David Ian for Crossroads Live is delighted to announce that Ore Oduba will play the role of Caractacus Potts in the new production of the most fantasmagorical musical of all time CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, currently touring the UK. Ore Oduba will play Caractacus Potts from Tuesday 4 until Sunday 9 March 2025 at Birmingham Hippodrome.

Ore Oduba will join Emmerdale star Liam Fox as Grandpa Potts, Ellie Nunn as Truly Scrumptious, Martin Callaghan as Baron, Jenny Gayner as Baroness, Adam Stafford as Boris, Michael Joseph as Goran and John Macaulay as The Toymaker. The cast also includes Charlie Bishop, Ruaraidh Blackwood, Hadrian Delacey, Belle Kizzy Green, Tia Gyngell, Kirsty Ingram, Bibi Jay, Isabella Mason, Joe Press, Theo UK Rose, Molly Rees Howe, Callum Train and Luke Woollaston.

The roles of Jeremy and Jemima Potts will be shared by Charlie Banks, Melody Caruana, Gracie Cochrane, Isla Ithier, Charlie McGuire, Lara Simon, Huxley Syers and Roshan Thomson. 

Ore Oduba was most recently seen as Happy Man/Mr Thompson in the UK and Ireland tour of Pretty Woman. His previous theatre credits include Brad Majors in the West End and UK tour of the 50th anniversary production of The Rocky Horror Show, Aaron Fox in Curtains on tour and in the West End, and Teen Angel in Grease on a UK tour. Ore was crowned Strictly Come Dancing champion in 2016 and more recently made it to the final of Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.

Liam Fox is probably best known for playing the role of Dan Spencer in ITV’s Emmerdale, where he featured in more than a thousand episodes. His many other TV credits include Stephen Poliakoff’s Dancing on the Edge, Cold Feet, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, Clocking Off, A Touch of Frost, Always and Everyone, At Home with the Braithwaites and Dinnerladies. His many theatre credits include The Collector and Tuesday’s Class, both at The Lowry Studio and Iron at Manchester’s Royal Exchange.

Ellie Nunn’s many theatre credits include Identical at Nottingham Playhouse, the UK tour of Posh, Shakespeare in Love at the Noel Coward Theare, Twelfth Night at Leicester Square Theatre, The Game of Love and Chance and Daughter in Law, both at the Arcola Theatre, Honk! at the Union Theatre and on tour and Gatsby at the Arts Theatre.

Based on Ian Fleming’s timeless story for children and later made into the famous 1968 film, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG features the unforgettable songs by the Sherman Brothers including Toot Sweets, Hushabye Mountain, Truly Scrumptious and the Academy Award-nominated title song, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

This new production is directed by Thom Southerland (Titanic, Parade), choreographed by Karen Bruce (BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, The Bodyguard) with Set and Costume design by Morgan Large (Newsies, Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat), Lighting design by Ben Cracknell, Sound design by Gareth Tucker, Musical Supervision by George Dyer (The Wizard of Oz, Annie, Billy Elliot) and casting by Debbie O’Brien.

In CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG we meet absent-minded inventor Caractacus Potts who restores a broken-down old racing car with the help of his children Jemima and Jeremy. Soon the family discover the car has magical powers, and along with the delectable Truly Scrumptious, the family end up on a hilarious fantastical adventure to far off lands.

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG has Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, Music by Special Arrangement with Sony/ATV Publishing and is Adapted for the Stage by Jeremy Sams. Based on the MGM Motion Picture the Licensed Script is adapted by Ray Roderick. It was Originally produced by Eon Productions, Dana Broccoli, Frederick Zollo, Nicholas Paleologos, Jeffrey Sine, Miriam Productions and Michael Rose at The London Palladium.

This production is presented by permission of Music Theatre International.