Urmston is set for a transformation after leaders signed off on a 15-year vision for the town centre.

Trafford council is aiming to “future proof” Urmston as a “successful” and “dynamic” place to live and work. It has now signed off on a plan that will shape investment and regeneration in the town over the coming years.

A number of key areas are being eyed up as redevelopment opportunities, including Urmston’s derelict market site, the area around the library and several empty buildings around the town centre. Improvements in the streets are also proposed with new seating and road crossings being considered.

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Called the Urmston Plan, the vision will act as a guide for future projects in the town, with the council saying it will be able to use it as a basis for funding and investment bids in future years. The authority will also be liaising with landowners in the town centre to encourage sites to be improved or brought back to use. A list of the areas being considered for regeneration can be found below.

The plan has been drawn up following consultation with residents and businesses in the area, with almost 550 responses received. Concerns were raised from within the community over the general upkeep of the town, with issues such as cracked paving, potholes and litter flagged.

Residents also bemoaned a lack of public toilets in their park and a dearth of comfortable seating areas for the elderly. Young people in the town also criticised a lack of places for them to meet and socialise, particularly when the weather is bad.

Some criticised the town centre as dated and said they were “disappointed” with the number of vacant shops in the centre. Others raised problems on the roads, including congestion, poor parking and a lack of cycle infrastructure. Residents also said they wanted improved public transport into the town, including the creation of a Metrolink service.

Liz Patel, Trafford council’s executive member for economy and regeneration, said: “Urmston is one of Trafford’s most amazing and unique town centres […] and this plan is the latest reflection of our commitment to ensuring its future as a vibrant town centre that both delivers for residents and supports the diverse and hardworking businesses that call it home.”

She added: “The plan is not an end in itself, but a helpful and timely review of the priorities for the town centre and needs in Urmston. As and when investment and development opportunities arise, it will be a guide to that development.”

Councillor Joanne Harding has lived in Urmston since 1987, and represents it on the authority. She said: “Urmston really does have a charm of its own and it has a real sense of community that pulls together. Some of the historic buildings that we have, some of the architecture, is to be cherished.”

Regeneration ideas for Urmston

Higher Road – More planting, seating and lighting are proposed for the area around the cherry trees at the western end of Higher Road

Urmston Library – the overhanging roof of the library offers cover for people waiting for buses, but is not well-lit and needs more seating and planting, Trafford council has said. Existing columns and walls could also feature local artwork to “evoke feelings of local pride”.

Flixton Road / Crofts Bank Road – There is currently no pedestrian crossing between the pedestrianised zone at Golden Way and Urmston train station, the council said. A raised crossing is proposed across from the Millennium Clock, with the existing bus stop outside Bevano Lounge to be moved up the road. Trees would also be planted along this stretch.

Gloucester Road From Atkinson Road to the B5214 – This route hosts a variety of businesses, the council has said. Trees are proposed to be planted along this stretch, with seating built into some of the planters so people can stop for a coffee or have somewhere to sit while waiting for an appointment.

Former bank on corner of Crofts Bank Road – The council wants to see this building brought back into use to meet community needs, with arts, culture or leisure uses suggested for it. The building is currently vacant, but Trafford does not know what the landowner intends for its future.

Urmston Market – Planning permission was granted in February 2022 for the redevelopment of the site into an indoor market hall, work hub, hotel and children’s play areas. The scheme has stalled due to “viability challenges”, Trafford said.

Former Ridings Store – Again, Trafford wants to see the site brought back into use to meet community needs, with arts, culture or leisure uses once more suggested. However, the site is in “complex ownership” with the council believing its intervention might be needed to bring about its redevelopment.

Victoria Parade – Trafford said there is an opportunity here for a mixed-use residential development to be brought forward, incorporating commercial or work spaces. Again, ownership of this site has been described as complex and the project long-term.

Former TMBC Depot Building – This could be redeveloped into accommodation to meet either general housing need in the town or for older people. The intentions of the landowners for the site are “unknown”, Trafford has said. However, the council believes they would be “likely to support redevelopment”.

Former surgery on corner Station Road – Once more, the council wants to see this building redeveloped to meet community needs, such as through arts, culture or leisure use. Trafford has indicated that the owner is interested in redeveloping the site.

