West End hit 2:22 - A Ghost Story to open its first UK tour at the Theatre Royal Bath

The first UK tour of Danny Robins’ edge-of-your-seat, supernatural thriller, 2:22 - A Ghost Story, is set to open at the Theatre Royal Bath, appearing from Friday 1 September to Saturday 9 September, starring Joe Absolom (A Confession, Doc Martin), Charlene Boyd (Mayflies, River City), Nathaniel Curtis (It’s a Sin, The Witcher) and Louisa Lytton (EastEnders, The Bill). Directed by Matthew Dunster and Isabel Marr, the show has enjoyed huge success in London, where it is currently playing its sixth West End season at the Apollo Theatre.

Written by award-winning Danny Robins, creator of the hit BBC podcasts The Battersea Poltergeist and Uncanny, 2:22 is a brilliantly funny, spine-chilling drama, where secrets emerge and ghosts may, or may not, appear.

Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they’re going to stay up... until 2:22... and then they’ll know.

Writer Danny Robins said: ‘I’m thrilled with our first cast for the 2:22 - A Ghost Story UK tour and can’t wait to see how each actor brings their own distinctive take to the play. It's quite the journey we are on and we look forward to spooking new audiences across the UK. 2:22 is an adrenaline-fuelled experience that gives you the licence to gasp, scream, and yelp!’

Joe Absolom, who plays the role of Ben, received a Supporting Actor BAFTA nomination in 2020 for his performance as Christopher Halliwell in the ITV mini-series A Confession, opposite Martin Freeman and Imelda Staunton. Joe is also well known on television for his roles as Al Large in ITV’s Doc Martin from 2004 to 2022, Andy Warren in ITV’s crime drama series The Bay in 2021 and Matthew Rose in BBC’s EastEnders from 1997 to 2000. He has played guest roles in many prime-time series including Vincent, Ashes to Ashes, Casualty, The Bill, New Tricks, Poirot, Trevor’s World of Sport and Silent Witness. On stage, Joe recently starred as Andy in The Shawshank Redemption on UK tour, including at Bath’s Theatre Royal this March. He also performed at the Theatre Royal in 2012 in Abigail’s Party, following a London season.

Charlene Boyd, who appears as Lauren, is best known on television for her role as Jac Dunn in BBC Scotland’s River City. Her screen credits also include Mayflies, The Control Room, The Trial of Christine Keeler, Annika, Garrow’s Law and Taggart. Her theatre credits include the lead role in The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart for the National Theatre of Scotland at Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre, in New York and on tour in America; The Macbeths at the Citizens Theatre Glasgow, and Men Should Weep, The Miracle Man and Empty for National Theatre of Scotland.

Nathaniel Curtis, who plays Sam, performed the breakout role of Ash Mukherjee in Russell T. Davies’ powerful Channel 4 series, It’s A Sin. His recent screen roles also include The Witcher: Blood Origin for Netflix. His theatre credits include Disruption at London’s Park Theatre, Britannicus at Lyric Hammersmith, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest on UK tour and Pride and Prejudice at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

Louisa Lytton, who plays the role of Jenny, is best known on television as Ruby Allen in BBC’s EastEnders, first appearing in 2005 and 2006, before returning to the much-loved series from 2018 to 2021. Her television credits also include playing Michelle in the ITV series Edge of Heaven, PC Beth Green in The Bill and guest roles in Murdoch Mysteries, Casualty and Identity. Her stage credits include the roles of Rizzo in Grease and Debs in Boogie Nights on UK tour and, for the British Shakespeare Company, the roles of Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Louisa was the youngest ever contestant to take part in BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing when she reached the finals in the fourth series.

Danny Robins is an award-winning writer and journalist. He created The Battersea Poltergeist, an eight-part podcast series for the BBC, which became a global phenomenon and the number one Drama Podcast across the world, sparking a bidding war for the TV rights. The series won the Gold Award for Best Serialised Podcast at the 2021 New York Festivals Radio Awards. Danny’s first stage play, Rudy’s Rare Records, was a critical and commercial success, followed by the acclaimed End of the Pier. His debut radio drama The Most Wanted Man in Sweden was nominated for the Writers’ Guild’s Tinniswood Award. He has created and written various shows for television and radio, including the BAFTA-nominated hit series Young Dracula, Rudy’s Rare Records and The Cold Swedish Winter. More recently he presented the podcast series Haunted, followed by Uncanny for BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 4, which has also been commissioned for television.

2:22 - A Ghost Story is directed by Matthew Dunster and Isabel Marr.

Matthew Dunster is an Olivier-nominated director, and also a playwright and actor. He directed Martin McDonagh’s A Very Very Very Dark Matter at The Bridge, London and Hangmen at the Royal Court, in the West End and off-Broadway at The Atlantic. His many directing credits also include True West in the West End, Love’s Sacrifice at the RSC and Love the Sinner at the National Theatre.

Isabel Marr recently directed and curated Deep Night, Dark Night, a series of horror plays at Shakespeare’s Globe. She has worked extensively as an associate director both on and off the West End, with recent credits including The Pillowman and The Unfriend. As an associate director at Shakespeare’s Globe she ran two, year-long international companies performing six plays that toured across the world.