Following a global search, Universal Theatrical Group and Working Title Films have announced the four boys who will play the title role in the national tour and limited-engagement West End production of Billy Elliot The Musical.

The Billys are: Spencer Collins, 13, from California; Noah Mannion, 12, Stockport, England; Rafferty Smale, 12, Leigh-on-Sea, England; and William Gurney, 12, Berkshire, England. In keeping with the musical’s tradition, and due to the demanding nature of the role, the young actors will share the role on a rotating basis.

Collins, whose father is Gersh Agency partner Nick Collins, is an International Scholar of The Royal Ballet School and has received scholarships and trained with renowned dance academies around the world, including the Princess Grace Academy of Dance in Monaco, the John Cranko School, Joffrey Ballet, Elite Classical Coaching, The Royal Ballet School and Ellison Ballet School.

Mannion represented England at both the Dance World Cup and the Global Dance Open in 2025, earning the title of Global World Champion.

Smale joined Tring Park Performing Arts Classical Ballet Academy in 2021 and became a Royal Ballet Junior Associate in 2022, performing in productions of Cinderella, Don Quixote and The Winter’s Tale. He became a full-time student at Royal Ballet’s White Lodge in September 2025, and has performed in The Nutcracker and Wayne McGregor’s Woolf Works.

Gurney is a student at Sylvia Young Theatre School, and has appeared in The Nutcracker (Royal Ballet) and more recently has played Tommy in Matilda the Musical. TV credits include Strike, Call the Midwife, Midsummer Murders, Breeders, Motherland and Silent Witness. He has competed in the Dance World Cup in Portugal and Czechia and was an All England Dance Finalist.

It was also announced today that original Billy Elliot, Liam Mower, will return to the show to play “Older Billy.” Mower was one of three boys who created the role when the musical first opened in 2005, winning an Olivier Award for his performance.

Billy Elliot The Musical will open at Sunderland Empire in Sunderland on November 4 2026, where it will run until November 28 2026. The tour will then visit the Palace Theatre Manchester and Edinburgh Playhouse ahead of its first return to the West End in more than 10 years, playing a limited West End season at the Adelphi Theatre from February 12 through July 31, 2027.

Further touring dates and full casting to be announced soon.

Based on the Academy Award nominated 2000 film, the musical is set in a northern mining town against the background of the 1984-85 miners’ strike and follows Billy’s journey from the boxing ring to the ballet class. Elton John composed the show’s score, Lee Hall wrote the book and lyrics, and Stephen Daldry directed with choreography by Peter Darling. The tour director is Simon Pollard and the associate choreographer is Jeroen Luiten.

Billy Elliot The Musical is presented by Universal Theatrical Group and Working Title Films. The show is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn and Sally Greene. David Furnish and Angela Morrison are executive producers.