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Ben Karran

@ben_karran

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9 to 5 The Musical UK Tour 2026 ⏰👠🎶 What an unexpected, beautiful ride. 🤰🏻💥 @9to5uktour

My first UK tour in my own role after years of swinging, covering and Dance Captain-ing. And just days before rehearsals… I found out I was pregnant!

Suddenly, so many questions. Could my body handle the dancing, travelling and 7 shows a week?

So my first rehearsal week was basically: “Hi, I’m Alicia, call me Ali, I play Maria… and I’m 7 weeks pregnant!” 🤣

It was so early, but I needed to tell the people who were about to become my family. And what a family they became. ❤️

Through sick warm-ups, pickle cravings, heatwaves and loooong double-show days, this beautiful cast looked after BOTH OF US. They watched my belly grow from blueberry-sized baby to proper bump, and we even had our gender reveal ON STAGE! 🥹

Thank you to our wonderful creative and choreo teams, especially @lisastevensreal and @ashleystjohnofficial , for making us feel so supported.

And also a special thank you to my body.✨

After an injury kept me offstage for almost a year a while back, I’d struggled to FULLY trust it again. Pregnancy brought back that fear…

What if my body can’t do this? Well… IT DID. ❤️ we smashed that UK TOUR!!!💥

It grew a little human while dancing, singing and travelling around the UK. And I felt my baby’s very first kicks… ON STAGE, during a Bullpen ladies’ scene! 🥹

Also, every night, when beautiful @karlatraceysoprano sang Dolly Parton’s Backwoods Barbie, baby would start dancing too. SAME SONG. EVERY SHOW! 🤣🤰🏻

It wasn’t always easy. But I didn’t just complete this tour. I ENJOYED IT.

Touring can feel lonely. This time, I was never alone. WE DID IT TOGETHER. ❤️

Baby has officially completed their first musical theatre contract and UK tour before even being born! 🤠🎭

Somewhere along the way, my body taught me to trust it, respect it and love it again. Not just for what it can do onstage.

Thank you to everyone who looked after us. 🫂

And thank you, little one, my tiniest castmate, travel buddy and favourite dancing partner.

We did it. 🥹✨

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“TOUR TITBITS: The Dolly Deluxe Edition” 📸🖤

A montage of miscellaneous memories that didn’t quite make the dumps thus far but contributed just as beautifully to my seaside summer holiday with the @9to5uktour cohorts…enjoy the chaos! 🙃

⬆️ spilling the ☕️ and scoffing on scones 🍰 in Barnstaple ahead of our last two-show day!

@life.by.sammy and I being TRAUMATISED upon a rickety🎢 at @pleasure_beach…

Pink albatross 🦩 @pleasure_beach

@jademarvin giving me Beyoncé realness at @yvonnearnaud 💨🩷

💡

The lengths I will go to to GET. THE. SHOT. 😂🐆

🏳️‍🌈 weekend at @darlingtonhippodrome 🏳️‍⚧️

Hijack my unattended phone, this is the consequence…😏 @bradjudge1

This diva in Ipswich 💅🏾

Best vegan meal EVER at @hanksveganrestaurant w/ my boy @colinkiyani 😋

🍑

Tekkers of the most unique kind by our @jademarvin 🎳

Birthday 🎳 for our @jademarvin 🖤

My besties came to see me play a 14 and a half year old and it made my heart f*cking full 🤎

Give @bradjudge1 the BAFTA now 😂🎭

@hanushkacoffeehouse idyllic vibes 📚

Serene scenes in Hastings 🌊

Third wheeling with my favourite fiancés at @theyardcoventry 🏳️‍🌈♥️

Bants

Disciplining my diva doll @jemimajanewillcox 🙃

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And that’s a wrap! What a final week we had in Hastings.. ❤️ I know I keep going on about it, but I’ll truly never be able to get over the support I’ve received from home during my time on tour. Look at that for a gang 😍 The luckiest girl to be surrounded by so much love. And on we go.. xx

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9 TO 5 WRAPPED

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Another tour done and dusted 💅🏻 thank you @markcrossland_md & @andrewhiltonmd for having me on board with this wonderful team. Forever grateful to say this is my job, felt very special to be playing @dollyparton music when she passed, I hope we did her proud ❤️ 🕊️

#9to5 #ripdollyparton💔🕊️ #uktour #summertour #whatawaytomakealiving

Bowling Squad & Final day

MVP Max always there for emotional support 🐶

Last supper 🍔 & Positive Apple 🍎

My corner of the world 🎸

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“OUR FINAL BATTLE IN HASTINGS” 🏰🥹

And just like that…our “Dolly Diva Cliff Richard Summer Holiday RoadTrip Extravaganza Eleganza” A.K.A @9to5uktour (just in case you’re new to my page, gentle reader, and yet to appreciate my obnoxious and verbose use of the English lexicon for effect and flair no one ever asks for…🤓) has culminated with a bittersweet hut beautiful bye-bye that befitted my experience pretty perfectly, actually 🙏🏾

