very interesting nice to know all the details

Nice article and thanks for the info PKP. I think Lee has done incredibly well to get possible roles in a Hollywood series at his first attempt of trying. After all when he first mentioned going out there he said he was not expecting too much and it could take years to get something, so he should be pleased with himself. From what I've read I believe half the acting population go out to LA during the pilot season hoping for a part, but many come back empty handed with many not even being considered. Even if he doesn't get picked this time round, he will have got his foot in the door and, hopefully, remembered when future roles come up. Well done Lee, I'm proud of you

It is a pretty good start! It's true, pilot season is very competitive and it's not a given that even very experienced actors will get auditions for a given show, let alone get cast. If nothing else comes of it, at least he'll have more for his audition reel and have been seen by casting directors, producers, and network suits.

PR for WEM has tweeted a photo of the Evening Standard item here:

https://twitter.com/_booments/status/324204244972494848

boom ents ‏@_booments
Excited to be working with The @WestEndMen, starring @leemeadofficial. Did you see @standardnews yesterday? pic.twitter.com/5H5phwOdBT

The pilot season is extremely competitive. As I recall, David Tennant tried to break into Hollywood and even after Dr Who his hoped for series did not materialise.

So true and even after you are cast in a pilot you are not sure it will be picked up or if they don't change their mind and change cast. But its great for him that he is getting this far. John Barrowman had a pilot last year "The Gilded Lilys" that was not picked up. A great deal of it comes down to one person seeing you as the "it". Lets hope "it" happens.