David Tennant fears 'ludicrous' ticket prices putting young people off theatre

08 August 2023 , 20:26

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David Tennant (Image: Getty Images)

David Tennant says some theatre tickets have become “ludicrously” expensive.

The actor fears seats are so costly it could harm the industry by stopping younger people from going. The Doctor Who star added that for Britain to make quality TV and films we need a flourishing theatre scene as it is a breeding ground for actors, writers and producers.

David, 52, who honed his skills on stage, said: “Live theatre is expensive. It’s increasingly expensive to run and, therefore, ticket prices are increasingly expensive and that’s a difficult thing to rationalise. I like to imagine that’s something everyone should be allowed to enjoy.

Tennant is concerned about the cost of attending a theatre show (Corbis via Getty Images)

"Yet, when I’m in a show in [London’s] West End I’m aware there are tickets selling for ludicrous amounts. But they get sold, at which point you think, ‘what’s the theatre management supposed to do?’. The danger is you’re strangling the next generation of an audience coming through.”

Tickets for West End shows often cost at least £100 and much more when sold on unofficial sites. A pair of seats for David’s portrayal of Hamlet in 2008 went for over £1,100. Speaking on the Radio Times Podcast, he added: “We have to look after the industry from the bottom up because we won’t be making great telly and we won’t be making Oscar-winning movies if we don’t still have a thriving theatre scene.”

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He also talked about Government financial support as theatres faced ruin in the pandemic, saying: “It would be nice if it didn’t have to be a crisis that prompted the electric paddles to come out to make sure this corpse can lumber on.”

Mark Jefferies