Ben Whishaw: Paddington actor to star in Waiting for Godot

Image source, PA Media

Paddington star Ben Whishaw is to appear in a new West End production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.

The actor credits to the piece the credit for having encouraged him to abandon his university studies for almost three decades. and study theater instead.

He will star alongside Lucian Msamati, who previously appeared in Game of Thrones and Gangs of London.

Whishaw told BBC News he was "incredibly delighted and excited - and a bit terrified too".

The production, directed by James MacDonald, will open at the Theater Royal Haymarket in September 2024.

"When I was 18, I was in a foundation art course in Bedford and went there one night with a friend in London to see a play which was part of a season of Samuel Beckett plays at the Barbican Theatre. The play was Waiting for Godot," recalls Whishaw.

"The next day, I dropped out of my art class, after...