Full Casting Announced For GRANDPA'S GREAT ESCAPE Live UK Tour

Full casting has been announced for the first ever stage adaptation of Grandpa's Great Escape, the exhilarating number one best-selling children's book by David Walliams which will tour the UK this Christmas. Tickets are on sale now.

Joining Nigel Planer who takes up the role of Grandpa in this Christmas spectacular is: John Marquez (Doc Martin) as Dad/Barry, Niky Wardley (The Catherine Tate Show) as Patricia and Tom Cawte (London Fields) as Grandson Jack. Siobhan Redmond (Taggart) will take on the roles of Miss Dandy/Reverend Fine, alongside Jasmyn Banks (Eastenders) as Shelley, Devarnie Lothian as Dazza and Alice Haig (Beautality) as Miss Verity. Richard James (Space Precinct) will take to the stage as Nurse Rose, Paul Putner (Little Britain) joins as Nurse Blossom, with Kammy Darweish (Ackley Bridge) as Raj and Dermot Canavan (Doctors) as Frank.

Completing the cast are Will Carey, Jason Denton, Stuart Hickey, Jake Samuels, Robert Saunders, Michelle Bishop, Hanna Brackstone-Brown, Lucyelle Cliffe, Rosie Ede and Jenefer Trapp.

Grandpa's Great Escape Live follows the acclaimed television film which aired on BBC One in December 2018, and will be directed by double Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee Sean Foley (The Catherine Tate Show Live & The Painkiller). Grandpa's Great Escape is the eighth book by Walliams and was published in September 2015 by HarperCollins Children's Books.

The wonderous stage design for Grandpa's Great Escape Live will see arenas around the UK transformed into London and its landmarks, including Buckingham Palace and the River Thames, from thousands of feet in the sky, as Grandpa's life size Spitfire soars through the air. The set for this multi-million pound production has been created by Stufish Entertainment Architects (Cirque du Soleil, Beyonce & Jay Z, Madonna, The Rolling Stones). The script adaptation of the book has been written by Kevin Cecil (Little Britain & Gangsta Granny television film). Casting for the show will be announced soon.

Grandpa's Great Escape, which has been translated into 39 languages received a wealth of glowing reviews with the Evening Standard declaring Walliams as "the new Roald Dahl", while The Times describe the story as "a beguilingly funny, original and thought-provoking tale... hilarious".

Many years ago, Grandpa was a World War II flying ace. But when he is sent to old folk's home Twilight Towers - run by sinister Matron Swine - it's up to Grandpa and his grandson, Jack, to plot a daring escape. Little do they know, the wicked matron is on to them.

Tour Dates

Monday 23 December

Birmingham: Arena Birmingham

1.00pm & 4.00pm

Tuesday 24 December

Birmingham: Arena Birmingham

1.00pm & 4.00pm

Thursday 26 December

Birmingham: Arena Birmingham

1.00pm & 4.00pm

Friday 27 December

London: The SSE Arena, Wembley

1.00pm & 4.00pm

Saturday 28 December

London: The SSE Arena, Wembley

1.00pm & 4.00pm

Sunday 29 December

Sheffield: FlyDSA Arena

1.00pm & 4.00pm

Monday 30 December

Nottingham: Motorpoint Arena

1.00pm & 4.00pm

Wednesday 1 January

Manchester: Arena

1.00pm & 4.00pm

Thursday 2 January

Newcastle: Utilita Arena

1.00pm & 4.00pm

Friday 3 January

Glasgow: The SSE Hydro

1.00pm & 4.00pm

Saturday 4 January

Liverpool: M&S Bank Arena

1.00pm & 4.00pm

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