DOCTOR WHO LIVE: The Monsters Are Coming!

BBC Worldwide has today announced that Nigel Planer (The Young Ones, We Will Rock You, Evita, Chicago) will be joining the cast for the forthcoming audio/visual spectacular - Doctor Who Live.

Planer will play the part of Vorgenson, a character exclusively adapted for the tour by the television programme's Executive Producer and Lead Writer Steven Moffat. The new character is described as an 'inter-galactic showman' who is the Doctor's biggest fan.

Nigel Planer comments: "I'm incredibly excited to be joining Doctor Who Live and this role is something of a boyhood dream come true. My character Vorgenson, who has been developed specially for the show by Steven Moffat, is the Greatest Showman in the Galaxy and using his incredible invention, 'The Minimiser', he can make any Doctor Who character appear on stage as part of his travelling show dedicated to his hero. This live tour brings all the magic of the TV show together with a host of incredible effects. I hope that I can survive visiting nine cities in October sharing a stage with eleven Doctor Who Monsters and a flying Dalek in tow!"

Developed in association with Doctor Who’s Executive Producer and show runner, Steven Moffat, Doctor Who Live promises the same excitement, adventure and suspense that viewers have come to expect from the TV programme and will feature specially filmed new video scenes.

The stage show will follow Vorgenson on an inter-galactic journey as he summons monsters in his Minimiser for the audience to see. Matt Smith will appear as the Doctor in specially filmed sequences to be shown on a giant screen on stage.

Craig Stanley, Doctor Who Live's Producer says: "This show has something for everyone - Doctor Who fans, of course - but also anyone with a love of incredible illusions, immersive storytelling, magical music, scary monsters, and intergalactic heroes."

In a further announcement, the producers have revealed that Nick Briggs, famous for voicing some of the scariest Doctor Who monsters including the Daleks and Cybermen, is onboard to replicate his voice talents live on stage every night. Briggs will also portray Winston Churchill, who is summoned by Vorgenson through his Minimiser.

Doctor Who Live will also feature a spectacular array of stunts and illusions designed by Britain's premiere illusionists, The Twins. Audiences will be in for a treat as they witness a flying Dalek. The Twins have come to prominence in the last few years by designing the illusion of flying without wires, and they have a reputation for large scale stunts including making an elephant disappear live on stage. They have taught magic tricks to the likes of Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow.

The new stage show, based upon the BBC's smash-hit, award-winning series Doctor Who, promises to deliver a spectacular audio/visual experience featuring live music, special effects and appearances from the show’s most popular monsters including Daleks, Cybermen, Scarecrows, Oods and Silurian.

Taking in nine cities and 25 dates, Doctor Who Live kicks off in London at Wembley Arena on 8th October, and will visit Sheffield, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Cardiff and Liverpool, culminating in Belfast on the 7th November.

With an out-of-this-world set, Doctor Who Live will feature special FX, optical illusions and spectacular pyrotechnics building to an epic finale. Specially edited video clips, drawn from the TV Programme will be shown on a massive screen and accompanied by the music of longtime Doctor Who composer Murray Gold. These iconic scores will be brought to life by a live band on stage.

Doctor Who Live has been conceived as a fully immersive music and monsters spectacular and promises the same excitement, adventure and suspense that viewers have come to expect from the TV programme. Please note that actors from the TV series will not be appearing live on stage.