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has arrived at a Los Angeles courthouse to testify in a civil trial on social media addiction, a closely-watched case that could have major implications for the tech industry.

The 41-year-old billionaire is slated to be grilled by attorneys, who argue that social media platforms are deliberately engineered as “digital casinos” to lure young users into constant engagement.

Zuckerberg’s testimony before the jury at the Los Angeles County Superior Court will not be live streamed, but reporters in the room are expected to provide updates.

At the center of the case is a 20-year-old California woman, identified in court papers only as KGM, who filed a lawsuit against Meta, TikTok, Google, and Snap in 2022. She accused the companies of following Big Tobacco’s playbook: instilling addictive behaviors in teens while dismissing their own research showing their products posed health risks.

KGM said that, at six years old, she began obsessively using YouTube, and three years later, she started scrolling on Instagram. She claimed these platforms exacerbated her suicidal thoughts and depression.

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Before the trial began, TikTok and Snap settled with the plaintiff, narrowing the case to two defendants: Meta and Google.

“These companies built machines designed to addict the brains of children,” KGM’s attorney Mark Lanier said at the beginning of the trial earlier this month. “And they did it on purpose.”

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has pushed back against the allegations.

“The question for the jury in Los Angeles is whether Instagram was a substantial factor in the plaintiff’s mental health struggles. The evidence will show she faced many significant, difficult challenges well before she ever used social media,” a Meta spokesperson told The Independent.

Paul Schmidt, Meta’s lawyer, said in his opening statement that medical records indicate the plaintiff had a tumultuous home life and that she sought out social media platforms to cope with her pre-existing struggles.

Google has also denied the allegations brought by KGM.

More than 1,500 similar lawsuits have been filed against social media companies, but KGM’s is the first to go to trial, according to CNN. It’s been chosen as a bellwether trial, meaning its verdict could shape the outcome of numerous suits like it.

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A legal victory for KGM could set a landmark precedent, making tech companies liable for designing addictive and harmful products.

In recent years, a number of studies have found links between young peoples’ frequent use of social media and negative mental health outcomes, such as anxiety and depression.

Meta, headquartered in Menlo Park, California, is also on trial in a separate case in New Mexico, in which plaintiffs accuse the company of exposing minors to sexual material and fostering a “breeding ground” for sexual predators. The company has denied the charges and has accused prosecutors of adopting “sensationalist” tactics.

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This is the first time that Mark Zuckerberg, who is worth an estimated $220 billion, has appeared at a civil trial at a courthouse. However he has appeared before Congress to testify on what impact his platforms – which are used by billions of people worldwide – have on youth mental health.

In January 2024, Zuckerberg attended a Capitol Hill hearing on social media’s harms, where lawmakers blasted him and other tech CEOs for failing to adequately address issues including addiction, mental health crises, bullying and sexual predators.

During the televised hearing, children and parents provided testimony describing how young people were exploited on social media platforms. Demonstrators silently stood behind Zuckerberg, holding up pictures of their deceased children

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At one point, Republican Senator Josh Hawley asked Zuckerberg if he would like to apologize to the families of victims seated in the room.

“I’m sorry for everything you have all been through,” the Meta CEO said, while turning to face them. “No one should go through the things that your families have suffered.” He noted that the company has invested in “industrywide efforts” to safeguard children.

In recent years, Meta has implemented several child safety measures, including age restrictions and parental controls.

‘I keep thinking I must have asked for it in some way,’ said the traumatised victim

A takeaway delivery driver demanded oral sex from a 14-year-old customer he had lured into an alley. Himanshu Himanshu, 26, was working for Chicken Valley in Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf, when he exposed himself to the girl, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Hannah Friedman said the Indian national, who was in the UK on a student visa, groomed the child for weeks with offers to buy her clothes and shoes. On the night of the incident she went to Chicken Valley with friends and Himanshu turned up in his car.

Her friends walked a short distance to get a phone signal, while the girl accepted Himanshu’s instruction to get into his car because it was raining. He told her to stay with him rather than follow her friends, the court heard. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Himanshu offered her cigarettes and a vape, which she declined, before leaving the car and taking her into a nearby alley, saying he wanted to show her something.

Ms Friedman told the court: “She asked what it was and tried to say no but the defendant kept saying, ‘Come on.’ He had his arm around her and was coaxing her down the lane.

