
Ncuti Gatwa regenerates into Olly Alexander as the NT's ‘Importance of Being Earnest' transfers to London's West End
The Max Webster-directed production was a roaring great hit and now it's set to transfer to the West End, replacing Mischief Theatre's ' The Comedy About Spies ' at the Noël Coward Theatre.
Gatwa's not coming along though: whether he'd have been up for it is a moot point, as he's already busy starring in the RSC's new West End play Born with Teeth.
However, a fine replacement has been found for the role of young 'bachelor' about town Algernon Montcrieff: it's Olly Alexander, who hasn't been in Doctor Who but did make his name as actor in ' It's A Sin ', another show by Russell T Davies.
Wilde's play is very much an ensemble affair and there is no news on further casting at this stage, though we dare to dream that the mighty Sharon D Clarke will return as the formidable Lady Bracknell.
If you want to know a little more about what the production was like last time, then read our four-star review here.
The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2025.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Inside Jodie Whittaker's life off-screen as she stars in ITV's One Night
Jodie Whittaker's hit crime drama One Night is coming to UK TV screens, with the actress starring alongside Nicole da Silva and Yael Stone Jodie Whittaker's acclaimed crime drama One Night is set to hit ITV, with the Doctor Who star leading the cast alongside Nicole da Silva and Yael Stone. The six-part series initially premiered in Australia in 2023, but is now finally making its way to UK TV screens, with episodes scheduled for Saturday evenings on ITV1. This is just one of many roles in Jodie's impressive acting portfolio. From her ground-breaking role as the first-ever female Time Lord in the TARDIS, to her appearance in a cult classic sci-fi film featuring a Star Wars star, the actress has enjoyed a tremendously successful career across both television and film over the years. As we prepare to welcome her back to our screens, let's delve into Jodie's life off-camera.... Jodie's early life Born on June 17, 1982, Jodie hails from Skelmanthorpe in West Yorkshire. She is the only child of Yvonne and Adrian Whittaker, reports the Mirror. Jodie attended Scissett Middle School and Shelley High School, before pursuing her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She graduated in 2005 with an acting gold medal. During her appearance on Who Do You Think You Are? in 2020, Jodie delved deeper into her family history. She discovered that her great-grandfather Edwin Auckland and his siblings ran a mine, controversially keeping it open during the 1921 strike. This decision brought them financial wealth but made them highly unpopular in their local community. Career on stage and screen Jodie Whittaker has had a stellar acting career, starting in theatre in 2005 and making her film debut in the 2006 movie Venus. This role catapulted her to fame and earned her a nomination for a British Independent Film Award. Since then, Jodie has starred in films such as Attack the Block with Star Wars' John Boyega, St Trinian's, Journeyman, and Good Vibrations, among others. On the small screen, she is recognised for her role as Beth Latimer in Broadchurch, and has also featured in Black Mirror, Time, Toxic Town, and Marchlands. Her most significant television role came in 2017 when she was cast as The Doctor in Doctor Who, becoming the first woman ever to take on this iconic role. Jodie portrayed The Doctor until 2022, and made an unexpected cameo return earlier this year in the series 15 finale. Who is Jodie married to? Jodie is married to American actor and writer Christian Contreras. The pair met while studying at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating together in 2005. Jodie and Christian, originally from Tucson, tied the knot in December 2008 in a beautiful ceremony in Arizona. They now live in London with their two daughters, born in 2015 and 2022. Christian is a successful actor in his own right, with roles in Halo: Nightfall, Zero Dark Thirty, and American Odyssey. He and Jodie tend to keep their relationship away from the public eye. Speaking about her marriage previously, Jodie revealed: "He's from Tucson and I'm from Huddersfield. But I don't divulge stuff about him, because I don't think he'd appreciate it when he's not here to speak for himself. "We do get comments like, 'Where the hell did you two meet?' We're like an international couple." Family tragedy In July 2014, Jodie's family suffered a heartbreaking loss when her nephew Harry Whittaker died, aged just three years old. Harry, who had Down's Syndrome, had featured in ITV's Emmerdale as Leo Dingle. Reflecting on this in a 2013 interview, Jodie, a Mencap ambassador, said: "As proud aunty to Harry it has been fantastic to be able to help raise awareness for people with learning disabilities." She further added, "All we want is for Harry to grow up in a safe and unprejudiced society where people with Down's syndrome or any learning disability are given the support and care they need." One Night begins airing on ITV on Saturday, 17 August at 9.30pm


Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
One Night's Jodie Whittaker's life off-screen from husband to family tragedy
