Full casting has been announced for the upcoming UK and Ireland tour of The Silence of the Lambs, as the global cultural phenomenon prepares to make its world stage play premiere.
Mollie Gallagher (Coronation Street) will make her professional theatre debut as ‘Clarice Starling’, Oliver Farnworth (Emmerdale) will star as ‘Jack Crawford’ alongside Sam Jackson (Skins) as ‘Buffalo Bill’, when the electrifying new production opens at Leicester’s Curve theatre on Saturday 01 August 2026, ahead of a major UK and Ireland tour.
Also joining the ensemble are Minal Patel as ‘Frederick Chilton’; Jo Mousley as ‘Senator Ruth Martin’; Lottie Amor as ‘Catherine Martin’; Mark Peachey as ‘Pilcher’; Andrew Joshi as ‘Peterson’; Jonny Magnanti as ‘Wertimer’, with Mary Timbrell Hill completing the company, all taking on a variety of roles.
They join previously announced British actor, singer, presenter, writer and director, John Partridge. Best known for his long-running role as Christian Clarke in BBC 1’s Eastenders and extensive range of West End credits from CATS to Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, John will don the iconic mask as the refined and sadistic Dr Hannibal Lecter.
Mollie Gallagher makes her professional theatrical debut as Clarice Starling. Mollie is an award-winning actor (Serial drama performance, National Theatre Awards) best-known for her role as Nina Lucas on ITV long running soap, Coronation Street. Mollie joined Coronation Street straight out of drama school and has since been central to some of the show’s biggest storylines, including the powerful ‘Nina’ and ‘Seb’ hate crime storyline, based on the attack of Sophie Lanacaster. In 2023 Mollie took part in ITV’s Dancing On Ice in which she reached the semi-finals. The Silence of the Lambs is Mollie’s professional theatre debut.
Oliver Farnworth is Jack Crawford. His theatre credits include: 42nd Street (Sadlers Wells); Fatal Attraction (Tour); The Girl on the Train (Tour); The Marilyn Conspiracy (Tour); Down The Dock Road (Theatre Royal Liverpool); Dobbo (Royal Court Liverpool); Inherit The Wind (New Vic Theatre); Beautiful Thing (Arts Theatre / UK Tour); Santa Claus The Musical (Grand Theatre Singapore); The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd (New Vic Theatre); A View From The Bridge (Theatre By The Lake); Holding The Man (Trafalgar Studios); Kes (Liverpool Playhouse & UK Tour); Merchant of Venice (Changeling Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (British Shakespeare Company); Saturday Night, Sunday Morning (Harrogate Theatre / Oldham Coliseum); London Plays: London Tongue (Old red Lion); Under Milk Wood (New Vic Studio); The Roaring Girl (New Vic Studio) and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Redgrave Theatre). Television includes: Emmerdale, Endeavour VI, Coronation Street, Mr. Selfridge, Doctors XIV, The Royal and Hollyoaks. Films include Love Type D.
Sam Jackson is Jame Gumb (Buffalo Bill). His theatre includes: Ichabod Crane in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (UK Tour), Jamie in Beautiful Thing (UK Tour), Haemon in Antigone (Eagle’s Nest Theatre) and Billy in Kes (Derby Playhouse). Television includes: Sean Crimp in Father Brown (BBC), James in Drifters (E4), Cameron Pollins in Holby City (BBC), Ryan in Heartbeat (ITV), Jonathan in The Syndicate (BBC), Alex Henley in Skins (E4). Film includes: Adam in The Drowning of Arthur Braxton (Firefox)
When FBI trainee Clarice Starling is sent to interview the psychiatrist and infamous murderer Hannibal Lecter, it’s hoped his brilliant mind will help catch the sadistic new serial killer, Buffalo Bill. Another girl is missing, and time is running out. But Dr Lecter has questions of his own, and now Clarice must decide: keep a safe distance, or let Hannibal ‘The Cannibal’ into her head?
At just 16, John Partridge left college to join the original UK tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS, later transferring to the West End production at the New London Theatre to star as Rum Tum Tugger. He reprised the role in the official filmed version opposite Elaine Paige and John Mills.
John’s extensive West End, touring and international theatre credits include: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Peacock Theatre); A Chorus Line (London Palladium); The Drowsy Chaperone (Novello Theatre); Notre-Dame de Paris (Dominion Theatre); The Fix (Donmar Warehouse), directed by Sam Mendes; Tommy (Shaftesbury Theatre); Grease (Dominion Theatre); Starlight Express (Apollo Victoria Theatre); The Hunting of the Snark (Prince Edward Theatre); Taboo 20th Anniversary Concert (London Palladium); The Witches of Eastwick in Concert (Sondheim Theatre); The Chalk Garden (Theatre Royal Windsor & Yvonne Arnaud Theatre); The Doncastrian Chalk Circle (National Theatre & CAST Doncaster); The Emcee in Cabaret (Rufus Norris production, UK tour); The View Upstairs (Soho Theatre); Rough Crossing (UK tour); The Case of the Frightened Lady (UK tour); La Cage Aux Folles (UK tour); Chicago (UK tour); The Tempest (Northcott Theatre); Miss Saigon (UK tour); Rent (European tour); Black Goes With Everything (Churchill Theatre, Bromley); Marilyn in Boy George’s Taboo (The Venue); and most recently Billy Haynes in The Code (Southwark Playhouse Elephant).
On screen, John is widely known for his long-running role as Christian Clarke in EastEnders (BBC, 2007–2016). His screen work also includes Involuntary Activist (Iris Prize/BBC) and Cleopatra (Netflix).
A well-known television personality, John won Celebrity MasterChef (BBC) and has appeared on The Real Full Monty (ITV), Taking The Next Step (CBBC), Tumble (BBC) and Battlechefs with Marco Pierre White (Watch). He has also served as a celebrity judge on Over the Rainbow (BBC), guest-hosted The National Lottery Draws (BBC), and is a regular contributor on Jeremy Vine (Channel 5). Download John’s full biography HERE.