Joss Ackland, Emma Fielding and Ian McNeice Set For The King's Speech U.K. Tour

Joss Ackland, Emma Fielding and Ian McNeice will join previously announced stars Charles Edwards and Jonathan Hyde in the upcoming U.K. tour of The King's Speech. Ackland will play George V, with Fielding playing Queen Elizabeth and McNeice taking on the role of Winston Churchill. The play, directed by Adrian Noble, is set to premiere at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford on February 1, 2012, followed by stops in Nottingham, Bath, Brighton, Richmond and Newcastle.

The King’s Speech, by Oscar-winning screenwriter David Seidler, was originally conceived as a play before it was adapted into a film starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Directed by Tom Hooper, the movie version of The King's Speech follows King George's struggle with a speech impediment and the friendship that forms between the British royal and his unconventional speech therapist, Logue.

Fielding appeared on Broadway in Private Lives. Her TV credits include Cranford and The Ghost Squad. Ackland's theater credits include Evita and A Little Night Music. McNeice previously played Winston Churchill on TV's Doctor Who and the National Theatre's Never So Good.

The King's Speech is expected to transfer to the West End and Broadway, though no exact plans have been announced at this time.