Latest news with #PaddingtonTheMusical
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Tom Fletcher explains fans know 'real' version of McFly for simple reason
McFly have been a staple of the music industry since 2003, and this is something Tom Fletcher believes has worked to their advantage in recent years Tom Fletcher reveals that fans of McFly have always seen the "true" version of the band. The musician and his bandmates found fame in 2003 and have since gone on to top the charts. But while they don't always share an in-depth glimpse into their personal lives, those who follow the band know why. While the band may have a huge online following now, Tom, 39, Dougie Poynter, 37, Danny Jones, 39, and Harry Judd, 39, were on the rise before the likes of Bebo, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram became household names. Instead, fans of the band relied on meeting them at CD signings, TV interviews and magazine interviews to get to know them. "We found a lot of our dedicated fans before social media," Tom exclusively told the Mirror. He went on to add: "They got to know us before that was a thing, so they knew our personalities, and so I think it would have been strange if we were then presenting a different version of ourselves now that we had a phone with a camera on us all the time. "I guess it was an easy transition to social media." Tom explained that the first time the band ever did a live stream for fans, they had a man carrying a hardwired camera around them on tour. But Tom does show insights into his family life with his wife, Giovanna, 40, and their sons, Buzz, 11, Buddy, and Max, though he admits it's a balance. "It's really important, this is something that has evolved over the years," he said of finding the balance. He continued: "There was a time when I feel like people were not presenting their true selves. "I think people are doing that more often now, maybe it's just the people I follow. That's the thing with social media – my version of social media is completely different to someone else's. For me, it was really important to be as authentic as I could be and show people. "It's finding that balance of giving people access to my life but also retaining some sort of privacy, but knowing the bits I am sharing is a true reflection of who I am and who we are as a family, or who we are as a band. It's really important." Between them, the band have seven UK Number 1 hits, 19 Top 10s, 21 Top 40s, two Number 1 albums and nine Top 40 albums. But how does he deal with such high levels of success? "It just became our lives," he said, before adding: "McFly is just being normal for us – that's our default mode. We all do other things, I write children's books and musicals, and McFly is like home. "That's the default mode of who we all are, it changed our lives, I can't imagine our lives without it. The guys, we're like brothers. We fight, it is a family. We fight like brothers, we love each other like brothers." It's not just children's books and music for McFly that Tom has written, though; he's also the lyricist behind the upcoming Paddington The Musical, which premieres at The Savoy Theatre in November. "It's been a very slow, long transition," he said of going from writing pop-rock tunes. He added: "I grew up at theatre school, I was in West End musicals from the age of nine. That was my life before the band, and behind the scenes, I've been working on musicals, writing musical versions of my books for over ten years. "I think all of these things have been gearing me up, ready to take on the challenge of writing Paddington, which is definitely another level of responsibility. Everything I've ever worked on has been like my own project and my own characters, and I've only got myself to kind of disappoint. "Whereas with Paddington, everybody loves Paddington. Everybody knows him all around the world. So suddenly feeling that I am responsible for that. Yes, definitely had moments of feeling overwhelmed, but also just what an honour. Of all of the songwriters on this planet who would have lept to have written this musical, it was my phone that rang and they asked me, I just can't believe, I still can't believe it." Tom explained that that he hopes the lyrics do the musical "justice." But in a spooky turn of events, the night before he got the call during the first coronavirus lockdown, he sat down with his family to watching Paddington 2. "It felt like stars were aligned," he said. He added: "My kids are incredibly excited but they've also been very useful because I test all the songs out on them." Buzz is currently appearing in Starlight Express and "loves" musical theatre. Tom revealed that for songs he needs vocals from children on, his children have recorded the demo tracks he needed. "My wife is on all the demos and my kids are singing on the demo, it's quite useful having a family that are into musical theatre," he laughed. Tom admits that his three children "gave him more purpose". He said: "The biggest change is becoming a parent, before that, my whole life revolved around my band and work. Then suddenly, there's a new centre of gravity in your life and it's your kids. It gives you more purpose, it gives more reason to do all the things you want to do. You have a different motivation to it and the hardest thing is saying 'No.' "I think that's the biggest thing I've learnt about myself is that I need to say 'no' more often in a very polite way – I can't do everything that I want to do, unfortunately." However, Tom explained that it is an "amazing problem" to have and feels "very lucky" for the opportunities that are thrown his way. "I feel very lucky that I've just been in the right place at the right time and the stars aligned," he stated. One project Tom couldn't refuse, though, was teaming up with Yoplait to share his take on the classic nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty, to tackle the ongoing crisis of childhood calcium and vitamin D deficiency. "As a dad, I can really relate to what these stats have shown," Tom said. He added: "There's a lot of confusion about what we should be feeding our kids," Tom said. He went on to add: "There's so much information out there, whether that's on social media, which can just be overwhelming, knowing what is accurate or not. "I think that is one of the things that has left to seeing an increase in kids that are deficient in calcium and vitamin D. Now being able to put my children's author hat on and rework the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme, hopefully to raise awareness for what I think is a fun way of highlighting a very serious issue. "It can be small changes that need to be made, changing one or two of the sugary snacks for a yoghurt that's fortified with calcium and vitamin D. It's quite an easy thing to make that change. Hopefully, this will be something that parents can read the information from Yoplait and get all the information on the stats." But what's the biggest thing he's taken away? He said: "Knowing where I'm getting my information from. If parents what to go to the Yoplait website, they'll know that's the best place to get this information and see all of the stats from there. But as parents, we're all going through the same stuff together. I'm experiencing that same confusion. Kids will tell you what they want to eat as well, it's hard knowing what you want to give your kids, but your kids are going to want to eat it as well. Luckily in my house, giving them a yoghourt is not a challenge." In partnership with Yoplait, the brand behind Petits Filous and Frubes, children's author and musician Tom Fletcher tackles childhood calcium and vitamin D deficiency, starting with a bold new take on Humpty Dumpty.
