Strictly winner and stage favourite joins cast for Before I Go To Sleep

He’s won Strictly, acted in hit TV shows and been a leading man in classic musicals – and now Tom Chambers is heading to Milton Keynes to star in a blockbuster thriller.

Chambers will appear alongside the previously announced actor, author and podcaster Giovanna Fletcher in the world premiere stage production of Before I Go To Sleep, based on the international bestselling novel by S J Watson, which was subsequently adapted into the hit film starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth.

The story tells of a woman named Christine, who appears to have an idyllic life – with one terrible exception. Every night, when she goes to sleep, she loses her memory. Every morning, she wakes up remembering nothing from the last 20 years of her life – not even the loving husband lying beside her.

As she desperately tries to piece her life back together, hidden and terrifying truths begin to emerge, forcing her to question everything.

Best known to television audiences for his roles in Father Brown, Holby City and Waterloo Road, Chambers has also enjoyed an extensive stage career including leading roles in Top Hat, Crazy for You, Dial M for Murder and Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts. He won the sixth series of BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2008.

Chambers will play Ben, the husband of Christine, played by Fletcher.

Chambers said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Giovanna in Before I Go To Sleep. It’s such a brilliantly unsettling story, and what I love about it is that you’re never quite sure who or what to believe. Ben is a fascinating character to play, particularly in a story where memory and trust are so closely intertwined. I can’t wait to get into rehearsals and bring this extraordinary thriller to audiences around the country.”

Giovanna Fletcher, who is also executive producer on the show, said: “I’m so excited to have Tom joining the cast.

"It’s such a gripping story and the relationship between Christine and Ben is right at the heart of it. It’s going to be a lot of fun working on those twists and turns in the rehearsal room and I think audiences are going to love seeing the action unfold on stage.”

The stage production of Before I Go To Sleep is adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and directed by Loveday Ingram, the creative team behind the 2025 stage adaptation of The Girl on the Train, which also starred Giovanna Fletcher.

First published in 2011, S J Watson’s debut novel Before I Go To Sleep became an international bestseller, selling over six million copies worldwide, being translated into more than 40 languages and winning the Crime Writers’ Association Award for Best Debut Novel and the Galaxy National Book Award for Crime Thriller of the Year. It was subsequently adapted into the 2014 film starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong.

Before I Go To Sleep runs at Milton Keynes Theatre from Tuesday March 9 to Saturday March 13. Visit atgtickets.com/MiltonKeynes to book.