EXCLUSIVE: NT Live will begin its next broadcast season in September with a series of buzzy plays, including The Fifth Step, the latest stage work from David Ireland, which stars Jack Lowden (Slow Horses) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit).
The production follows James (Freeman), who, after years in Alcoholics Anonymous, becomes a sponsor to newcomer Luka (Lowden). As Luka nears step five, a confession threatens the fragile friendship between them. Directed by Finn den Hertog and originally presented in Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow in 2024 by National Theatre of Scotland, the play was captured live from its sold-out London West End transfer at the @sohoplace. The play will be released in cinemas from November 27, presented by Neal Street Productions, Playful Productions, and National Theatre of Scotland in association with Nica Burns.
On 23 October, NT Live will hand a cinema release to Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Bernard Shaw’s classic starring Imelda Staunton (The Crown) and her daughter Bessie Carter (Outrageous). The duo play mother and daughter for the first time in the production, which was filmed live from the West End. The production is presented by Sonia Friedman Productions with director Dominic Cooke (Follies).
Elsewhere, from January 26, 2026, Hamlet, directed by National Theatre Deputy Artistic Director Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge), will land in cinemas via NT Live. Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) stars as Hamlet. Described as a “fearless, contemporary take on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy,” the play will be the first production from the National Theatre to broadcast during Indhu Rubasingham’s new programme.
“From the moment I began this role, I knew that expanding our digital reach would be key to my vision to bring the world to the National Theatre and the National Theatre to the world,” Rubasingham, who was appointed to the National Theatre’s Director and Co-CEO role in December 2023, said in a statement.
“NT Live is a powerful way to open not just our work, but the work of our incredible peers in the West End and beyond, to audiences globally. This season is a fantastic example of that vision in action: reimagined classics and bold new writing, just as you’ll see on our stages in London. It’s about accessibility, excellence, and expanding the joy of theatre far beyond our walls and city. It’s about breaking down barriers and inviting everyone in.”
Those three productions join the previously announced Inter Alia, which will broadcast live from the Lyttelton Stage across the UK on September 4, with subsequent global screenings from September 25. Oscar-nominated Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) is Jessica in the production, which is described as a “searing examination of modern motherhood and masculinity” by writer Suzie Miller and director Justin Martin, the team behind Prima Facie.
Tickets will be available from 10 am GMT at ntlive.com.