People just realising where they've seen Oscars nominee Cynthia Erivo before

It is almost time for the biggest night in award show season – the Oscars. Fans are itching for superstar singer Cynthia Erivo to bag the Oscar for Best Actress following her role as iconic Elphaba Thropp in Wicked.

The Oscars will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles at midnight on Monday, March 3 GMT (4pm on Sunday, March 2 local time). Not only is this Cynthia's first Oscar nomination, but the recognition means that she could be in with the chance of becoming the youngest person to have an EGOT – an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. She and co-star Ariane Grande, who played Glinda in the musical, will also perform on stage at the show.

While many film fans have only heard of Cynthia since her success in Wicked, the 38-year-old has had success in the industry for years. She has also appeared in Disney's Pinocchio, the 2019 film Harriet, voiced characters in a number of TV series from Star Wars: Visions to Strange Planet, and famously played Celie in The Colour Purple on Broadway.

But people are only just realising they saw the London-born actress and powerhouse singer on their screens long before all of this, as she starred in a Channel 4 TV show.

Fans of the singer, who is rolling out a new album this year, have been sharing clips on TikTok of Cynthia's TV debut. She was cast as Magdalene in Channel 4 show Chewing Gum, and one of her Wicked co-stars – Bridgerton icon Jonathon Bailey – also appeared in the series.

After facts about Cynthia were shared on Pink News' page, people rushed to comment. "That was her in Chewing Gum?" one shocked individual said. Another wrote: "So Cynthia and Jonathan were both on Chewing Gum AND I NEVER NOTICED!?"

"What do you mean she was in Chewing Gum," another shocked fan wrote.

In another clip, which showed both Cynthia and Jonathon acting in the show, people were equally as gobsmacked. One individual said: "How funny! I loved chewing gum and didn't even realize wicked cast was in it."

"Wow, I didn't know they were both in Chewing Gum, how crazy," added another.

In an interview with Seasoned, Cynthia admitted that she and Jonathon have not spoke about both starring in the show. She said: "You know what's crazy, we haven't talked about it. I think it sort of escaped our brains...I just don't think we made the connection, but that's so wild. And it is really, really cool that we've sort of come around and this is where we are now."