Sir Ian McKellen made a surprise appearance in Newcastle this weekend when he took to the stage in Les Miserables at the Theatre Royal.
While audience members at the theatre may not have been aware of the famous actor merging with the cast during the matinee performance of the musical, his fellow performers were only too keen to share their spotlight.
And when Sir Ian later joined them in a pub sing-along, Les Mis actor Will Richardson shared a video of the impromptu performance with the man he called a "legend".
Posting on Instagram and Twitter, Richardson, who plays Enjolras in the touring production of the hit musical which is currently running at the Theatre Royal, told how the star of stage and screen had shared his dressing room ahead of Saturday's matinee.
He said he then had the chance to lead his "very special guest" on the barricade, adding: "Someone pinch me. An afternoon I’ll never ever forget!"
Images show the award-winning actor - whose roles span Shakespearean classics to film favourites such as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings - in Les Mis costume and Richardson, who shared the video of the pub sing-along of the song One Day More from the show, added that the "true thespian legend" also had been to watch the evening's performance.
He wrote: "Such a gentleman and so very kind! He said he’s desperate to be in it.. so we let him sing with us" #what a night."
The news of the famous actor's Les Mis debut was also shared on the musical's Facebook page, where it attracted lots of excited comments from fans and audience members who also called the show "spectacular" and "brilliant".
One, Sarah Steel, responded: "What a pleasure it was to see him and to see all of this incredible cast," while Sandra Gabriell Nino wrote: "Sir Ian! OMG! That's beyond exciting! From his costume I assume he was one of the ABC boys. I can totally picture him singing Red and Black! *faints in excitement*".
This Sunday will see Sir Ian in his own spotlight at the Theatre Royal when he will takes to its stage again, this time as the star of - in celebration of his 80th birthday year - which is here for one day only and slots in between the Les Mis run which then will continue until October 5.
Sir Ian has spoken in in the past, calling the Grey Street landmark "one of the most beautiful acting spaces".
Given the level of demand for his show on Sunday evening, a matinee performance also has been added. See here.
