WHEN he took centre stage as a performer with Stagecoach aged 14, little did Scott Alder know that over a decade later he would be the musical director of a brand new production touring the UK.

The 26-year-old has quickly moved through the ranks in the musical theatre world since his humble beginnings in the town and will soon be at the helm of staging a new show based around the life of Cilla Black.

Scott, who grew up in Abbey Meads, first caught the performing bug while a student at Greendown School - now Lydiard Park Academy.

He soon joined Stagecoach Performing Arts School and eventually secured a place at the prestigious Brits School aged 17, making the brave decision to move to London.

Scott says while he is slightly nervous about the show, he is thrilled to finally take on the role of musical director.

“I have worked for Bill Kenwright Production company for about three years and I actually started as an assistant musical director for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for two years and after that I did Ghost,” he explained.

“It has been a natural progression to go up through the ranks but becoming musical director on a new musical that has got so many great people on from Jeff Pope, who wrote the ITV series script to Robert Willis, Cilla’s son, is just amazing.

“When it comes full circle from sitting on the stage at 14 when performing to how many years later working on such a great show is just amazing.”

The production Cilla is a musical adaptation of the critically acclaimed hit ITV television series by Bafta Award winner Jeff Pope which detailed the highs and lows of one of Britain’s most iconic figures in music and entertainment, who died in 2015..

“The TV series did so well in 2014 and so the musical is off the back of that. It is the same story but we’re bringing it to the stage,” Scott said.

“I didn’t know her when she was a singer in the 1960s but I always remember watching her on Blind Date and so for me, it is good to explore her story and go back and see these different clips of her from over the years.There’s one of her with the Beatles and it is great to have the opportunity to research and listen to all of these big moments she had in her life.”

The show kicks off in Liverpool on September 7.