Tuesday 27th Aug 02

LILY SAVAGE TO JOIN "CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG" in SEPTEMBER

Paul O'Grady (aka Lily Savage) will take over the role of the 'Child Catcher' (replacing Richard O'Brien) in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from 16th Sep 02 to 7th Dec 02.

Paul O'Grady's West End stage credits include "Prisoner Cell Block H : The Musical" in 1995 and the role of 'Miss Hannigan' in "Annie" in 1998. His TV credits include "Blankety Blank" as Lily Savage and several travel programs .

The 47-year-old comedian had a heart attack in April this year and underwent surgery but he has since made a full recovery.

The rest of the cast of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang remain the same: Emma Williams (Truly Scrumptious), Michael Ball(Caractacus Potts), Anton Rodgers (Grandpa Potts), Brian Blessed (The Baron) , Nichola McAuliffe (The Baroness), and Edward Petherbridge (The Toymaker/Coggins).

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang opened in April this year to good notices from the popular press: BBC ONLINE says, "You come out of the London Palladium feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve." THE EVENING STANDARD says, "Sheer theatrical magic" And goes on to say, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang proves itself an ageless pleasure and a pleasure for all ages. " THE GUARDIAN says, "It is the car everyone has come to see, and I can only report that when it becomes airborne and flies over the front stalls there are gasps of astonished delight." THE DAILY TELEGRAPH says, "The audience was purring with pleasure from the moment the band struck up the title tune during the overture." THE DAILY MAIL says, " Brilliantly and ingeniously designed by Anthony Ward."

The film version has been adapted for the stage by Jeremy Sams and directed by Adrian Noble. It is designed by Anthony Ward, with musical staging and choreography by Gillian Lynne with lighting by Mark Henderson

Click here for full production details