Celebrating the ground-breaking radio comedy series of the 1960s, Apollo Theatre Company lovingly recreates the original recordings from the BBC’s Paris Studios to mark fifty years of enduring laughter.
With the eponymous Kenneth Horne at the helm and the stellar supporting cast of Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick and Betty Marsden, Round the Horne burst onto the comedy scene in 1965.  With its infamous movie spoofs and hilarious regular characters such as Rambling Sid Rumpo, Charles and Fiona, J. Peasemold Gruntfuttock, and Julian and Sandy, it was one of the biggest radio programmes of its time, regularly garnering audiences of up to 15 million each week.  Known for its risqué double entendres and made-up words, Round the Horne was unlike anything that had gone before it.
Director¬†Tim Astley¬†has compiled the script for the production using only material from the original broadcasts, with the full blessing and support of the original writers’ estates.
On why he wanted to mount this production, Tim explains: “As someone who has been a fan of Round the Horne since I was about 12 years old, I thought it was only right that its 50th anniversary be celebrated, and what better way to do that than to be able to transport fans back to the original recordings and recreate the anarchic atmosphere that made the programme such fun to listen to.
“We are lucky enough to be working with the original scripts and will be recreating them as accurately as possible so that every member of our audience, no matter how much they know about Round the Horne to begin with, leaves feeling that they have been transported back to the Paris Studio in 1965 and experienced first-hand those joyful recordings.”
Still broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra, Round the Horne has endured tremendously over its fifty years and is still as funny today as it was then.  This production will thoroughly entertain those who have loved this comedy series from day one, but also make new enthusiasts of the uninitiated.
Round the Horne runs in the Main House at Salisbury Playhouse from Tuesday 17 to Saturday 21 November, with matinees on the Thursday and Saturday. For tickets or further information please contact the ticket office on 01722 320333 or visit www.salisburyplayhouse.com.