Sir Ian McKellen will not appear when the run of Player Kings resumes in the West End on Thursday night after his fall from the stage. The veteran actor, 85, was performing at the Noel Coward Theatre when he lost his footing in a fight scene on Monday. He was taken to hospital after the accident, with performances on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday all cancelled to give him time to rest.
The final London performances are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. While he said on Tuesday he is " looking forward to returning to work ", a post on social media on Thursday confirmed his understudy David Semark will go on instead. "David Semark will be playing the role of Sir John Falstaff for the final three scheduled performances of Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre in London," the show's X account said.
Organisers added they look forward to Sir Ian returning to the production, which begins a national tour in Bristol on Wednesday 3 July, before stops in Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app . You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news..