THE Newcastle producer of £5m musical Billy Elliot spoke of his disappointment last night over a series of disasters that have forced him to cancel November's world premiere in his home city.

Last month's shock closure of the city's Tyne Theatre left the eagerly anticipated stage adaptation of Lee Hall's North-East-based film in difficulty.

Now, producer Jon Finn has decided to press ahead with a London opening at the Victoria Palace, in March.

Mr Finn said time had run out on negotiations to bring the production to Tyneside, mainly because it involved raising a further £1m to ensure that West End-sized sets could be shrunk to fit the Tyne Theatre's stage.

Mr Finn said that the production team had rejected the idea of playing a reduced show at Newcastle.

"I wanted to do the show in Newcastle because that's where I come from and Lee Hall (who travelled out to the US to create the new version with Elton John) was the same. The show was going to cost about £1m extra to bring to Newcastle and it just became a business decision in the end."

He is still hopeful that Newcastle will be the first venue to stage Billy Elliot The Musical if a successful West End run funds a touring version.