SEEN by many as the gentleman of rock’n’roll, Buddy Holly left a lasting legacy which has spanned the generations.

With hits like Peggy Sue and Oh, Boy still regularly played in clubs and on the radios, there are many new fans of Buddy and The Cricketers who never had the opportunity to see them live.

However, people feeling like they missed out will now have an opportunity to get the Buddy experience at The Haymarket.

The Holly at Christmas show has been played to audiences across the globe from Cardiff to California, Barking to Bangkok and Swindon to Sweden and will once again return to Basingstoke.

Simon Fielder, the show’s producer, said: “When we first started taking the show on the road we used to say to ‘relive your youth or find out what you missed because you were born to late’.

“Our aim is to bring a rock’n’roll Christmas party which everyone can enjoy, whether it be people who are extremely familiar with Buddy’s work or have been dragged along by their family, we just want to bring magic to the stage.”

Simon’s love of Buddy Holly started when he was younger and learnt his songs on the guitar.

With the number of artists that Buddy’s music influenced and after appearing in the Buddy Musical on the West End and on a UK tour, Simon became something of an anorak for the American singer’s material and he saw the chance to share his music with a wider audience.

Simon added: “Buddy is back live touring the county. It’s what he would be doing if he was still alive today.

“We want to suspend their disbelief and get them wrapped up in that “this is Buddy Holly” experience.”

This year marks 25 years of Simon touring the production and he said that even though incarnations of Buddy and the Cricketers may change, the audiences continue to come in their droves.

He added: “When we first started doing it I thought we’d get a good run in the first couple of years then things might have started to trail off. But I guess its like any band, any given night can be special. So we are seeing returning audience members enjoying the show as much as the first time they saw it.”

The two dates at The Haymarket will be the last of the current tour, something which Simon wants the audience to embrace.

He added: “We had lots of fun in Basingstoke last time and this is where the party finishes, so we want to go out with a bang.”

Buddy Holly and the Cricketers – Holly at Christmas will be at The Haymarket on December 21 and December 22.

For more information and tickets, visit anvilarts.org.uk.