Cliff Richard tribute act pulled from That'll Be The Day show heading to Dartford in wake of sex abuse claims
Published: 11:30, 19 September 2014
A Cliff Richard impersonator has been pulled from a stage musical heading to Dartford.
Producers of That'll Be The Day axed a tribute segment in the wake of sex abuse allegations against the singer.
Trevor Payne, the impersonator who plays Sir Cliff, is also the show's director.
The popular rock 'n' roll show, which features hits from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, has
included a tribute act to Sir Cliff since it began 29 years ago.
Last month, Sir Cliff strenuously denied claims he sexually assaulted a schoolboy at a Christian rally.
It came as police raided his home over the allegation dating back almost three decades.
Producers of the show are said to be worried that if they kept the segment in and the audience publicly complained, Sir Cliff's fans could cause a public order offence in the theatre.
Mr Payne told a newspaper: "We do get a lot of Cliff Richard fans attend our shows and they would probably turn on the person and we could have a terrible situation inside the theatre that would ruin the night."
That'll Be The Day is at the Orchard Theatre on Thursday, October 2.