Cast

Neil Hurst

Edna Turnblad

Neil Hurst began his career as a song and dance act touring the country in comedy and variety shows and supporting comedy legends such as Bruce Forsyth, Bob Monkhouse, Jimmy Tarbuck, Ken Dodd and Cannon and Ball.

Neil’s theatre credits include The Full Monty (national tour); Early Doors Live (UK Arena Tour); Fat Friends the Musical (World Premier and UK Tour); Evita (Leeds Grand Theatre); Early Doors – One More Chance (The Lowry, Salford); Jungle Book The Musical (Oldham Coliseum); Bouncers; Two; The Last Five Years (Made Up North Theatre); Me and My Girl and Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  Neil is also an award-winning pantomime performer who currently headlines the annual panto at Hull New Theatre.

Neil’s television credits include two series in a recurring live improvisation role on Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, working alongside Michael to set up his Unexpected Star of the Show. TV drama guest roles include All Creatures Great and Small; Coronation Street; Home from Home; Casualty; Doctors; The Syndicate and Moving On; Fresh Meat; Andy and the Band; Biff and Chip; The 4 O’Clock Club; Player Prank; and All-Star Family Fortunes.   Feature film roles include The Railway Children Return; Tomorrow Morning and The ABC Murders.

As a presenter Neil has also hosted his own US television pilot for Food Network called Hopping the Pond, which saw ‘Brit’ Neil travelling the US, eating local dishes, drinking local brews and learning all about small town America from the locals.

Neil is also an established writer whose recent work includes Beauty and The Beast, a panto for CAST Doncaster and Cinderella, a panto for Towngate Theatre Basildon. With writing partner Jodie Prenger he has scipted A Very Very Bad Cinderella; The Government Inspector and Cinderella, A Socially Distanced Ball which all played in London theatres (The Other Palace, MTFest UK, Turbine Theatre). They also co-wrote the tv pilot Dating For Dogs for Pulped TV. Other writing work includes The Choir (UCLAN); Showbiz Stories (Blueberry Audio); and TV Comedy Pilot, Tracks (House in the Road).

Twitter: @neilhurst 

Instagram: @neilhurstactor