Theatre audiences flock to the South Bank

According to the theatre's annual report, this year there were 731,000 theatre-goers, compared to 585,000 last year, representing an average attendance of 91 per cent.

The Travelex £10 Season enabled the National to offer 150,000 seats at £10 each in the Olivier. Attendance across the four productions in the Season was 95 per cent and for Henry V, the first production, 33 per cent of the audience were first-time bookers.

21 per cent of the theatre's ticket sales are now made online.