Bristol University’s team might be going well in this year’s University Challenge, but a novel and coming-of-age film about a fictional Bristol Uni team in the 1980s has now been turned into a musical and will come ‘home’ to the city later this year.
Set in 1980s Bristol, the stage musical version of the movie Starter For Ten, which is now become something of a cult film from the Noughties, will be presented at the Bristol Old Vic for a month-long run in September and October.
The original 2006 film starred such British acting luminaries as James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Catherine Tate and James Corden, and was set but not filmed in Bristol. It tells the everyday story of a working-class student Brian, who goes to Bristol Uni, falls in love with a girl, gets onto the University Challenge team but then gets disqualified for cheating.
The music version of Starter for Ten first appeared in what was a record-breaking run at the Old Vic in Bristol back in February 2024, and is back from September 10 until October 11 this year.
It is inspired by the film and features an 80s-inspired original score and lyrics by Tom Rasmussen and Hatty Carman. The musical will star popular presenter and comedian Mel Giedroyc, who plays two roles – Brian’s mum Irene Jackson, and Bamber Gascoigne’s sidekick Julia Bland.
“Buzzers at the ready— I’m beyond thrilled to be reunited with Starter for Ten,” she said. “Our first run in Bristol was glorious—the audiences, the energy, the sheer joy —and to be returning to Bristol Old Vic feels like coming home (again).
“Let’s crack open the Babycham immediately please. We’re bringing back the nail-biting competition, the romance, the wild 80s-inspired original soundtrack that will have you throwing on a legwarmer, back-combing your hair till it’s as big as Thatcher’s and dancing like nobody’s watching. I am genuinely so proud of our show and cannot wait for even more people to see it,” she added.
Tickets for the musical went on sale this week.