The extraordinary Life of Pi tiger set to wow audiences in Greater Manchester this Christmas

Prowling and growling, this incredible life-sized Bengal tiger is so convincing you actually forget it's a puppet. The tiger is set to be the star of the big Christmas show Life of Pi which is heading to The Lowry theatre in Salford this year.

The tiger, known as Richard Parker in the award-winning play based on the best-selling Life of Pi novel, is brought to life by a team of award-wining actors. They painstakingly create every convincing tiger-like movement from the twitch of an ear to the swing of his tail as he crosses the stage.

The tiger is one of a menagerie of animals that are brought to life in the production, which heads to The Lowry from December 5 for an extended four week run over the festive season.

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And at a special performance at The Lowry last week, he ran amok among an invited audience of media guests. He growled, prowled and tried to paw and "tear up" bags and even launched towards this scared reporter in the process.

The tiger, it's fair to say, is truly mesmirising. As you watch him walk menacingly towards you, you actually sort of forget that he is being operated by very highly skilled humans both inside and alongsdie him.

Also at The Lowry for the launch was playwright Lolita Chakrabarti, who adapted the much-loved novel for the stage, and Puppet and Movement Director Finn Caldwell. The visit came in the week Life of Pi’s Broadway production won 3 prizes at The Tony Awards in New York.

It is based on the book Life of Pi which is one of the best-loved works of fiction in modern times. It won the Man Booker Prize and sold over fifteen million copies worldwide.

For those who may not have read the book or