Julia Donaldson and Sara Ogilvie’s adored children’s book The Detective Dog returns to the stage for its 10th anniversary!

Specially created for Deaf and hard of hearing family audiences, this heartwarming story of one curious dog with an extraordinary snout is set to wow all ages with magical puppetry, toe-tapping music and lots of surprising smells. This energetic and tender show follows the rather remarkable dog, Nell, who has an incredible sense of smell and an equally strong love for listening to stories.

When: 4th April – 31st May 2026

Ages: 3-7 years

Ticket price: From £12

Running time: 1 hour

Dates and Locations:

4th April 2026 Tiverton Community Arts Theatre Bolham Road, Tiverton EX16 6SQ https://tivertontheatre.com/events/the-detective-dog/

7th-8th April 2026 Norwich Puppetry Theatre, St James Court, Whitefriars, Norwich NR3 1TN https://www.tickettailor.com/events/norwichpuppettheatre/2025403

9th April 2026 Stamford Arts Centre, 27 St Mary’s Street, Stamford PE9 2DL https://www.stamfordartscentre.com/whats-on/all-shows/the-detective-dog/13969

10th-11th April 2026 Heywood Civic LCpl Stephen Shaw MC Way, Heywood OL10 1LW https://heywoodcivic.co.uk/event/the-detective-dog/

13th-14th April 2026 Redgrave Theatre, Redgrave Theatre, Percival Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 3LE https://redgravetheatre.com/event/2026/04/the-detective-dog/2294/

18th-19th April 2026 Gala Durham, 1 Millennium Place, Durham DH1 1WA https://galadurham.co.uk/galapost/the-detective-dog/

2nd-3rd May 2026 The Dukes, Moor Lane, Lancaster LA1 1QE https://dukeslancaster.org/whats-on/theatre/the-detective-dog-by-julia-donaldson

10th May 2026 Cheltenham Playhouse47-53 Bath Road, Cheltenham GL53 7HG https://cheltplayhouse.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173674478

16th May 2026 Z-Arts, 335 Stretford Road, Hulme, Greater, Manchester M15 5ZA https://www.z-arts.org/events/the-detective-dog

17th May 2026 Lakeside Arts Portland Building, University of Nottingham Students’ Union, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/

26th- 27th May 2026 Trinity Theatre, Church Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells TN1 1JP https://trinitytheatre.net/events/the-detective-dog/

28th-31st May 2026 Theatre Royal Plymouth, Royal Parade, Plymouth PL1 2TR https://theatreroyal.com/

Find out more and book: https://www.tinyandtall.co.uk/projects/the-detective-dog

THE DETECTIVE DOG text @ Julia Donaldson 2016 and illustrations @ Sarah Ogilvie 2016