“The defendant went into the alley and stopped. He told her to go in front of him so if someone came they wouldn’t be able to see him. She thought he was going to show her something on his phone.

“He pulled his trousers and underwear down to about mid-thigh height, exposing his penis. He said, ‘Suck it.’”

The girl said she would not and reminded him she was 14 years old. He replied that he did not care and again ordered her to “suck it”.

Himanshu was exposed for around 20 seconds before the girl managed to whistle to get her friends’ attention. They went to help her and Himanshu got back in his car. The following day, police arrested him at Chicken Valley.

The defendant, of Cymmer High Street, initially denied inciting a child to engage in sexual activity but pleaded guilty on the day his trial was due to start.

In the victim’s impact statement she said she could not trust strangers since the incident and that she felt “terrified” of the dark.

“I can’t go outside at night, I don’t like going out in the day or even go to the local park by myself,” she said. “I have trouble sleeping and travelling down to court [for the scheduled trial] was particularly terrifying. I keep thinking I must have asked for it in some way.”

The court heard Himanshu’s student visa was due to run to 2027 but that he had been served with a deportation order. He has been remanded in custody since August because he breached his bail conditions by failing to surrender his passport.

His barrister David Singh said: “This is a defendant of relatively young age with no previous convictions, I’m told, either here or in his home country. He has no plan to appeal against deportation and wants to return to India as a matter of urgency as his parents are unwell.”

The judge, recorder Mark Powell, noted that it was the victim’s friends who “came and prevented anything else happening”. He told the defendant: “She is a girl who was vulnerable and I can be sure you took advantage of that vulnerability. No doubt you found her sexually attractive.”

Recorder Powell imposed 330 days in jail and a sexual harm prevention order which will last 10 years.

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The global phenomenon Mundo Pixar Experience has officially opened in London, bringing the largest immersive Pixar exhibition on Earth to the UK for the very first time

If you’ve ever wanted to step inside Andy’s Toy Story bedroom or take a stroll down Monsters Inc’s Scare Floor then Pixar’s brand new exhibition is a must-visit as it arrives in the UK for the first time.

Iconic sets from the animation studio’s most adored movies have been painstakingly recreated for the Mundo Pixar Experience. The exhibition, held a stones throw from Wembley Stadium, north London, allows visitors to walk through 14 rooms celebrating some of their favourite scenes with life-sized sets and immersive sound and light effects and props.

Experience Finding Nemo’s undersea odyssey with jellyfish cascading from the ceiling or admire Luca’s quaint Italian hometown from the seat of a red Vespa. Each room brings brand new surprises and families will love emerging from the corridors to be transported into another famous Pixar universe.

Visitors can race into Flo’s Café from Cars to meet Lightning McQueen, or soar through the skies with Carl Fredricksen from Up. They can also visit the Headquarters of Riley’s emotions from Inside Out 2, and journey from Coco Land of the Living to the Land of the Dead.

Already proving a huge hit, the first few weeks of the London exhibition have sold out fast with more dates added.

Here’s everything to know about the Experience…

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How to get there

Location: Fulton Road, Wembley, HA9 0TF

It is easily accessed by car, with a public parking lot available at the venue for an extra fee.

Coming from the closest tube station, Wembley Park (Metropolitan/Jubilee lines) head straight down Wembley Way and take a left before you reach Boxpark and continue until you see a host of favourite characters lined up on billboards showing you the way.

Stepping inside

After a quick bag check, ticket scan and buggy park up (if needed) guests will head inside an auditorium where they are greeted by one of the Pixar Experience team. A short film is played to build up the excitement of what’s to come, showcasing some beloved characters and movie moments from the last 30 years.

Guests can explore the rooms at their own pace (although 45 minutes to one hour is the expected time to complete for most).

The experience begins in the immaculate garden of Carl Fredricksen’s house in Up. From there, take a peek inside, sit yourself down on the famous two armchairs and continue on your Pixar adventure at your leisure.

Review

For anyone who is a fan of the Pixar movies this exhibition is a rare and real treat.

Kids will love heading through the experience, peeling back the curtain and being transported to the sets of some of their favourite movies which come to life before their eyes.

The Toy Story rooms were a particular highlight, with the scale of Andy’s bedroom giving everyone the chance to feel like part of the toy collection. Later there is Sunnyside Daycare to explore; including the pastel haven that is Ken’s Dreamhouse.

