AFTER almost two years on the road with spectacular show Wicked, a Bolton actor is preparing to wave goodbye to the Emerald City.

Grant Thresh and the rest of the cast fly into the North West tonight to kick off the final dates of the UK and Ireland tour.

The West End and Broadway musical phenomenon, which tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, is on at The Lowry, Salford Quays, until Saturday, July 25 — the last chance to see it outside of London.

Grant, aged 21, from Westhoughton, said: "It's coming to an end, it started in Manchester in 2013.

"It's been a long tour.

"I've absolutely loved it.

"When my agent told me I had got the show, I was so happy.

"The response we have had from audiences has been incredible.

"I dance and sing. I play lots of different characters, from monkeys to students.

"It's cool because I get to play lots of different parts.

"It's got a bit of something for everyone — the amazing songs, the set is incredible, the costumes are amazing, the storyline is very clever.

"It's a different way of thinking about things."

Grant, who went to Westhoughton High School, was first bitten by the performing bug when he started attending Stagecoach Theatre Arts at the age of eight as a hobby.

He then began doing amateur dramatics with Bethel Crowd in Westhoughton, followed by CATS Youth Theatre and joined Dawn Dawson's Academy of Dance and Stage at 14.

He left Bolton at the age of 16 to attend drama school where he was given the chance to dance on The X Factor, in 2012, and as part of the Royal Variety Performance with Take That.

Wicked was his first job, just two months after leaving college.

He said: "I got straight to London. It's where everything is.

"I've still got my Bolton roots.

"I am lucky enough to have a car so I drive everywhere and come back every time I have a week off."

Since its premiere, the spectacular, critically-acclaimed production has been seen by more than one million people.

Based on the international best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire that re-imagines the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wicked tells the story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students.

Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

The cast is lead by Ashleigh Gray as Elphaba and Emily Tierney as Glinda, who are joined by Chester-based ex-Brookside star Steven Pinder, as The Wizard/Dr Dillamond, and Marylin Cutts, who appeared in 2012 film Les Miserables, as Madame Morrible.

Wicked is on at The Lowry, Salford Quays, until Saturday, July 25.