Lion King marks 15 years with free performance

Disney's The Lion King is celebrating its 15th anniversary on Sunday (19 October) with a free performance.

According to Disney, over 1,000 people queued outside the show's home the Lyceum Theatre from 6am this morning to get their hands on a pair of free tickets.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "Congratulations to The Lion King whose long run has contributed to the phenomenal success of London theatreland.

"From the bright lights of the West End, to the dozens of smaller theatres to be found across the city, it's a hugely important sector for our economy, generating more than £600 million last year and underlining London's status as one of the world's greatest cities for culture."

The screen-to-stage show plays to over 810,000 people a year in the West End, while its current UK tour has been seen by over 1.8million.