Despite being dead since 1946, HG Wells will finally have a say on how The War of the Worlds has impacted the globe since it was published in 1897.

Conducted by Radlett resident Jeff Wayne, The War of the Worlds Final Arena Tour will see the celebrated author brought back to life through the acting talents of Scot Callum O’Neil, something that Jeff is really excited about.

Jeff says: “Over the years TWOTW has built a reputation by challenging our creative team to add new ingredients to every production that would move and excite our audiences further,”

“For our final UK arena tour, I decided that it was time to give HG Wells a chance to ‘have his say’, about why he wrote what has become known as the first science fiction story ever written, and its meaning to the real world we live in.”

As a result, HG Wells will be seen and heard in three riveting scenes within the show – aged 33, 53 and 79 – spanning the end of the 19th Century and the two subsequent World Wars.

The War of the Worlds arguably earned its place in history after a legendary broadcast by Orson Wells, who presented the Martian invasion as a news bulletin that led thousands of Americans to panic, thinking they were actually being attacked by extraterrestrials. The tour, however, won’t cause quite the same pandemonium and will feature an all-star cast including Liam Neeson – appearing via 3D holography – Brian McFadden, Jason Donovan, Shane Ward and Harrow’s own Carrie Hope Fletcher.

The ensemble will perform alongside a 36-piece string orchestra as well as the nine-piece Black Smoke Band and the, now iconic, three-tonne, 35-foot-tall Martian Fighting Machine, which will fire real flames above the audience and scan the crowd as it ‘lands’ on centre stage.

  • The War of the Worlds Final Arena Tour will come to the O2 Arena on Saturday, December 13. Details: 020 8463 2000, theo2.co.uk