On bended knee, in front of a packed matinee audience, Dave proposed to girlfriend Laura Dobbs just as the curtain was about to go down on a spectacular staging of Tolkien's epic.

Her instant 'Yes' brought cheers from the audience and sent Hobbits, heroes and assorted Orcs jumping for joy.

The cast of The Lord Of The Rings at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane were in on the secret - the result of weeks of meticulous planning.

But Laura certainly had no idea what was happening when the cast called her onto the stage at the end of the afternoon performance.

Dave, who'd disappeared from her side moments before, suddenly reappeared next to her. Casting aside his pre-prepared speech, he told her he loved her, went down on bended knee and asked her to marry him.

Speaking afterwards as they sipped champagne in an elegant theatre reception room, Dave said: "Once the show started, I thought 'Right, now the clock is ticking'.

"But until the final scene, I was just watching the show and I was fine. But then when the final scene came, I thought 'Right, there is no turning back now!'

His speech was ready in his wallet, but in the event he didn't use it. Instead he said what came naturally – and got precisely the answer he was hoping for.

Dave, aged 30, who works as a production co-ordinator in Swindon but lives in Selsey, admitted to an element of relief.

Laura, champagne in hand and with a big bouquet of flowers beside her, admitted to plenty of shock.

Dave had been dropping hints about a possible proposal, but she hadn't imagined it coming quite like this. The walk up to the stage was the longest walk of her life, she laughed.

University of Chichester graduate Laura, aged 23, also of Selsey, added: "When Dave came on stage, I just thought 'Oh my God!'"

Dave said he reckoned marriage was more likely to be a year from now rather than 2008. They've got a busy time coming up with a move to Swindon imminent.

General manager of the production company behind Lord Of The Rings Dirk Rueter said he was delighted to be part of the proposal plan.

Brandishing an A4 sheet of detailed instructions which had been worked out for the day, he added: "All the cast knew what was happening. They liked the idea. It makes a little change to their day!"

Dave paid tribute to everyone who'd helped in planning his very public proposal, particularly theatre duty manager Clare Hannan.

"We wanted something that would be memorable – to tell our grandchildren!" he said.


SEE NEXT PAGE FOR PHIL HEWITT'S REVIEW OF THE PRODUCTION AND CLICK ON THE GALLERY TO SEE PHOTOS OF THE BIG PROPOSAL