Dara Ó Briain wants councils to save theatres from demolition

Dara Ó Briain today urged local councils and communities to take action to save theatres at risk of being demolished.

The Mock The Week host issued the warning as research from the Theatres Trust revealed that six of the 35 most endangered venues are in the capital.

The organisation’s annual “risk register”, launched today at the Soho Theatre, identified The Cryer in Sutton, The Coronet in Elephant and Castle, The Granada in Walthamstow, The Secombe in Sutton, the Alexandra Palace Theatre and the Streatham Hill Theatre.

Ó Briain, a Theatres Trust trustee, said: “They are not on this list because they are beautiful ruins, they’re here because they are just a few good decisions from living again, of taking their place at the heart of their communities."

"We’re asking local authorities to stop viewing these sites as liabilities, and start thinking of them as opportunities.”