Spike UK tour dates for Ian Hislop and Nick Newman

Full casting has been announced for SPIKE – the comedy by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman that had its world premiere at The Watermill Theatre Newbury in January, and will be touring the UK from 6 September.

Robert Wilfort (Gavin and Stacey, Bridgerton) will take over the role of ‘Spike Milligan’, Patrick Warner (‘Peter Cook’ in The Crown, One Man, Two Guvnors and Play that Goes Wrong) will also join the production to play ‘Peter Sellers’, and Jeremy Lloyd (The Comedy About a Bank Robbery, Trial by Laughter) will return to his critically acclaimed role as ‘Harry Secombe’.

TV comedienne and podcaster Margaret Cabourn-Smith (Motherland, Miranda, Buffering) will reprise her role as ‘Janet’, as will James Mack (The Watermill’s The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Rivals, Macbeth and Journey’s End) as ‘Denis Main-Wilson / Peter Eton’,  Ellie Morris (The Play That Goes Wrong, Mischief Movie Night, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery forMischief Theatre company) as ‘June’, and Robert Mountford (The Habit of Art, The Haunting of Alice Bowles for Original Theatre Company, House and Garden for The Watermill) as ‘BBC Executive’.  Peter Dukes will join the company as ‘BBC Announcer’, as will Tesni Kujore as ‘Myra’, and Sam Ducane as ‘Doctor’.

John Dagleish (Sunny Afternoon, Farming, The Third Day) had been due to reprise the role of Spike Milligan this autumn, but has withdrawn.

Opening at the Cheltenham Everyman on 6 September, the show will travel to Malvern (13-17 Sep), Guildford (20-24 Sep), Oxford (27 Sep-1 Oct), Salisbury (4-8 Oct), Brighton (11-15 Oct), Aylesbury (25-29 Oct), Glasgow (1-5 Nov), Richmond (8-12 Nov), Blackpool (15-19 Nov) and Cardiff (22-26 Nov).

SPIKE is directed by Watermill Artistic Director Paul Hart, with design by Katie Lias, lighting design by Rory Beaton. The Composer is Tayo Akinbode with sound design by Tom Marshall. Anjali Mehra is Movement Director and Ruth Sullivan is the Foley Sound Consultant.