There are plenty of opportunities to get snap happy with designated photo points throughout, although every inch of the purpose-built space is so photoworthy with impressive attention to detail you’ll want to soak it all in.

There will be something for everyone with 1995’s Toy Story kicking off the nostalgia and newer classics including Cars (2006) Inside Out (2015), Elemental (2023) and Luca (2024) giving gans the chance to experience a catalogue of hits.

As well as the rooms, our little ones also had fun playing the Easter Egg hunt with the iconic Luxo Ball – Pixar’s famous yellow balls with the blue stripe and red star – being hidden in every room. Those in the know will already be aware that the balls appear in numerous Pixar films.

What the experts say

Jay Ward, a creative director at Pixar, said the exhibition, which features 14 film sets from the Disney-owned animation studio, sought to recapture the studio’s trademark attention to detail.

“We are film-makers and we love to really lavish attention to detail on our movies, which you can tell when you watch them again and again. Same thing with Mundo Pixar – we want to give a lavish amount of details and hidden Easter eggs and fun things,” he said.

Mundo Pixar Experience runs from now until June and is open every day except Tuesdays. Daily time slots begin at either 9am or 10am (depending on the date) and run until 7pm. During UK school holidays, the exhibition is open daily, including Tuesdays.

Booking in advance is strongly recommended.

This comes with a full council meeting set to take place at town hall on the evening on Wednesday February 18 with council tax set to rise by 4.99 per cent.

But the authority has already set out that there will be no new spending cuts announced as part of this year’s budget.

Speaking at an earlier briefing, council leader Cllr Nick Peel said:  “What we’re proposing has no cuts, but that’s dependent on that council tax rise.”

He added: “Everybody complains about taxes, but it’s a fact of life, over the years of austerity, any kind of inefficiencies in local government have been driven out.”

The meeting will be held at Bolton Town Hall (Image: Anthony Moss)

The rise of 4.99 per cent was included in the authority’s budget proposals announced and consulted on last December and January before being agreed the following February.

This tax rise had been agreed to cover to the end of the 2027 financial year, but the authority is legally required to set council tax charges and consult on its best value duty every year.

The rise of 4.99 per cent is the highest any local authority in England can set without holding a referendum.

This does not include the Mayoral Police and Crime Commissioner precept or the Mayoral General Precept, which covers the fire and rescue service.

Nigel Farage has been accused of “playing into short-sighted, divisive politics” after making unproven claims that middle-class, white men are losing jobs because of the Equality Act.

His claim came just a day after Suella Braverman, Reform UK’s new equality and education chief, promised to scrap the act on day one if her party won the next election, claiming that Britain is being “ripped apart by diversity, equality and inclusion” policies.

The Equality Act 2010 – which replaced previous anti-discrimination laws – legally protects people with protected characteristics, including: age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation, from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society.

But the Reform leader claims those protections are to the detriment of white men.

Asked on Wednesday whether he could guarantee nobody would lose a job because of their sex, ethnicity or disability under his party’s plans to scrap the Equality Act, Mr Farage said: “Well, people are losing their jobs now, particularly if they are white, and male and middle-aged.

“And that’s the problem, that actually something that was designed to stop discrimination becomes in itself discriminatory. The protections you’re talking about were in law way before the 2010 Equalities Act.”

However, official figures from July to September 2025 appear to show that the opposite is true, with people from white ethnic backgrounds having lower rates of unemployment in the UK than those from minority ethnic backgrounds.

In this period, the UK unemployment rate for people from a white ethnic background was 4.3 per cent, an increase of 0.7 percentage points from the same period the previous year. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for people from minority ethnic backgrounds was 8.8 per cent, an increase of 0.6 percentage points from the same period the previous year.

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And according to the 2021 census for England and Wales, people from White Irish and White British ethnic backgrounds had the lowest unemployment rates at 4.7 and 4.9 per cent respectively. People from Arab and Other Black ethnic backgrounds had the highest unemployment rates, at 14.3 per cent and 14.2 per cent, respectively.

Responding to Mr Farage’s remarks, Dr Shabna Begum, CEO of leading anti-racism charity the Runnymede Trust, hit out at Mr Farage’s comments, accusing him of “playing into short-sighted, divisive politics that does nothing to help anyone and instead breeds the politics of grievance and resentment”.

