Pictures: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical opens in London
- Published

On Tuesday night the red carpet was rolled out in London for the grand opening of the new musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

It's based on the famous book by Roald Dahl and tells the story of a poor young boy called Charlie who wins the chance to explore a magical sweet factory.

He is joined in the factory by a greedy boy called Augustus Gloop, a spoiled girl named Veruca Salt, a record-breaking gum chewer named Violet Beauregarde, and a Mike Teavee, who loves to watch telly!

Once inside the factory the children are taken on a grand tour by the mysteriously weird owner, Willy Wonka.

The show is directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes, who was also in charge of the latest James Bond film.

Mendes said he's been working on the project on and off for 25 year and was thrilled to finally see the production arrive on the stage in London.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory follows the musical success of another Roald Dahl story, the RSC's Matilda the Musical, which has won a record number of Olivier Awards and this year transferred to Broadway in New York.