Irish presenter, writer and broadcaster Laura Whitmore will join the UK tour of The Girl on the Train, taking on the role of Rachel Watson at selected dates.
Whitmore, best known for hosting Love Island and her BBC podcast Murder They Wrote, will begin performances at Brighton’s Theatre Royal on Tuesday 3 June 2025. Her run will continue through to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin at the end of August.
She follows Giovanna Fletcher and Louisa Lytton in the role of Rachel Watson in this Wiltshire Creative production, produced by Melting Pot and Josh Andrews Productions.
The full cast joining Whitmore includes Daniel Burke as Kamal Abdic, Zena Carswell as Anna, Samuel Collings as Scott Hipwell, Freya Parks as Megan Hipwell, Paul McEwan as DI Gaskill, and Edward Harrison as Tom Watson.
The Girl on the Train is based on Paula Hawkins’ internationally acclaimed best-selling novel, adapted for the stage by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel, and directed by Loveday Ingram.
Rachel Watson longs for a different life. Her only escape is the perfect couple she watches through the train window every day. But when the woman she’s been observing disappears, Rachel finds herself entangled in a mystery that challenges everything she thought she knew.
Speaking about the role, Laura Whitmore said:
“I read the book when it first came out and I was obsessed by it. I love it when you find a book and all you can think about is that story. You wake up a little bit earlier to read the book and stay up too late to finish it. I am excited to show people my portrayal of Rachel next summer.”
The 2025 tour includes stops in Brighton, Milton Keynes, Malvern, Aberdeen, Leeds, Inverness, Mold, Southampton, Belfast, Cork, and Dublin.
Whitmore trained at the Leinster School of Music and Drama, studied Shakespeare at RADA, and holds a journalism degree from Dublin City University. Her acting credits include 2:22: A Ghost Story, Not Dead Enough, and the upcoming feature A Mother For An Hour.
The Girl on the Train has sold over 20 million copies worldwide and was adapted into a DreamWorks film starring Emily Blunt. The stage version previously toured to record-breaking success in 2019.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
