Former X Factor contestant Diana Vickers is to star in a new West End production of the musical The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice, it was announced today.

The show tells the story of a shy girl called Little Voice, played by Vickers, growing up in the north of England with her overbearing mother.

Little Voice listens to her dead father's records and perfects flawless impersonations of great singers, including Shirley Bassey, Edith Piaf and Judy Garland.

Big break: Diana Vickers (centre) with co-stars Lesley Sharp (left) and Marc Warren (right)

The original 1992 production was nominated for six Olivier Awards, and a film was made of the show in 1998, starring Jane Horrocks and Michael Caine.

Vickers, who was eliminated in the semi-final of last year's X Factor - eventually won by Alexandra Burke - will star alongside Lesley Sharp and Marc Warren when the show opens at the Vaudeville Theatre on October 8.

Producer Nica Burns said: "With this wonderful play, you have to find your Little Voice first.

"To find someone of the right age - just 18 - who is as special as Diana Vickers is a gift.

"Having found our perfect Little Voice, I was delighted that the outstanding actress Lesley Sharp agreed to play her mother Mari and the charismatic actor Marc Warren, Ray Say.

"When Marc and Lesley first walked on stage together, the chemistry between them was instant."