Strictly star waltzes into a new life of crime delving into the murky world of art fraud

WHEN one unsuspecting couple unearths a potentially priceless masterpiece at a car boot sale, they discover their dream find is about to turn into their worst nightmare... because beneath the respectable veneer of the rarified world of fine art lurks a dark underworld of deception and murder.

Curtain up and enter stage left - sports presenter and Strictly Come Dancing champion Ore Oduba! The broadcaster turned thespian has waltzed his way into the latest Peter James stage adaptation, Picture You Dead, currently on a UK tour until the end of July.

Ore portrays the suave but dangerously devious art collector Stuart Piper, who is determined to get his hands on the painting. And the chance to play "a dastardly spoilt brat who thinks he is superior to everyone else" is clearly one he relishes.

"I put on those beige trousers and I park my own life at the stage door," he laughs. "As an actor, he is a character you can really get your teeth in to and I hope the audience enjoy him."

Crime fiction fans will be very familiar with the writer's DS Roy Grace, who has to date appeared in 21 books. The troubled Brighton-based sleuth is the favourite fictional detective of royal bookworm Queen Camilla. And TV audiences will be familiar with ITV's smash-hit series Grace, based on the books and starring John Simm as the sleuth.

But Picture You Dead has never been seen on stage or screen... until now. James was inspired by the real-life masterpieces of Brighton-based art forger turned legitimate copyist David Henty, upon whom one of the play's main characters, David Hegarty, is based.

Picture You Dead is also Ore's first play - and it's a long way from the 39-year-old's original plan of a career in sports broadcasting.A talented athlete in his youth, Ore was a rugby prop, a hockey goalkeeper and a keen tennis player and cricketer. He studied Sports Science and Social Science at Loughborough University and graduated with a degree in 2008. But like a Peter James villain, there is more than one side to Ore Oduba.

"At school, you would either find me on the sports field or the stage," he says. "I was always first to volunteer for a school production and actually won a school drama award at 13.These days though, I have stopped planning things.

"I didn't get the big anchor job for the 2016 Rio Olympics that I'd wanted, but then the same year, Strictly came along - so when one door closes, another opens..."

It was taking part in the BBC Saturday night dance competition that made Ore realise where he actually felt happiest. "Being on that Strictly stage with [professional dancer] Joanne (Clifton), with whom I am still great friends, standing in the spotlight, I remembered something that had been in the shadows.

"I felt truly alive and at home on the stage. After I'd won, which was a surprise, I went on holiday to Malaysia. I was sitting on a beach thinking, 'Only a few people in the world have ever won this and so if I don't make the most of this now, if I don't do something brave...' I knew TV roles weren't going to be plentiful and that the landscape was changing and I needed to adapt."

Returning to the UK, the presenter began spending time at the Pineapple Dance Studio in London and did some vocal coaching. In 2019, he made his musical theatre debut in Grease as Teen Angel. He has since appeared in Curtains The Musical, Cinderella and The Rocky Horror Show. Yet despite not being a trained actor, Ore has never suffered from stage fright or imposter syndrome. Nor is
he especially daunted by joining Picture You Dead, after it had already opened to rave reviews.

"I may not have been to stage school, but I got the role on merit and if someone gives you that opportunity you have to see it as a blessing and accept you deserve it," he says. He breaks into a chuckle. "At least with a play, I don't have to worry about hitting those notes."

Picture You Dead is Ore's first foray into the murky world of crime fiction. "I tend to listen to audiobooks and podcasts rather than read as I usually fall asleep when I read. But when I read the script on a train from Northampton to London, I remained awake - I was totally hooked. I was audibly gasping and laughing and didn't see the finish coming."