Jason Manford and Lee Mead will both play Caractacus Potts in the tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Manford, whose credits include The Producers and Sweeney Todd, will take the role from 10 February to 24 April and from 5 October with Lee Mead, whose credits include Casualty, Legally Blonde and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, playing the role from 4 May to 18 September.
EastEnders and The Krays star Martin Kemp, Amy Griffiths and Phill Jupitus will play Childcatcher, Truly Scrumptious, Lord Scrumptious / Baron Bomburst respectively until 24 April. Griffiths's credits include Everyman, Stephen Ward and The Pajama Game and Jupitus's credits include The Producers and Hairspray.
Michelle Collins will play Baroness Bomburst and Andy Hockley will play Grandpa Potts.
Completing the cast are Ewen Cummins, Sam Harrison and Scott Paige with Kathryn Barnes, Rosanna Bates, Alex Louize Bird, Abigail Climer, Jade Davies, Matt Gillett, Ewan Gillies, Joanna Goodwin, Nathan Vaughan Harris, Christopher D Hunt, Paul Iveson, Nia Jermin, Kelsie-Rae Marshall, Mollie Melia-Redgrave, Perry O’Dea, Matt Overfield, Ross Russell, Craig Turner and Robert Wilkes.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has music and lyrics by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman, who wrote, amongst others, Mary Poppins, The Aristocats and The Jungle Book.
The story was adapted for the stage by Jeremy Sams from the film of Ian Fleming’s classic story.
West Yorkshire Playhouse artistic director James Brining directs with choreography by Stephen Mear and musical supervision by Stephen Ridley.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang starts its tour on 10 February at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton and then visits:
- Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin: 24 February – 13 March
- Grand Opera House, Belfast: 16 – 27 March
- Regent Theatre, Stoke: 30 March – 9 April
- Cliffs Pavilion, Southend: 13 – 24 April
- Milton Keynes Theatre: 4 – 14 May
- Nottingham Theatre Royal: 18 – 29 May
- Theatre Royal, Newcastle: 1 – 12 June
- Sheffield Lyceum: 29 June – 17 July
- New Wimbledon Theatre: 20 – 30 July
- Wales Millennium Centre: 3 – 21 August
- Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury: 24 August – 3 September
- Birmingham Hippodrome: 7 – 18 September
- Royal & Derngate, Northampton: 21 September – 2 October
- Festival Theatre, Edinburgh: 5 – 16 October
- King’s Theatre, Glasgow: 19 – 29 October
- New Victoria Theatre, Woking: 9 – 19 November
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang plays the West Yorkshire Playhouse to 30 January 2016 (with a different cast).
Tickets are not yet on sale at all venues. Further dates to be announced.