Michael Ball (singer) 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" 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.com
West End Frame Awards categories (some new categories and some returning categories) including Best Jukebox musical, Best Performance of a Song in a Musical (the Award was previously won by Rachel Tucker in 2012), Understudy Of The Year and Best West End Debut. On 15 May 2013 the full list of nominees for West End Frame's Understudy of the Year Award was announced. Voting then opened on Thursday 16 May for a six-week voting period, noticeably longer than Best Jukebox musical and Best Performance of a Song in a Musical which received two week long voting periods. Ashley Day won the award for understudying