Closing track from their West End and Broadway hit

 The closing track of the Broadway and West End hit Operation Mincemeat has been released as a single today.

The live version of Dear Bill was taped live at London’s Fortune Theatre. It is sung by Jak Malone, who delivers the ballad as MI5 secretary Hester Leggatt. It is a heartfelt message to a fictional lover—placed on a corpse as part of a top-secret British intelligence ruse during the Second World War.

Malone – who performed the track on NBC’s The Kelly Clarkson Show last week – said: ‘Performing Dear Bill has been one of the most emotional and rewarding parts of my career. This version is my favourite recording we’ve done because the audience is right there with me. For me, this is definitive, and we’re overjoyed it’s now available for everyone to hear.’

Sony originally released the Dear Bill live recording as a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl on International Women’s Day last year, which sold out instantly. It is now available  here.

The song is written and composed by the company SpitLip — David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Zoë Roberts and , Hodgson himself – who said in a statement: ‘We poured our own little sadnesses, our grief, love and hope into this song hoping to transform it all into something that could lift other people up. To watch Jak perform it every night and to see the catharsis it brings is a miracle to us. We’re so proud of it, of him, and of this very special recording.’

Operation Mincemeat has been nominated for four Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Book, Best Original Score, and Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Malone.

Published: 20 May 2025