Ariana Grande will fulfil a life-long dream of playing Hairspray's Penny Pingleton

Ariana Grande will take over from the last Penny, played by Amanda Bynes.

Ariana Grande is to star in a TV version of Hairspray.

The 23-year-old singer and actress has announced she has been attached to the cast of the NBC show, which is based on the hit 1988 comedy film, and has revealed she is already looking forward to the challenge of playing the role of Penny Pingleton.

She tweeted: "Penny has been a dream role since Hairspray opened on Broadway."

Ariana's latest on-screen role has previously been portrayed by Leslie Ann Powers and Amanda Bynes in the 1988 and 2007 films, respectively.

NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt is delighted Ariana has agreed to join the production.

He said in a statement: "We're absolutely thrilled to round out our all-star Hairspray Live! cast with Ariana Grande, one of the biggest recording artists in the world.

"She's also a Broadway baby at heart, having debuted on Broadway when she was 15, and will be fantastic in the delightful role of Penny Pingleton. We look forward to her millions of fans seeing yet another side to this multifaceted performer and we welcome her to this incredible ensemble of artists."

Ariana will feature alongside a star-studded cast in the production, which also includes Martin Short, Derek Hough, Harvey Fierstein, Kristin Chenoweth and Jennifer Hudson.