TV presenter Laura Whitmore to star in The Girl on the Train at MK Theatre

A new version of The Girl on the Train starring TV presenter Laura Whitmore will be held at Milton Keynes Theatre next month.

Based on Paula Hawkins’ acclaimed psychological thriller, the play will be held at the theatre from Tue 10 – Sat 14 Jun, with tickets available now.

Irish presenter, writer, broadcaster and former Love Island host Laura Whitmore will be in the lead role as Rachel Watson.

Talking about taking up the role, she 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 this summer.”

Whitmore has previously worked as a TV presenter for MTV, ITV and BBC, as well as hosted a podcast with her husband and comedian Iain Stirling and written her debut book. Alongside this, she has taken steps as an actor. Her credits include touring in the role of Cleo in Peter James’ Not Dead Enough in 2017, while film/TV acting credits include Queenie, Hulu’s Four Weddings and a Funeral, 4.3.2.1 and Storage 24.

Her first lead in a feature film, ‘A Mother For An Hour’, is out later this year, as well as interactive sci-fi thriller ‘Hello Stranger’ starring Sir Derek Jacobi. In 2022, she made her West End debut as Jenny in 2.22: A Ghost Story and returned home to play Lauren in its limited Dublin run in 2024.

The Girl on the Train is an acclaimed 2015 novel written by British author Hawkins. The story centres on Rachel, a troubled woman who finds herself as a witness and even a suspect in a mystery regarding what happened to the disappearance of a woman whose house overlooks railway tracks that the train she takes to work each day passes.

The novel was previously adapted for a 2016 American movie starring Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson and Justin Theroux. The book was also adapted for a 2021 Indian movie for Netflix that was filmed and set in the UK starring Parineeti Chopra and Avinash Tiwary. The Girl on the Train was also previously adapted as an acclaimed UK tour as a stage show in 2019, with further stage versions having followed outside the UK.

Tickets are now available from the Milton Keynes Theatre website.