✨ My 1st UK (…well, England only 🫠) Musical Theatre Tour - ✅

✨ A personally ENLIGHTENED appreciation & abundant awe of Dolly’s Dynasty, may she rest in pink power ✅

✨ An entire spectrum of mad & magical memories made in parts of the country I didn’t even know existed before June due my sparse geographical genius ✅
To the multiple personalities I presented on that stage:

JOSH - “now did I, at this tender age of 35 years young convincingly play a 14 year-old, 🌱smoking youth/boombox boss, for 10 whole weeks (GMT)….? Yes. Yes I did 💚🛹”

EDDIE (the mailboy) - “not a line of scripted said yet (in my mind…) daily delivered 5* service to the court at Consolidated Industries 📩”

And finally POLICEMAN - “mute but MIGHTY in his stoicism, and no matter what, served face, not sentences 👮🏾‍♂️”

I harbour gratitude and appreciation in abundance for each and every one of my fellow cast, creatives and crew comrades - we equally enjoyed & endured EVERY emotion possible and I wouldn’t change a thing because we really. did. THAT to completion and with aplomb 🥰 and to the various loved ones spanning 25+ of Rodney Lore who supported me by visiting our little show up and down the country - I love you all 🫶🏾

Ultimately…trains travelled; friends found; growth GAINED🙏🏾

I’m proud, today. Dead proud. ✨💜

Old Town.

You may know us as “The Three Tenors”, or perhaps the “Hunky Hosts of The 1st and final ‘C.U.N.T.A’s” hit deep down, an unlikely, unhinged yet unmatched brotherhood bond I’m grateful to have built ♥️

“Poured myself a cup of ambition”…sponsored by @hanushkacoffeehouse ☕️👌🏾

(…sadly, #notanad)

The Patti LaBelle to my Whitney Houston…I love you something rotten, @bradjudge1 💙

My supermodel sis @mae_ashwell continuing to serve

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Another show down; a glorious summer on 9-5 touring round the UK. Such a fantastic group of people but seeing @andrewhiltonmd every day for 11 weeks has been a highlight. I’ll miss this one!!

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🌟 Hastings: That's a Wrap! 🌟

And just like that… I am officially done with my first tour!

10 venues across the United Kingdom, each with its own unique stage, challenges and surprises — and we overcame every single obstacle along the way.

This cast did Dolly proud. ❤️

I always say it takes an entire village to create and run a show, and this tour has been the perfect example of that. Together, we’ve had the privilege of bringing theatre to places that don’t always get to experience professional shows, and in doing so, we helped grow and celebrate the arts across the country.

Thank you for your endless support, patience, love, laughter and, of course, the absolute chaos and fun throughout the run — especially during warm-ups!

I am so incredibly proud of this company and everything we have achieved together.

Lots of love to this incredible bunch.

WE DID IT!

#closingnight #9to5 #tour #dollyparton #dancecaptain

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what a ride… some really special people and memories i will cherish!!🥹❤️‍🔥
@9to5uktour

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Another tour finished. Another photo dump. This one was special though. Closure on a show that was halted by the pandemic. Dolly passing. Working with old friends. Making new ones. I’ll never not be grateful for the opportunity this “career” has thrown my way. Big love x @landmarktheatresuk @9to5uktour

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what a way to make a livin’…being my first tour, the only touring member of wardrobe, & my first time as HOD, i knew this was going to be a challenge, but i wanted to prove to myself i could do it😅 there were some other unexpected challenges along the way, such as the rapidly declining health of my Grandad, but i’m so proud of reaching the other side of the contract as successfully as i have🥹 (winning “employee of the month” at the company awards meant so much, thank you again everyone 🥹🫶🏻)

this has been a beautiful amalgamation of catching up with old friends, acquaintances becoming friends & the introduction of new friends, & i’m incredibly grateful for the warm energy over the last few months.

thank you to my local dressers across the tour: Gracie, Lauren, Ella, @tori.pattinson, Anita, Tracey, Lisa, @hollybrown23, @chloe__gentry, Michelle, and my angel, @daisy.h.s, who worked so hard during tech & first week of shows.

to my rocks during this tour… @freyagaywood123 & @phoebe_eldekvist @phoebe_eldekvist_csm, thank you for all of your help & support, i don’t know what i would have done without you both :’) thank you also to @merlindecharondesaintgermain for helping with preset/laundry delivery on the rare occasion & for all the monsters 🥹

lastly, thank you to @landmarktheatresuk for this opportunity & for taking a chance on me :’)

i will now be tumbling into bed and staying there indefinitely. Thank you, & goodnight !🫶🏻

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Summer 26 🥹✨

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