Jodie Whittaker is returning to TV screens in ITV's One Night, but what do we know about the actress away from the cameras? Jodie Whittaker 's hit crime drama One Night is coming to ITV, with the Doctor Who actress leading the cast, alongside Nicole da Silva and Yael Stone. The six-part series was first released in Australia in 2023, but is now finally landing on UK TV screens, with episodes airing on Saturday evenings on ITV1. It marks one of Jodie's many acting credits. From making history as the first-ever female Time Lord in the TARDIS, to appearing in a cult classic science fiction movie featuring a star of Star Wars, with the actress having enjoyed a hugely successful career in both TV and film over the years. As we welcome her back to our screens, here we take a look into Jodie's life away from the cameras... Jodie's early life Born on June 17, 1982, Jodie hails from Skelmanthorpe in West Yorkshire. She is the only child of Yvonne and Adrian Whittaker. Jodie attended Scissett Middle School and Shelley High School, before going on to study at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She graduated in 2005 with an acting gold medal. Appearing on Who Do You Think You Are? in 2020, Jodie discovered more about her ancestry and extended family. She found out her great-grandfather Edwin Auckland and his siblings ran a mine, but controversially kept it open during the 1921 strike, which brought them financial wealth, but made them very unpopular in their local area. Career on stage and screen Jodie has enjoyed a hugely successful acting career, which began in theatre in 2005. She made her film debut in 2006's Venus, which saw her shoot to fame and receive a British Independent Film Award nomination. Jodie has since appeared in films such as Attack the Block alongside Star Wars' John Boyega, St Trinian's, Journeyman, and Good Vibrations, among several others. On TV, Jodie is known for playing Beth Latimer in Broadchurch, and has also appeared in Black Mirror, Time, Toxic Town, and Marchlands. Her biggest television role came in 2017 when she was cast as The Doctor in Doctor Who, making her the first ever woman to take on the iconic role. Jodie played The Doctor until 2022, and made a surprise cameo return earlier this year in the series 15 finale. Who is Jodie's married to? Jodie is married to Christian Contreras, an American actor and writer. The couple met while studying at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating together in 2005. Jodie and Christian, from Tucson, went on to tie the knot in December 2008 in a stunning ceremony in Arizona. They now reside in London along with their two daughters, born in 2015 and 2022. Christian is a star in his own right, with his acting credits including Halo: Nightfall, Zero Dark Thirty, and American Odyssey. He and Jodie tend to keep their romance out of the spotlight. Discussing her marriage in the past, Jodie said: "He's from Tucson and I'm from Huddersfield. But I don't divulge stuff about him, because I don't think he'd appreciate it when he's not here to speak for himself. "We do get comments like, 'Where the hell did you two meet?' We're like an international couple." Jodie Whittaker's family tragedy Jodie's family endured a terrible tragedy when the star's nephew Harry Whittaker died in July 2014, aged just three years old. Harry, who had Down's Syndrome, had appeared in ITV's Emmerdale as Leo Dingle. Jodie, a Mencap ambassador, reflected in a 2013 interview: "As proud aunty to Harry it has been fantastic to be able to help raise awareness for people with learning disabilities." She added, "All we want is for Harry to grow up in a safe and unprejudiced society where people with Down's syndrome or any learning disability are given the support and care they need." One Night begins airing on ITV on Saturday, 17 August at 9.30pm


Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
The 20 stars who were on Casualty before they were famous
Casualty's Holby City Hospital has welcomed many a famous face over the last four decades. The BBC medical drama kicked off in 1986, which means multiple cast members that have featured in the show have gone on to become well-known faces in the entertainment industry. We thought it was high time to take another delve into the Casualty history books and remind you of the very famous stars who were once caught up in classic Casualty drama. Let's take a look! Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. Episode – A Reasonable Man – 1990 He was once the nation's favourite Timelord, travelling through time and space alongside Billie Piper in the first series of the revived Doctor Who, but fifteen years prior, Christopher Eccleston popped up in Casualty! He played a patient with HIV and delivered a powerful performance that now gives viewers an insight into people's attitudes over the disease in the early 90s. Episode – Jump Start – 1986 Tony award-winning actor Alfred Molina starred in the show all the way back in episode four,playing a smarmy reporter on the hunt for a life and death story. He's gone on to appear in Spider-Man as well as having an illustrious West End and Broadway career. Episode – Living in Hope – 1991 Better known as sellsword Bronn in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, in a Casualty episode that centred on conflict in marriage, Jerome played