South Wales Guardian
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Tom Fletcher says seeing Paddington arrive on stage ‘makes me cry every time'
The 39-year-old has written the music for Paddington The Musical, which will debut at London's Savoy Theatre on November 1, and follows the small bear from Peru as he lands in London where a chance encounter with the Brown family leads to him finding a new home. Speaking about the production, Fletcher told the PA news agency: 'We've seen it a lot of times now, and we've witnessed that moment of the impact and step out on to the stage, and it still makes me well up and makes me cry every time.' Jessica Swale, who wrote the play, added: 'Tom needs to be investing in Kleenex. 'It's incredibly moving, and for me, there's certainly this joy in seeing what theatre can do, that even though we all love Instagram and TikTok and Netflix, and people's attention spans become shorter, this feels like a way that theatre is staying very much on the cutting edge of storytelling.' It has not yet been announced how Paddington will be portrayed in the show, with Swale saying there is a 'great mystery surrounding' how he will be brought to life, describing it as an 'innovation'. Fletcher does not think the music for the film sounds like his own band, with Swale praising his songs for their 'absolute range'. The singer added: 'I feel like the music sounds like Paddington, it wasn't like we sat down to try to figure out what it should sound like. 'It's so inspiring, these characters and stories, that it just kind of happened, and we got to the end of it, and this show feels like the music just captures the heart of what you think Paddington should sound like, and what this story should sound like. 'I'm not sure if it sounds like McFly, no one said that yet.' Fletcher said he was watching the Paddington 2 film with his three sons when he received the phone call asking if he wanted to write the music for the stage production. The Paddington books written by Michael Bond were first published on October 13 1958, and they have seen a number of adaptations over the years, including a BBC TV version in 1976, voiced by the late Sir Michael Hordern. Recent movies, which feature Ben Whishaw as the voice of the bear, released in 2014, 2017 and 2024 have all performed well at the box office. Priority tickets for Paddington The Musical will be available from May 13 before going on general sale on May 15. The performance schedule and casting is to be announced at a later date.
Leader Live
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Tom Fletcher says seeing Paddington arrive on stage ‘makes me cry every time'
The 39-year-old has written the music for Paddington The Musical, which will debut at London's Savoy Theatre on November 1, and follows the small bear from Peru as he lands in London where a chance encounter with the Brown family leads to him finding a new home. Speaking about the production, Fletcher told the PA news agency: 'We've seen it a lot of times now, and we've witnessed that moment of the impact and step out on to the stage, and it still makes me well up and makes me cry every time.' Jessica Swale, who wrote the play, added: 'Tom needs to be investing in Kleenex. 'It's incredibly moving, and for me, there's certainly this joy in seeing what theatre can do, that even though we all love Instagram and TikTok and Netflix, and people's attention spans become shorter, this feels like a way that theatre is staying very much on the cutting edge of storytelling.' It has not yet been announced how Paddington will be portrayed in the show, with Swale saying there is a 'great mystery surrounding' how he will be brought to life, describing it as an 'innovation'. Fletcher does not think the music for the film sounds like his own band, with Swale praising his songs for their 'absolute range'. The singer added: 'I feel like the music sounds like Paddington, it wasn't like we sat down to try to figure out what it should sound like. 'It's so inspiring, these characters and stories, that it just kind of happened, and we got to the end of it, and this show feels like the music just captures the heart of what you think Paddington should sound like, and what this story should sound like. 'I'm not sure if it sounds like McFly, no one said that yet.' Fletcher said he was watching the Paddington 2 film with his three sons when he received the phone call asking if he wanted to write the music for the stage production. The Paddington books written by Michael Bond were first published on October 13 1958, and they have seen a number of adaptations over the years, including a BBC TV version in 1976, voiced by the late Sir Michael Hordern. Recent movies, which feature Ben Whishaw as the voice of the bear, released in 2014, 2017 and 2024 have all performed well at the box office. Priority tickets for Paddington The Musical will be available from May 13 before going on general sale on May 15. The performance schedule and casting is to be announced at a later date.
