Alan Fletcher: The Doctor Will See You Now – An Evening Of Stories And Songs With The Legendary Dr Karl Kennedy From Neighbours – Cheltenham Town Hall – Live Review

By Hannah Compton on June 3, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

Alan Fletcher isn’t exactly an unknown name to the people of the UK. Australian Soap Opera Neighbours has been a huge part of many of our lives and Dr Karl Kennedy has been a fan favourite for many years (despite his infidelities).

Tonight, we had the privilege to join Alan Fletcher (AKA Karl Kennedy) Ramsay Street’s most famous doctor, at Cheltenham Town Hall in Gloucestershire as he looked back at his 28 years on Neighbours and answered questions, took us down memory lane with video clips and performed some of his solo material as a musician.

As well as being a household name for his acting work, Fletcher is also a very gifted musician. Over the years he has played shows in the UK with his previous band Waiting Room and then as a solo artist.

Fletcher has had various releases out including his most recent album, released this year titled The Point. His music steers towards the Americana/Country edge or what we have heard it described as, Australian Americana.

A full room in the Town Hall’s Pillar Room, there were fans of all ages. As a fan of neighbours myself from a young age (when my sister and I would sneak into the living room and watch it after school when we weren’t supposed to), it was exciting to be there and the atmosphere was very homely.

Introduced by his wife Jennifer Hansen, Alan Fletcher leapt on stage to rapturous applause and started the event off with a song!

Jennifer interviewed Alan throughout the show with questions raised about Karl Kennedy’s affairs (whilst showing clips) and more! Together, the pair bounce of each other well in comedic fashion.

The majority of the show of course was highlighting his time on Neighbours which had so many hilarious moments. “The only Doctor in Erinsborough, Dr Karl Kennedy is a medical genius“ both Alan and his wife often joked. He could diagnose anything and often right away! So many funny scenes were shown on screen where ridiculous accidents and incidents took place as well as emotional scenes (yes including the famous slap). The entire show was nostalgic and a beautiful moment to share with one of the legendary actors of the show himself.

Fletcher and his wife made the event very comfortable and engaging and you felt as if you were part of the show.

The music side of Alan Fletcher of course, is what we are most interested in as we are a music review website who mostly covers country and Americana. Clips of his music were shown of his past live shows and he and Jennifer performed a fun live version of their song Somebody from his album The Point. The performance was brilliant and very comedic. A song that holds true to the traditional sounds of country music, the lyrics were witty and clever and undoubtedly a fan favourite! Another great moment was a song dedicated to Susan.

We don’t want to give too much away because if you plan to go or are on the fence then we really think you should check it out and enjoy it with little to no spoilers. Do expect laughter, tears, memories both forgotten and never forgotten and much much more! It’s simply just a great night out whether you go alone like I did or with friends.

Part of what made this show special was how it made you feel part of something, it made you feel you were amongst family and friends and that you had known Alan on a personal level for years. So much laughter was had and at times from Fletcher making a mockery of his own work and of his characters life choices as well as questioning Karl’s medical expertise. This event is definitely for hardcore fans of Neighbours and you won’t be disappointed. I personally was hoping for more songs in between but I still left very satisfied and glad that I went.

When Alan makes a return for headline shows of his music then I highly recommend attending. We hope that Gloucestershire will be on the tour list.

It’s worth Taking Fletcher seriously as a musician. The Point, his debut full length album showcases a string of beautifully crafted tracks from start to finish. If you enjoy the likes of John Prine, Willie Nelson and even a little bit of Cat Stevens then this is the album for you! The album includes a version of John Prine’s Fish and Whistle as well as self penned songs such as Hey You which was originally titled Hey Mum. The track is now dedicated to three important women in his life; his mother, great aunt, and grandmother.

The sensational title track kicks off the album and sets a steady, fantastic pace of some truly exceptional songs.

Of the title track, Fletcher says “The hardest song to write was the Point. I started off trying to write a satirical song about religion but it was going nowhere. Then I realized I was actually writing a live song and the writing fell into place very quickly. My producer Lachlan Bryan is the best writer I have worked with. His band is Lachlan Bryan and the Wildes.“

The Point is produced by Lachlan Bryan (Lachlan Bryan and The Wildes) and Damien Cafarella.

The Doctor Will See You Now is still touring, check dates out below! link to info and tickets here

Tue, 6th June 2023
Wyvern Theatre, Swindon»

Wed, 7th June 2023
Brewhouse Theatre and Arts Centre, Taunton»

Thu, 8th June 2023
Hazlitt Theatre, Maidstone»

Fri, 9th June 2023
Capitol Horsham (formerly Horsham Arts Centre), Horsham»

Sat, 10th June 2023
The Core (formerly the Library Theatre Arts Complex), Solihull»

Mon, 12th June 2023
Hall for Cornwall, Truro» –

Wed, 14th June 2023
Mercury Theatre, Colchester»

Thu, 15th June 2023
The Mill Arts Centre (formerly The Mill), Banbury»

Tue, 20th June 2023
Theatre Royal, Brighton» – 1 suppliers available

Wed, 21st June 2023
The Elgiva Theatre, Chesham»