Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin have written a Drop The Dead Donkey stage show.
Drop The Dead Donkey: The Reawakening! will star original cast members Susannah Doyle (Joy Merryweather), Robert Duncan (Gus Hedges), Ingrid Lacey (Helen Cooper), Neil Pearson (Dave Charnley), Jeff Rawle (George Dent), Stephen Tompkinson (Damien Day) and Victoria Wicks (Sally Smedley).
The sitcom, which ran for 65 episodes from 1990 to 1998, followed the trials and tribulations of Globelink, a fictional television news company. It was notable for being written and recorded much closer to transmission than most sitcoms, allowing Hamilton and Jenkin to satirise current events and the leading news stories of the week. The TV comedy also featured David Swift, who died in 2016, as Henry Davenport, and – in the first two series – Haydn Gwynne portraying Alex Pates.
Promoters of the play tease: “BREAKING NEWS: 30 years since the launch of the trailblazing, smash-hit TV series, the Globelink News team are back and now live on stage for the very first time.”
They add: “The iconic BAFTA and Emmy award-winning comedy is reimagined in this brand new topical commentary on the cutthroat world of 24 hours news.
“Bursting with razor-sharp wit and classic British humour, this hot off the press production will leave you in stitches. Written by the same award-winning writing team Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin (Outnumbered), Drop The Dead Donkey: The Reawakening! exposes the underside of the broadcasting industry in all its riotous glory. Whether you’re one of the legions of die-hard fans of the TV sitcom that was watched by millions at its peak, or a British comedy fanatic, come and experience this hilarious revival of an all-time comedy classic.”
Hamilton and Jenkin comment: “We’re overjoyed to be working again with the original cast of Drop The Dead Donkey, after a brief hiatus of about 30 years. It’s going to be hugely enjoyable to watch those 7 funny, flawed characters from Globelink News being plunged into the cutthroat world of modern 24-hour news gathering and trying to navigate their way through the daily chaos of social media, fake news, and Interim Prime Ministers.”
Speaking to James Gill on the Always Be Comedy podcast, Hamilton also revealed that one of the themes the play will touch on is artificial intelligence. He teased: “It’s the same collection of characters, all played by the same actors, being parachuted into the world of AI and the world of rolling news, it’s really exciting.”
Directed by Lindsay Posner, the tour will open at Richmond Theatre in January, and conclude at Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre in June 2024.
Further details and tickets can be found via dropdeaddonkey.co.uk
2024 dates
Wednesday 31 January – Saturday 3 FebruaryRichmond Theatre
Tuesday 6 February – Saturday 10 FebruaryLyceum Theatre, Sheffield
Tuesday 13 February – Saturday 17 FebruaryThe Lowry, Greater Manchester
Tuesday 20 February – Saturday 24 FebruaryNew Theatre, Cardiff
Tuesday 27 February – Saturday 2 MarchCambridge Arts Theatre
Tuesday 5 March – Saturday 9 MarchTheatre Royal Brighton
Tuesday 12 March – Saturday 16 MarchMilton Keynes Theatre
Tuesday 19 March – Saturday 23 MarchLeicester Curve
Tuesday 26 March – Saturday 30 MarchTheatre Royal Bath
Tuesday 9 April – Saturday 13 AprilLeeds Grand Theatre
Tuesday 16 April – Saturday 20 AprilThe Alexandra, Birmingham
Tuesday 23 April – Saturday 27 AprilNottingham Theatre Royal
Tuesday 30 April – Saturday 4 MayChurchill Theatre, Bromley
Tuesday 7 May – Saturday 11 MayNorwich Theatre Royal
Tuesday 14 May – Saturday 18 MayLiverpool Playhouse
Tuesday 21 May – Saturday 25 MayNewcastle Theatre Royal
Tuesday 28 May – Saturday 1 JuneNew Victoria Theatre, Woking
Tuesday 4 June – Saturday 8 JuneEveryman Theatre, Cheltenham
