Brain Cox backs bid to protect Birmingham’s Old Rep Theatre

About 20,000 people have now signed a petition started by the Save Station Street campaign, calling for the West Midlands mayor and the city council to formally designate the area as a cultural heritage asset.

The closure of The Electric has alarmed campaigners worried for the future of Station Street, although last month, The Crown, where metal band Black Sabbath played their first gig, was given Grade II listed status.

While Darren John, who launched the petition, said he did not particularly fear that redevelopment lay in the theatre’s immediate future, he was mindful the venue’s programme was unclear from May.

He said of the area that within a 200-metre stretch there was “a historic West End, a British Film Institute-style cinema and… Birmingham’s Cavern Club”, none of which, he added, could be lost.

Reaching 20,000 signatures would now trigger a debate at the city council on a date yet to be confirmed, he explained.

Mr John contacted Mr Cox in connection with the movement, and the actor sent a testimonial to the campaign, saying the level of public enthusiasm to help had been “insane”.