Alongside co-producers Melting Pot, Birmingham Rep has announced initial casting for The Battle as actor and comedian, Mathew Horne (star of the beloved BBC comedy Gavin and Stacey, The Catherine Tate Show and in the West End, productions of The Tempest and Noises Off) to play influential Britpop music executive, Andy Ross, caught in the crossfire of one of the most notorious rivalries in British music history.

The Battle opens at Birmingham Rep on Wednesday 11 February 2026, ahead of a major UK tour, prior to the West End. The Battle is a blistering and darkly funny exploration of fame, ego, and the cultural clashes of 1990s Britain and offers an electrifying window into a moment that defined a generation - and changed the face of British music forever.

Mathew Horne will appear as Andy Ross until Saturday 30 May 2026.

Reliving the heady summer of 1995 when heavyweights of Britpop, Blur and Oasis, went head-to-head in  he greatest chart battle of all time, The Battle is the first stage play by screenwriter and Sunday Times best-selling novelist John Niven (O’Brother, Kill Your Friends, and The Second Coming).Directed by Matthew Dunster (2:22 A Ghost Story, The Pillowman), The Battle draws on his deep insider knowledge of the music industry, shining a satirical light on the chaos behind the cool Britannia façade.

Further cast and creatives to be announced.

The Battle shows at Birmingham Rep until Wednesday 11 February – Saturday 7 March 2026. Tickets are available here.