Theatre fans and London visitors now have the incredible chance to explore the fascinating world of the West End with the help of none other than six-time Olivier Award winner Ian McKellen, with the launch of our free Official London Theatre Audio Tour.
Lord Of The Rings star McKellen is one of the world’s greatest living theatre stars, so tour-goers couldn’t be in better hands as he assumes the role of director to guide you through iconic and lesser known sites around Theatreland, sharing his priceless personal memories along the way.
The Official London Theatre Audio Tour is now available to download through VoiceMap, the immersive audio walking tour company that uses GPS to play stories about your surroundings at exactly the right time.
Starting and ending at the TKTS ticket booth in Leicester Square, as you walk the app uses your location and offline maps to play audio automatically, and once downloaded the tour is not reliant on data or WiFi.
Talking about his collaboration with Official London Theatre to create the unique tour, McKellen said: “I know myself when I’m in a strange city that wandering around with your nose in a guidebook isn’t the best way to appreciate what’s going on. The important thing when you’re walking around a city like London is to look up and down the alleyways and round the corner. With a guide in your ear all this is much easier.”
Throughout the tour, listeners will hear anecdotes and personal stories about McKellen’s time on stage and the history that has shaped London’s world-famous theatre district, giving you the opportunity to experience the West End like never before.
Was lucky enough to have a preview of the brilliant new @O_L_T theatreland walking tour with @IanMcKellen yesterday – a great afternoon!
— Robin Johnson (@robinpjohnson7) May 18, 2016
The Official London Theatre Audio Tour with Ian McKellen is now available to download for free from the VoiceMap app on iPhone or Android smartphones. You can buy headphones at TKTS where the tour starts and ends, with free WiFi also available to download the app.
We’d love to hear about your experiences on the tour, so make sure to tweet us @O_L_T to let us know your favourite bits from McKellen’s story.