Paul Chuckle to make National Theatre debut

Children's entertainer Paul Chuckle has said he is "delighted" to be taking part in an upcoming National Theatre tour.

The 78-year-old, whose real name is Paul Elliott, will play Mr Boo in Jim Cartwright's play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.

He will perform alongside Silent Witness actress Francesca Mills, who will play the title role, and Waterloo Road star Jill Halfpenny, who will play Mari Hoff.

The show, directed by Robert Hastie, will run at the National Theatre in London from 2 December to 23 January, before heading to locations including Newcastle, Sheffield and Salford.

Chuckle, from Rotherham, said: "I can't wait to get into rehearsals with Robert Hastie and this fantastic team. To perform at the National Theatre and then head out on tour across England is a dream come true."

Mills, who worked with Hastie in Hamlet at the National Theatre, said she "can't wait" to reunite with the director.

"My first show I ever did at the National was in the Dorfman Theatre so to be returning to that beautiful space over Christmas followed by a tour around England – I'm truly over the moon," she added.

The production is said to be a "joyful, tender and bittersweet celebration of music, ambition and the courage it takes to be heard".

It will feature music from the likes of Judy Garland and Dame Shirley Bassey.

Halfpenny said she was "so excited" to play Mari Hoff in the "beloved Northern play".

She added: "I have long admired Jim's work and to get the opportunity to play this role at the National Theatre and at theatres across England this winter is very special."