92-year-old Nancy, original star of 1968 Oliver! film, sings phenomenal ‘As Long as He Needs Me’

11 March 2026, 16:47

Shani Wallis wowed Britain’s Got Talent judges with her rendition of ‘As Long As He Needs Me’.

The judges on TV talent show Britain’s Got Talent were left speechless when a 92-year-old singer announced who she really was.

After 70 years, Shani Wallis delivered a jaw-dropping performance of ‘As Long as He Needs Me’ from the 1968 Academy Award-winning musical Oliver!, in which she played the iconic role of Nancy.

Wallis announced herself, saying, “I was here on this stage 70 years ago but you will probably remember me as the female star of the Academy Award winning motion picture Oliver!” to which judge Alesha Dixon shouted, “Nancy!?”

The performance, captured on the spin-off show Britain’s Got Talent: Unseen, received a standing ovation from the audience but her audition didn’t make the final cut of the main show.

Dixon later said, “This is so beautiful because you are 92 years old doing something that you love, so you’re my hero. You are an inspiration to all of us.”

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Original Nancy from Oliver wows BGT

Wallis studied at RADA and made her West End musical debut at the age of 18 in 1952 in Call Me Madam at the Coliseum and worked in a range of musicals in the UK before heading to America, starring on A Time For Singing on Broadway in 1966.

The original Oliver! movie, based on the Lionel Bart musical, starred Mark Lester as Oliver, Ron Moody as Fagin and Oliver Reed as Bill Sikes and won six Academy Awards.

Read more: 10 Reasons why Oliver! is one of the greatest musicals of all time

After the success of the film Wallis, who is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), says she was offered TV roles but held out – unsuccessfully – for movie musicals instead.

She later starred in a range of TV shows including Charlie’s Angels and Columbo and now lives in America.