Meet The Women Who Made Mamma Mia!

As Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again hits the big screen, Christina Quaine hears all the on- and off-set stories from three of the film’s pivotal players

About the film

In 2008, Mamma Mia! became a smash hit at the box office, grossing more than $600 million. Ten years on, the sequel takes us between the present day and 1979 to reveal how a 22-year-old Donna (played by Lily James in flashback and Meryl Streep in the present) came to the Greek island of Kalokairi. Julie Walters and Christine Baranski reprise their roles as Donna’s friends, Rosie and Tanya, while Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård return as Sophie’s (Amanda Seyfried) three possible dads. Plus, Cher joins the cast as Sophie’s grandmother. Prepare for a riot of fun, dancing, romance and of course, plenty of ABBA hits.

THE PRODUCER

“Cher singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me on set is my career highlight!”

JUDY CRAYMER, 60, is the film’s producer and also conceived the idea for the original stage show. She is single and lives in London.

The “pinch me” moment of my career has to be Cher serenading me on my 60th birthday. It was October last year and we were filming on location on the Croatian island of Vis. Pierce [Brosnan] had brought his mum, May, and Colin [Firth] was there with his parents, who had never been to a film set before, so there was a great atmosphere. It also happened to be my 60th birthday, but I’d kept it quiet. Then, at the end of the day, the first assistant director said, “That’s a wrap… and it’s Judy Craymer’s birthday.” And Cher stood up and sang “Happy Birthday” to me – I was completely awestruck.