Sea shanty group Fisherman's Friends film becomes a musical

A film about Cornish sea shanty group, Fisherman's Friends, is being turned into a musical.

The show, which will be packed with shanties, will open at the Hall for Cornwall in Truro in the autumn.

The real Fisherman's Friends said they were "so proud" that the musical would be launched in their home county.

The sea shanty band from Port Isaac went from singing in their local pub to playing the main stage at Glastonbury and having a top 10 UK album.

They had been performing together since 1995 when their sea shanties caught the ear of DJ Johnnie Walker and they signed a record deal with Universal in 2010.

Now their tunes are riding high on the back of renewed interest in sea shanties sparked by social media app TikTok.

"We're all very excited about it," said band member Jon Cleave.

He said he hoped the musical would "bring in a few local touches and a few local stories ... it would be nice to give it a strong Cornish flavour".

The opening of Fisherman's Friends: The Musical will come after a £20m transformation of the Hall for Cornwall.

It will feature shanties made famous by the band including Keep Haulin', Nelson's Blood, No Hopers Jokers & Rogues and Sweet Maid Of Madeira.

Sea shanties were work songs, sung by merchant seamen as they carried out tasks such as hoisting sails.

The musical has been adapted from the 2019 film Fisherman's Friends.

"Blimey, how did that happen?", said the band.

"We are so proud that a musical based on our unexpected voyage will be launched down here in the heart of Cornwall."

Julien Boast, chief executive of Hall For Cornwall, said there was "no better way to raise the curtain" than hosting the musical.

He said it was a "perfect tonic to lift us from recent events which have impacted all our lives and a great celebration of people, passion and possibilities".

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or get in touch with us by email at [email protected].