Dr Begum also took aim at Ms Braverman’s claim that the country is being “ripped apart by diversity, equality and inclusion” policies, dubbing it “inflammatory, divisive and quite frankly dishonest”.

She told The Independent: “At a time when racial and religiously motivated hate crimes and violence against women and girls are all steeply rising, it would be irresponsible to remove the few protections in place for those at risk.”

Meanwhile, Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), accused Mr Farage of “peddling made-up nonsense”.

“The Equality Act protects everyone at work – including white, middle-aged men – whether from age discrimination, religious discrimination or other unfair treatment”, he said.

“Let’s be clear about what’s really going on here. Reform wants to legalise discrimination and rip up hard-won workplace rights. That isn’t standing up for working people – it’s leaving people at the mercy of bad bosses. It’s a bully’s charter.”

James Douglas, legal director at the Good Law Project, accused Mr Farage of being “detached from both the law and reality”, telling The Independent: “Scrapping the Equality Act wouldn’t just take us back to 2010, it would reverse all the progress we’ve made since the 1970s.”

“Scare stories about white, middle-aged men losing their jobs don’t hide the fact that by opposing it, Reform have made clear that they don’t believe in equality”, he added.

And Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, who sits on the Women and Equalities Committee, warned Mr Farage that “rights are not finite”.

She said: “Protecting people who might be vulnerable because of their sex, ethnicity, or disability does not undermine anyone else’s rights.

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“It simply creates a level playing field for all of us. Should we always be aware of how we can improve those protections in the act? Yes, but that’s very different from what Reform is suggesting.”

Mr Farage’s latest comments came after Ms Braverman, who was newly appointed as Reform’s head of education, skills and equalities, asked: “Why does no one in this government seem to care that it’s white working-class boys who have the worst educational outcomes in our country today?”

She added: “Do you know what a Reform government will do? Well, on day one, we will get rid of the equalities department, we will scrap the equalities minister.

“And we will repeal the Equality Act, because we are going to work to build a country defined by meritocracy not tokenism, personal responsibility not victimhood, excellence not mediocrity, and unity not division.”

The MP for Fareham and Waterlooville also attacked the rights of transgender young people, saying that “social and gender transitioning will be banned in all schools, no ifs, no buts” if Reform comes to power.

She promised to “bring an end to the transgender chaos in schools”, claiming that children are “taught more about gender ideology than biological fact”.

Reform UK has been contacted for comment.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old were arrested within hours of the Harrogate householder reporting the crime yesterday (February 17).   They had also found the stolen car.

Four more suspects have been arrested, after another vehicle believed to be involved in the burglary was traced, pursued and stopped in a Bradford housing estate.  Inside were two men from the West Yorkshire city, both aged 19, who were both arrested.

Two more suspects both from Harrogate and aged 17, were arrested earlier today (February 18).

The burglary occurred in the early hours of yesterday morning, when raiders broke into the house and used keys found in the property to steal the owner’s car from outside the properly.

The same day, police traced the car and intercepted it in a Harrogate street. Two people ran away from it and after searching the area, officers found the 17-year-old and 18-year-old, who are from Bradford.

All six suspects were arrested on suspicion of burglary or theft or a combination of both and remain in police custody for questioning.

Police and fire crews were called shortly after 10.30pm on Tuesday

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A vehicle came under gunfire in a residential street, with the driver subsequently crashing before all occupants abandoned the scene.

Emergency services rushed to Radnor Close in Rednal, Birmingham shortly after 10.30pm on Tuesday (February 17). Both police and fire crews responded to the incident, with firefighters alerted to the collision at 10.44pm, described as a vehicle striking a stationary van.

Officers confirmed the vehicle had been targeted by gunfire before colliding with the parked vehicle, with those inside fleeing on foot. Authorities stated no injuries have been reported to them – whilst a West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed they received no call-out, reports Birmingham Live.

The street was cordoned off, with a damaged black Volkswagen visible wedged against the driver’s side of a white van.

West Midlands Police has launched an investigation and is appealing for witnesses, particularly anyone with dashcam footage, to contact them.

