Queen’s Brian May to Make His Acting Debut on British Children’s Show
Queen guitarist Brian May will make his acting debut in an upcoming installment of the British children's TV show Andy and the Band.
May will portray the "Godfather of Rock" in the episode of the show to air on the BBC's CBeebies network. Andy and the Band is based on Andy and the Odd Socks, English actor Andy Day's pop-rock group that makes educational songs for kids.
But the Queen guitarist initially turned down the role before changing his mind after reading the script.
"It was very moving because it's a great story," May told PA News Agency, according to NME. "It's such a lovely look into what happens to kids and how they lose their confidence and what can be done."
The Queen rocker will perform an original kids' song, "Planet Rock," alongside the Odd Socks on the show.
"It is a good song," May explained. "I didn't write it [but] I did contribute. I'm a person who can't help sticking my oar in, so we did collaborate on it."
May added that the Odd Socks help children who "feel like they’re an outcast — it's an anti-bullying campaign built into what they do, which I think is wonderful. It must give so many kids confidence who have lost their belief because they're regarded as something different, a bit odd, and they get bullied."
The episode will air on CBeebies on Jan. 27 and is available on BBC iPlayer starting Jan. 24. The single "Planet Rock" by Andy and the Odd Socks featuring Brian May is out Feb. 18.
And while it is May's acting debut, the musician himself has been portrayed by another actor before. Gwilym Lee played May in the 2018 Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody.