ACTOR Robert Hardy, famed for his role in TV's All Creatures Great and Small, returned to mark the restoration of Richmond's Georgian Theatre.

He delivered the prologue to the restored theatre's first major performance, The Hotchpotch Pantomime, featuring vocal and instrumental group Chalemie, who recaptured the magic of a Georgian evening with music, comedy, dance and mime.

Hardy also met an old friend, Bill Sellars, who is retiring as theatre manager. Mr Sellars produced the TV version of James Herriot's books, in which Hardy played vet Siegfried Farnon.

Mr Sellars said: "It is wonderful that he has come here to mark this very special occasion for us. Robert knows and loves the theatre and has returned here on a number of occasions.

"This is the first major performance here since we officially opened last month and to me it represents an accumulation of 18 months of brilliant restoration and five years of planning and of course raising the money.

"I am retiring now because I feel it is really time to go. This is the moment to say 'this is it and good luck'."