Soap Royalty Heads to the Stage: Neighbours and Casualty Legends Lead Major New UK Tour of The King’s Speech

Stage and screen fans are in for a theatrical treat as the Barn Theatre in Cirencester and Tiny Giant Entertainment team up for a brand-new production of David Seidler’s acclaimed drama, The King’s Speech.

Leading the high-profile cast are TV stalwarts Stefan Dennis—best known to millions as Ramsay Street icon Paul Robinson in Neighbours (and River City)—and George Rainsford, beloved by viewers as Dr. Ethan Hardy in BBC’s Casualty and recently seen in the National Theatre’s Dear England. Dennis takes on the role of the eccentric Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue, while Rainsford steps into the shoes of the stammering monarch, Bertie (King George VI).

The production, directed by Loveday Ingram, will kick off its run at the Barn Theatre from 9 October to 7 November 2026 before launching an extensive UK tour through 2027, including a stay at Curve in Leicester from Tuesday 6 to Saturday 10 April 2027.

Joining Dennis and Rainsford in the star-studded ensemble are:

• Rosanna Miles (Haywire; What the Butler Saw) as Queen Elizabeth
• Lucy Bromilow (Glengarry Glen Ross, Mary Page Marlowe at The Old Vic) as Myrtle Logue / Wallis Simpson
• Tim Hudson (Bonhoeffer; Exe Men) as King George V / Winston Churchill
• Ian Kirkby (Dear England; Straight Line Crazy) as Archbishop Cosmo Lang
• Mark Hammersley (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, RSC; Ballet Shoes, National Theatre) as David / King Edward VIII / Stanley Baldwin

The creative team bringing the historical drama to life features set and costume design by Adam Wiltshire, lighting design by Hector Murray, music and sound design by Elizabeth Purnell, and casting by Marc Frankum.

A Nation in Crisis

Based on the story behind the Oscar-winning film, the drama places audiences in the heart of a pre-war constitutional reckoning:

“The world is listening…

A country on the precipice of another terrible war. An abdicated king. A constitutional crisis. And the only man who can provide hope for the nervous British public is Bertie – a man who is shy, unprepared for monarchy and, worst of all, has a debilitating speech impediment.

With the future of the monarchy, and Britain itself, on the line, an historic radio address looms over a man who can barely stammer through full sentences. Desperate, Bertie and his family turn to an unconventional speech therapist from Australia to turn him into the king Britain can believe in.

As royal protocol meets unorthodox challenges, what emerges is an unlikely but deeply meaningful friendship. Adapted from the Oscar-winning film, this exciting new production from the acclaimed Barn Theatre blends humour, heart and high stakes in a beloved drama about duty, courage and finding one’s voice.”

Tour Destinations

Following its opening run in Cirencester, the tour will bring the royal drama to audiences across the UK, visiting Oxford, Coventry, Cheltenham, Clwyd, Darlington, Blackpool, Bath, Guildford, Aberdeen, Nottingham, Windsor, Eastbourne, Leicester, Bromley, Wolverhampton, Southend, Salisbury, Sheffield, Winchester, Northampton, Carlisle, Ipswich, Cambridge, Liverpool, and Malvern.

Booking Information

“THE KING’S SPEECH will run at Curve in Leicester from Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 April 2027.

Tickets are on sale now. To find out more and book, visit www.curveonline.co.uk, call 0116 242 3595 or visit Curve’s Box Office in-person.”

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