EastEnders star David Witts joins cast of Wicked as Fiyero

Hit West End musical Wicked has announced new casting, with David Witts joining the cast as Fiyero in July.

Best known for playing Joey Branning in the BBC's EastEnders, Witts will take over from Bradley Jaden who plays his final performance on Saturday 21 July 2018.

Having trained with National Youth Theatre and the National Youth Music Theatre, Witts' stage credits include Hairspray at Curve, Leicester. On US TV, his credits include Recovery Road and I Ship It and on the big screen, he also completed filming An Unpleasant Surprise and Pride and Prejudice, Cut.

On being cast in Wicked, he said: "After three amazing years living and working in Los Angeles, I am excited to be getting back on stage again and to be coming home to make my West End debut in the incredible musical Wicked. I can't wait to start rehearsals and to join everyone at the Apollo Victoria Theatre from 23 July".

Based on the best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire which re-imagines the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wicked tells the untold story of an unlikely friendship between Glinda The Good and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. It has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, and features the songs "Defying Gravity", "Popular" and "The Wizard and I".

Alongside Jaden, the current cast features Alice Fearn (Elphaba), Sophie Evans (Glinda), Melanie La Barrie (Madame Morrible), Andy Hockley (The Wizard), Martin Ball (Doctor Dillamond), Sarah McNicholas (Nessarose), Jack Lansbury (Boq), Laura Pick (standby for Elphaba) and Carina Gillespie and Maria Coyne (standby for Glinda).