TV comic Jason Manford to play Pirelli in West End Sweeney

The production, directed by Jonathan Kent stars Michael Ball as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street alongside Imelda Staunton as his pie-making partner in crime Mrs Lovett.

A stand-up comedian who will be known to fans of television shows including 8 out of 10 Cats and Odd One In, Manford’s acting credits include appearing in Channel 4’s Shamless. He is also one of the voices on BBC comedy sketch show Walk on the Wild Side.

Kent’s revival of Sweeney Todd stars Lucy May Barker as Johanna, Peter Polycarpou as Beadle Bamford, John Bowe as Judge Turpin, Luke Brady as Anthony, Robert Burt as Pirelli and James McConville as Tobias.

Sondheim’s 1979 Broadway musical, which has a book by Hugh Wheeler, was last seen in London in 2005 in John Doyle’s actor-musician Watermill Theatre revival, which had an extended season at Trafalgar Studios and then at the New Ambassadors, won two Whatsonstage.com Awards and later transferred to Broadway where it won two Tony Awards.

Chichester Festival Theatre’s staging won the Best Regional Production prize at the 2012 Whatsonstage.com Awards, with the gong collected by Michael Ball and CFT executive director Alan Finch. You can see the full acceptance speech below.