Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Patrick Stewart and Dame Julie Walters have joined some of the biggest names in British theatre to urge Boris Johnson to secure visa-free EU travel for artists.

"We have to pay hundreds of pounds, fill in form after form, and spend weeks waiting for approval – just so we can do our jobs"

In a letter from the Equity union, the new rules are described as a “towering hurdle” for the industry.

'Things could get very very much worse before they get better'

Julie Walters among signatories to letter saying post-Brexit changes a ‘towering hurdle’ to working in Europe