a husband whose ambitions led to his wife collapsing. Episode – Living in Hope – 1991 Featuring in the same episode as Jerome Flynn, Julie appeared in the medical drama playing a domestic abuse victim who was admitted to the ED with concerning injuries. At the time, she was a series regular in CITV drama Press Gang. This was just one year before she would become a huge hit in the Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley sitcom vehicle Ab Fab. Julia, playing Saffy, would continue in the series for two decades as well as reprising the part for the 2016 big screen spin-off. Episode – The Last Word – 1991 Another episode back in 1991 saw Hermione play a ballet dancer who had fallen ill after some shocking career advice. Five years later, she would land the part of Karen Marsden in ITV drama Cold Feet, which, following a successful pilot, aired 9 series between 1997 and 2020. Episode – The Last Word – 1991 Also appearing in the same episode as Hermione was Minnie Driver. She played a patient admitted with cuts and a cold and was convinced she had something else wrong with her aside from her obvious symptoms. Episode – Facing Up – 1991 1991 was certainly quite the year for famous faces in Casualty as Kathy Burke also featured in an episode. When a loaded gun fell into the arms of a child, Kathy gave quite the performance as she was just about the become one of the biggest faces of the 90s in a number of comedys, including French & Saunders. Episode – Tender Loving Care – 1992 A year later, Jonny Lee Miller popped up in Casualty playing a lovesick teenager. This teenager developed feelings for his teacher and his life turned upside down due to bullying. Episode – Family Matters – 1993 Back in 1993, the Kate Winslet appeared on the show playing an innocent babysitter whose boyfriend had uncovered a dark web of abuse within a family. We're sure that walking the corridors of Holby City is her biggest achievement, followed by the Hollywood blockbuster Titanic. Episode – Give Us This Day – 1993 Playing a brainwashed character, Helen featured in an episode that looked at the growing concern of religious cults. When the character's family tried to rescue her, things went terribly wrong… She would later go on to play Rachel in Cold Feet alongside Hermione Norris, though the character was killed off in the fifth series in 2003. She also played Ross' British wife Emily in Friends. Episode – Another Day in Paradise – 1996 A young Orlando appeared in Casualty playing a labourer suspiciously prone to accidents. Surprisingly, Orlando also featured in this episode with comedian Kevin Bishop and former EastEnders star Nadia Sawalha – what a small world! We needn't bother listing what he went onto next, as we'd be here all day! Episode – She Loved the Rain – 1998 Way before Martin featured in the hit BBC One drama Sherlock, he also made an appearance in Casualty. He played a villain who enticed his friends into committing robberies that led to tragic consequences. Episode – Silent Ties – 2006 Playing a troubled teenager, Aaron's character saw him involved in an accident with his best friend. He became a huge star after playing John Lennon in the film Nowhere Boy, at the age of 19. He met director wife Sam Taylor-Johnson on set and has gone on to appear in Kick-Ass, Godzilla and 28 Years Later. He's also tipped to be the next James Bond. Episode – All Through the Night – 2006 Host of the lunchtime show on Radio 1, Scott Mills appeared as a journalist called Paul Lang. Suppose he didn't have to do much research for the part! He interviewed three characters who were taking part in a protest against the closure of the ED. Episode – The Killing Floor – 2007 Introduced in a classic Casualty way, Tom's character abseiled down a building which we all know is never a good idea as it turned out he and his mates were keeping a dark secret. Episode – Series regular from 2009-10 Too Much star Will Sharpe joined the cast of Casualty in 2009, playing junior Doctor Yuki Reid. He joined the ED along with a group of new F2 trainees. Episode – Series regular from 2009-11 Sophia Di Martino played a young ambulance technician in the show called Polly Emmerson. The character was killed in 2011 after getting stabbed by a patient called Hannah Fleet. Episode – And the Walls Come Tumbling Down – 2013 Playing Robyn Miller's (Amanda Henderson) friend, Daisy's character Fran was a spiteful character who caused Robyn an awful lot of drama. Episode – In the Name of Love – 2014 Michelle appeared in Casualty playing a love interest for beloved paramedic Jeff Collier. More Trending She also appeared in the show back in 2010, and most recently 2019. Episode – Love Is – 2012 Best known for his roles in shows including EastEnders and Rivals, back in 2012, Danny appeared in Casualty playing a paramedic called Rossy, who was hiding quite the secret. View More » This article was originally published in August 2021. If you've got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@ – we'd love to hear from you. Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage. MORE: Strictly 2025 line-up: Who is on Strictly Come Dancing 2025? Full list of contestants revealed MORE: What is Gary Lineker doing now? TV future after Match of the Day 'confirmed' MORE: BBC show that 'cost £30,000,000 axed after just one season'