SIR Ian McKellen surprised the cast and crew of ‘Remembering Fred’ at the Lighthouse in Poole last night.

The X-Men and Lord of the Rings star had also been spotted at Poole Museum earlier in the day.

He told staff he was in the area visiting friends and would be watching ‘Remembering Fred’ at the Lighthouse that evening.

Strictly Come Dancing stars Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara were the stars of the show which celebrated the legacy of Hollywood icon Fred Astaire.

The Lighthouse chief executive Elspeth McBain said his visit to the venue was a “complete surprise”.

“He said he was in the area and wanted to come and see a piece of theatre,” she added.

“He was so impressed with the standard of the show. I think he was quite taken aback.”

According to Ms McBain this was not Sir Ian’s first visit to the Lighthouse – he performed in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Twelfth Night back in 1978.

“He said he remembered coming to the Lighthouse and asked if I would show him the theatre during the interval of the show,” added Ms McBain, who also took him to meet the cast at the end of the show.

“It was quite amazing to have him in our venue. He is theatre royalty so it was a real privilege to get to meet him and show him around.”

Ms McBain said she had invited Sir Ian back at the Lighthouse for its 40th birthday celebrations in 2018.