Ian McKellen forced to cancel UK tour after horror fall

Ian McKellen has been forced to withdraw from a UK-wide tour of his latest Shakespeare production after suffering injury.

Last month, the 85-year-old acting legend fell off stage at the Noël Coward theatre in London where he was performing in a production of Player Kings, which merges Shakespeare's Henry IV Parts 1 and 2.

Theatregoers were horrified when the actor lost his footing during a fight scene and fell, with reports at the time stating he screamed out in pain and asked for "help".

Now the star has released a statement to reveal he won't be going on tour with the production, explaining, "Two weeks after my accident on stage, my injuries improve day by day. It's with the greatest reluctance that I have accepted the medical advice to protect my full recovery by not working in the meantime."

He continued: "I had been so looking forward to bringing Player Kings to theatre-goers in Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle. But I can assure them that, with David Semark now playing Falstaff, Robert Icke's production and his acting company remain as dazzling as ever."

He encouraged fans to fill the seats regardless, adding, "Go see for yourself!"

The UK tour will now continue without the Lord of the Rings icon, with shows set to wow audiences at Bristol's Hippodrome theatre, Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre, the Theatre Royal in Norwich and the Theatre Royal in Newcastle throughout July.