Film Club Ralph Davis is Hamlet for 2026 RSC tour

Ralph Davis: set to play Hamlet for the RSC on tour in 2026

Acclaimed Shakespearian actor and star and creator of the BBC's Film Club, Ralph Davis, will play the title role in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2026 UK tour of Hamlet.

Davis was nominated for the 2023 Ian Charleson Award for playing Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. He also appeared as Edmund in King Lear and most recently played Iago in Othello at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. His RSC credits include Tamburlaine, Timon of Athens, Richard III and King John.

Davis also co-wrote, created and starred in Film Club for the BBC earlier this year. His other screen credits include House of the Dragon for HBO, Big Boys for Channel 4, SAS: Rogue Heroes, Life After Life and Steve McQueen’s Small Axe for the BBC.

About playing Hamlet, he said: "Hamlet changed my life as a little boy. I used to make the pilgrimage to Stratford (10 minutes from my home) to watch heroes of mine climb the mountain of the part.

"It’s a beast. The most exciting story, compelling characters and the most penetrating and beautiful of words. The fact that I am going to get to go on that journey every evening is completely thrilling."

Hamlet is directed by multi award-winner Rupert Goold, and opened in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon earlier this year.

Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, the RSC's joint artistic directors, said: “Rupert Goold’s production promises to be a thrilling piece of theatre. Our long-term partnerships with regional theatres across England are a central part of our mission to redefine experiences of Shakespeare’s work.”

The tour will have northern stops at Bradford Alhambra (March 3-7); Blackpool Grand (March 24-28); Theatre Royal, Newcastle (March 31-April 4), and Theatre Royal, York (April 14-18).

More info and tickets here