Review: The Moonwalkers – A Journey with Tom Hanks

In September 2026 NASA’s Artemis programme will aim to put the first humans on the moon since the Apollo missions which kept the world glued to their TV sets throughout the 1960s.

The missions’ ultimate goal is to build a permanent human base on the moon so that, one day, we can move on and even reach Mars.

So what better time than now to look back on those jaw-dropping years of the 1960s with an interactive show exploring the halcyon days of lunar exploration, which culminated in Neil Armstrong’s famous quote as he stepped off the Apollo 11 module on July 21, 1969.

Telling the stories of the Apollo missions in intimate detail, The Moonwalkers – A Journey with Tom Hanks, now showing at Lightroom, King’s Cross, also provides an insight into the impending return of crewed surface missions by going behind the scenes of the Artemis programme.

Superbly narrated by Hanks, who recalls watching the Apollo missions in awe as a child, the 52-minutes show includes interviews between the actor and Artemis astronauts.

The shows are available on the hour, with audiences invited to sit on the floor on cushions in an auditorium ‘roughly the size of Houston’s mission control’ as we are told. 

Surrounding the room is one continuous screen which spans all four walls, bringing to life the thrill of the Apollo missions and looking ahead to the Artemis programme.

The powerful projection and audio technology transforms the immense space into a vehicle for a spectacular immersive voyage to our closest celestial neighbour.

It’s an experience which you will not regret and will not fail to leave you humbled by what mankind is, at its best, capable of.

The Moonwalkers – A Journey with Tom Hanks runs until October 13. See https://lightroom.uk/whats-on/the-moonwalkers/#book for tickets.

Pictured top: The Moonwalkers – A Journey With Tom Hanks (Picture: Justin Sutcliffe)