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Paddington The Musical set to hit London's West End featuring music from McFly's Tom Fletcher
Paddington The Musical is coming to London's West End theatres later this year, featuring music from McFly 's Tom Fletcher. Debuting at the Savoy Theatre on November 1, the exciting book and film is now transforming into a musical. It follows the small bear from Peru as he lands in London where a chance encounter with the Brown family leads to him finding a new home. Ahead of the exciting new venture, hitmaker and children's author Tom said he was 'honoured' to be trusted with the new gig. He said: 'It's an honour to be entrusted to bring the story of Paddington to life on stage with the very best of creative collaborators in (playwright) Jessica (Swale), (theatre director) Luke (Sheppard), and our producers Sonia (Friedman) and Eliza (Lumley). 'This unique and special bear is at the very heart of our nation, and I'm aware of the awesome responsibility we all have in taking on his story. 'It's beyond exciting, and an absolute dream come true - we look forward to welcoming you to join us at the Savoy this autumn.' Theatre director Swale added: 'It's such a privilege to be telling the story of such a beloved cultural icon. 'Paddington is so much more than a fictional character; this special bear has come to represent hope, kindness and acceptance, so it's never felt like a more apt time to bring this story to the stage, and with such a dream team. 'Tom's songs are extraordinary, earworms on a first listen, Luke is the most masterful director, and our producers are so incredibly passionate and dedicated, it really is a great honour to be on this adventure with them all. 'I can't wait to share this beautiful tale.' Paddington, which was first published in 1958, has seen a number of adaptations over the years, including a BBC TV version in 1976, voiced by the late Sir Michael Hordern. The recent movies, released in 2014, 2017 and 2024, have all sky rocketed at the box office. Priority tickets for Paddington The Musical will be available from May 13, before going on general sale on May 15. Debuting at the Savoy Theatre on November 1, the exciting book and film is now transforming into a musical The performance schedule and casting is to be announced at a later date. The film follows the iconic bear, brought to life through animation and voiced by Ben Whishaw, as he travels abroad to visit Aunt Lucy in his homeland. Directed by Dougal Wilson, it sees Hugh Bonneville return as Mr. Brown and Imelda Staunton will once again play Aunt Lucy.
ITV News
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- ITV News
'Paddington The Musical' to debut in West End
A musical about Paddington Bear, featuring music from McFly singer Tom Fletcher, is to debut in autumn on the West The Musical will launch at London's Savoy Theatre on November 1 and has been adapted from the books by Michael Bond and award-winning films, which feature Ben Whishaw as the voice of the production follows the small bear from Peru as he lands in London where a chance encounter with the Brown family leads to him finding a new home. Fletcher, 39, said: "It's an honour to be entrusted to bring the story of Paddington to life on stage with the very best of creative collaborators in (playwright) Jessica (Swale), (theatre director) Luke (Sheppard), and our producers Sonia (Friedman) and Eliza (Lumley)."This unique and special bear is at the very heart of our nation, and I'm aware of the awesome responsibility we all have in taking on his story."It's beyond exciting, and an absolute dream come true - we look forward to welcoming you to join us at the Savoy this autumn."Swale, 43, added: "It's such a privilege to be telling the story of such a beloved cultural icon."Paddington is so much more than a fictional character; this special bear has come to represent hope, kindness and acceptance, so it's never felt like a more apt time to bring this story to the stage, and with such a dream team."Tom's songs are extraordinary, earworms on a first listen, Luke is the most masterful director, and our producers are so incredibly passionate and dedicated, it really is a great honour to be on this adventure with them all."I can't wait to share this beautiful tale."Fletcher is a best-selling author of children's books, as well as a member of boy band first published on October 13 1958, has seen a number of adaptations over the years, including a BBC TV version in 1976, voiced by the late Sir Michael Hordern. The recent movies, released in 2014, 2017 and 2024, have all performed well at the box in the month a Paddington Bear statue which had been destroyed by vandals was repaired and returned to its home town in Newbury, tickets for Paddington The Musical will be available from May 13, before going on general sale on May performance schedule and casting is to be announced at a later date.
