Gorillaz pair plan 'Monkey' musical

Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett are making a musical based on cult 1980s show Monkey, they have announced.

The pair, both ex-members of Gorillaz, said they were huge fans of the BBC show. It was based on a 16th century Chinese myth and followed Monkey on his mission to India.

Hewlett, an illustrator who is creating set designs for the show, explained: "We grew up on that. That was our Friday night: school was finished, watch Monkey.

"That was burnt on my brain from an early age. I remember those characters so clearly."

Rehearsals for the musical, titled Monkey: Journey To The West, have already begun in Paris. Hewlett revealed it features a Chinese orchestra, acrobats and singing in Mandarin.

Albarn said he had to develop his talents for the project: "That's when I started getting really exciting about this opera. I started writing arias through this - that was the turning point.

"That's were I made the critical shift you have from being a songwriter to a composer."

The musical will premiere at the Manchester International Festival from June 28.