Only Fools and Horses musical evacuated after 'medical emergency'

The opening night of the musical was plunged into chaos. The venue, The Winter Gardens in Blackpool was evacuated following a "medical emergency"

Paramedics and police were called to the scene on Monday evening (April 28) when an audience member became seriously ill during the interval, prompting theatre officials to clear the venue and postpone the show.

have confirmed their attendance in support of the paramedics who were called out to the incident, without sharing further details.

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The beloved musical, featuring as Grandad, was kicking off a six-day stint at the venue, set to wrap up on Saturday, May 3. Ticket holders impacted by the incident will be contacted with options to reschedule or obtain refunds.

A spokesperson for Winter Gardens Blackpool released a statement: "During last night's performance of Only Fools and Horses The Musical, a medical emergency involving a member of the audience occurred during the interval in the front stalls area of the auditorium.", reports .

"Due to the nature of the incident and in accordance with venue protocols, the decision was taken to evacuate the theatre and postpone the remainder of the show.

"All affected ticket holders will receive an email today with full details on how to transfer their tickets to another performance this week, or how to request a refund if they are unable to attend an alternative date.

"We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our staff, the visiting company, and the emergency services for their swift and professional response. Our thoughts and well wishes are with the individual involved and their family at this time. We thank everyone for their patience and understanding during these exceptional circumstances."

Those in attendance have since praised the venue for dealing with the incident in a swift manner. One attendee said: "The evacuation procedure seemed to work very well. Every credit to your staff who reacted very professionally, especially the young lady who was guiding everyone outside and allowed emergency services to quickly make their way to the scene."

"We were there and commend your staff for the professional way they dealt with this medical emergency. I’ve worked in a theatre and evacuating everyone is not a straightforward process. Sending our best wishes to the patient who we hope has a swift and full recovery," said a second.

A third went on to add: "Well done on handling this difficult situation so well. Particular mention to a girl on your team who cleared the auditorium and the road outside to allow access." Another commented: "A very unfortunate scenario. The staff did an excellent job in evacuating the theatre and more so attending the casualty."

Prior to arriving in Blackpool, the musical had a successful stint on the West End and even left Sir emotional over the production. Sir David, known for playing Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter between 1981 and 1991 as well as several special episodes said the production was a fitting "memory" of him.

"It's very, very good," he said after watching the show on the West End. He added: "What I did like about it was so much of the original script was used and they did it so well that sometimes it took me by surprise. The whole show was a memory for me of the whole thing - the script, the characters. It was lovely to see them all and everybody was working so well together, very much like we did."

The actor said he was going to "cry" after being moved by the entire show.

The has approached North West Ambulance Service for comment.

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