Members of the cast of The Rocky Horror Show turned up at Swindon station yesterday afternoon (Tuesday 29 August) to entertain passengers and promote the show.

The show is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary and remains very popular with theatregoers. It is playing at Swindon’s Wyvern Theatre until this Saturday (2 September). Ticket prices start at ten pounds and can be booked online. The Wyvern is a 635-seat venue located in the town’s Theatre Square.

Cast members Eddie (Joe Allen) and Brad (Richard Meek) entertained Great Western Railway (GWR) passengers and staff with a rendition of the song ‘Time Warp’, encouraging onlookers to join in with jumping to the left, stepping to the right and thrusting their pelvises.

Eddie delivered a ‘Mind the gap’ announcement, using a few lines from the show to ensure that passengers stood behind the yellow line. Sensible Brad checked tickets and gave directions to passengers.

The Rocky Horror show is touring the country to sell-out crowds. The current production of Richard O’Brien’s legendary rock ‘n’ roll musical is a special anniversary production. It first opened in London in June 1973 at the Royal Court Theatre, and has since become the longest continuous run of a contemporary musical in the world. More than thirty million people in more than thirty countries have seen the shgow, which has been translated into twenty languages.

The Evening Standard described it as “Still the sexiest and funniest show in town”, and the Daily Telegraph called it “Fresh, subversive, essential”.

The Rocky Horror Show tells the story of two innocent and well-behaved college kids – Brad and Janet – who have just got engaged to be married. While driving at night to visit their former college professor, their car breaks down and they seek refuge in a mansion. There, they meet the charismatic Dr Frank’n’Furter and are drawn into a series of party games and unusual encounters.

The show features memorable songs including Sweet Transvestite and Damn it Janet, and both fun and sexual scenes. It combines science-fiction, horror, comedy and music and encourages audience participation. Many fans attend wearing outrageous fancy dress.

GWR and the Great Western Railway have strong historical roots in Swindon.

The Swindon Engineering works opened in 1843 and became one of the world’s largest railway engineering works, by 1900 employing more than twelve thousand people, making a significant contribution to Swindon’s economy.

The works closed in 1986, and its Grade-II-listed site now houses the Swindon Designer Outlet Village and the STEAM museum, which dedicated to the history of the Great Western Railway.

Laura James, Theatre Director at the Wyvern, said: “We are absolutely delighted that The Rocky Horror Show is back in Swindon. We’ve had an absolute blast causing some mischief and mayhem with our friends at GWR and hopefully given passengers a little light relief during their journey. Come and see the show – it’s astounding!”

Great Western Railway Sales and Marketing Director, Amanda Burns, said: “We were thrilled to welcome the cast of The Rocky Horror Show as they brought their platforms to the platform for our customers and colleagues at Swindon station yesterday. It’s not every day that you see Eddie at the station, and we are delighted to work with our partners at Wyvern as we deliver services to some of the country’s most iconic venues and destinations.”