Slow Horses and The Celebrity Traitors stars sign up for unique West End project

Celebrity Traitors star Joe Lycett and House of the Dragon’s Olivia Cooke have been named as part of the upcoming cast joining a unique West End play.

White Rabbit, Red Rabbit – created by Nassim Soleimanpour – is a one-of-a-kind show where every performance is different, aiming to raise discussion about the nature of "obedience, choice, and freedom of expression."

Each night, a special guest lead will appear on stage, without prior knowledge of the story they are about to perform.

It’s only once they are on the stage that they will be handed an envelope containing the script they will then have to perform, without rehearsal or director to guide them through it.

First launching in 2011, the play has had a recurring appearance on London’s West End since 2024, with Ghosts’ Mathew Baynton, Sense and Sensibility’s Daisy Edgar-Jones and Baby Reindeer’s Richard Gadd among those taking on the challenge.

Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, this year has seen Bridgerton’s Luke Thompson, Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker and The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar among the line-up already.

A new five-week run starts tonight (October 12) with Bait’s Riz Ahmed taking to the stage.

The show will run at the Duchess Theatre every Monday, with Lycett, Cooke, stand-up comedian Nish Kumar and Game of Thrones's John Bradley all confirmed as one-night-only leads.

The play will continue through to 12 December, with other cast additions yet to be announced.

White Rabbit, Red Rabbit is currently playing at the Duchess Theatre. Tickets start from £25 and are available here.

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Authors

Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.