A global premiere as Joe Hisaishi and the RSC bring Studio Ghibli’s enchanting classic coming-of-age film to the stage in a landmark new adaptation in collaboration with Improbable and Nippon TV. Exploring the magical fantasy world of childhood and the transformative power of imagination, My Neighbour Totoro follows one extraordinary summer in the lives of sisters Satsuki and Mei as they are swept up in exciting adventures with their new neighbours – transported to a long-forgotten realm of spirits, sprites, and natural wonder. The celebrated 1988 animated feature film by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) will be brought to the stage by its original composer Joe Hisaishi in this landmark new adaptation written by playwright Tom Morton-Smith (Oppenheimer). Directed by Phelim McDermott with production design by Tom Pye, costume design by Kimie Nakano, and lighting design by Jessica Hung Han Yun, this ground-breaking production will feature puppetry created by Basil Twist and music from Joe Hisaishi’s iconic score performed live.

Sandi thinks that being called a National Treasure is bit embarrassing and she has decided instead to become a National Trevor – half misprint, half Danish comedian, novelist, actor and broadcaster. Expect tall stories, fascinatingly funny facts, really silly jokes and some terrible baking from the host of Great British Bake Off, QI and 15 to 1. Don’t expect tap-dancing, needlework or headstands.

Monty Python legend and intrepid globetrotter Michael Palin brings tales of two of the most extraordinary journeys he’s ever made to the stage this autumn in a new solo tour, 'From North Korea Into Iraq'. 'From North Korea Into Iraq' will see Michael deliver first-hand accounts of journeys through two countries on the dark side of history. Both named by President George Bush as being part of the Axis of Evil. Using photos and film shot at the time, he will tell the story of his challenging adventures in the tightly controlled time bomb that is the People's Republic of North Korea, and the bruised land of Iraq, once the home of civilisation, torn apart over the last thirty years by brutal war and bloodshed.

Age Recommendation TBC Performance Dates 27 Apr 2026 Performance Times Mon, 7.30pm Run time TBC Content Warning TBC Venue Gillian Lynne Theatre About Michael Palin On a Roll - Lightly Toasted By John Lloyd Unburied National Treasure John Lloyd launches a new conversation series, On A Roll, at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, beginning with the unearthing of the real Michael Palin. On A Roll is an easy-going programme of Monday night events in central London, where format is intentionally simple: no interval and no gimmicks. It is a collaboration between producer John Lloyd CBE (the force behind QI, Blackadder, Spitting Image and Radio 4’s The Museum of Curiosity) and Clive Conway Productions. After a career spent working with some of the most interesting people in the country, John felt it was time to provide a stage for the sort of heart-to-heart chats that usually only happen in private or in the corner of a quiet pub. Behind the scenes and off the leash, it is a rare chance to see Michael Palin, live and unedited, gently excavated by John Lloyd. "Everyone agrees Mike is the nicest person in showbiz, but he’s always insisted to me that he has a dark side. Join me in my futile mission to find out what it is." Palin remains one of our most gifted observers of the human condition. His career has been defined by a quiet, persistent curiosity about the world and his place in it. Hear him reflect not just on where he has been, but on the strange, often hilarious business of being Michael Palin.

Age Recommendation TBC Performance Dates 4 May 2026 Performance Times Mon, 7.30pm Run time TBC Content Warning TBC Venue Gillian Lynne Theatre About Sandi Toksvig On A Roll - Sauced Up By John Lloyd Two of Britain’s sharpest wits. One stage. No script. No safety net. Sandi Toksvig and John Lloyd reunite for a night of unguarded conversation, unexpected revelations, and inevitable mischief. Lloyd created QI. Toksvig hosts it. Now, for one night only, the roles are reversed as Lloyd takes the reins and Toksvig takes the hot seat. As part of the brand-new On A Roll series at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, John Lloyd invites a friend he’s known for decades to sit down, relax, and talk properly. No publicist-approved anecdotes, no rehearsed patter. Just two brilliant minds riffing on life, comedy, language, curiosity, and whatever else takes their fancy. Sandi Toksvig is a national treasure: writer, broadcaster, activist, Sunday Times bestselling novelist, and the only person to have hosted both QI and The Great British Bake Off. From a decade presenting The News Quiz on Radio 4 to co-founding the Women’s Equality Party, from sell-out tours to her Radio Hall of Fame induction, there is no one quite like her. And no one better placed to draw out the stories behind the stories than the man who built the format that made her a quiz show legend. After Sandi’s sell-out One Night Only two-night run at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2024, she returns to the West End for an evening that promises to go deeper, get more personal and leave nothing off the table.