A force spokesperson stated: “We are investigating after shots were fired at a car in Radnor Close, Birmingham, at just after 10.30pm yesterday (Tues). Officers understand that the car hit a stationary vehicle before the occupants fled the scene.

“No one has reported any injuries to us. Investigators are working to establish who was involved and trace those responsible.”

The statement added: “We will have extra patrols in the area in the coming days to offer reassurance to the community. Anyone with information including dashcam and mobile phone footage should contact us on 101 quoting l crime reference 20/151300/26”.

“Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.”

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West End performer and television star Mead, now 44, made his breakthrough when winning the BBC One reality show Any Dream Will Do in 2007, going on to star in the Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat tour that brought him to the Cumberland Street theatre in 2010.

Lee is no stranger to Barnum, first playing the show-hosting Ringmaster in a school production when he was 13 or 14 in his home town of Southend-on-Sea.

“I had such a brilliant time and I thought the story and the characters were wonderful. And it had all these fantastic songs, like Come Follow The Band, The Colours Of My Life and There Is A Sucker Born Every Minute.”

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Lee’s friend Chris was cast in the lead role. “And he was a great Barnum, but I remember thinking, ‘It would be lovely to play that part one day’.”

Now, three decades later, his wish has come true at last as he headlines a lavish new UK tour of the 1980 musical by Cy Coleman (music), Michael Stewart (lyrics) and Mark Bramble (book).

Barnum: The Circus Musical tells the story of legendary American showman, marketing genius and master of spectacle P.T. Barnum, who revolutionised entertainment in the 1800s through the Barnum & Bailey Circus and the Greatest Show on Earth.

As he steps into the ring for the 2026 tour, Lee says: “It’s an absolute classic and I can’t quite believe I now get to play Barnum some 30 years after that school production. I think I must have somehow manifested it.”

Barnum’s tour show is directed by Jonathan O’Boyle, choreographed by Strictly Come Dancing alumna Oti Mabuse and features more than 20 actor-musicians, alongside acrobats and international circus acts.

Starring as Barnum is not only a dream come true for the Any Dream Will Do winner but also an homage to his grandfather Bert and grandmother Lil, who did not have much money, meaning that a trip to the theatre was very rare for them.

“But they saved up for a year and a half to see Barnum at the London Palladium and they loved it,” says Lee. “It stayed with them their whole lives. Sadly they’re no longer with us, but I know they would have been so proud to see me in it. Every performance is going to be for them.”

Since Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Lee has starred in Wicked, Legally Blonde, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Chicago and Sister Act and plenty besides. “But this is definitely my most challenging role,” he says.

“It’s one of those rare roles for a leading man. It’s an enormous part, with huge monologues and so many songs, and I don’t think I leave the stage for two hours, apart from the interval of course.”

Then add the tightrope walking, a discipline that has required several months of intense training for Lee. “It’s the kind of thing you learn at 24, not 44,” he says. “I’ve had to get myself fit and put in the work. The rope is about 7ft off the ground and, although I trained with a harness on, there’s no harness during the show itself.

“You have to use your whole body, your whole core and every ounce of your focus and energy to get across that wire, but I like a challenge.”

Does he play an instrument too in this actor-musician show? “I don’t, no. I already have enough to do with the acting, singing, dancing and tightrope walking!” he says.

As with Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman, the musical looks at the real man behind the on-stage showman, not least how he had a wife named Charity but became infatuated with Swedish singer Jenny Lind.

“So he’s a flawed character, as most human beings are,” muses Lee. “As an actor, it’s interesting to explore that side of him alongside all the spectacle. It makes for great drama.”

When researching the role, “it was interesting to learn about Barnum’s tenacity and his drive, which I think you have to have to be as successful as he was,” says Lee. “At times he kind of put his wife to one side, even though she was so supportive and loving, so I guess you could say that he was very selfish.

“But he wanted the world to see all these amazing acts that he brought together, like the oldest woman in the world, Joice Heth and General Tom Thumb. It was his passion.”

Lee picks The Colours Of My Life as his favourite song in the show “because the melody is beautiful and it’s about him trying to explain to Charity why he is the way he is, with all the different colours to him as a person and why he wants to light people up, entertain them and make them happy,” he says.

Those sentiments now apply to Lee’s own performance too.

Lee Mead stars in Barnum: The Circus Musical at Grand Opera House, York, February 24 to 28, 7.30pm plus Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.