Cliff and The Shadows to reunite

Cliff Richard and The Shadows first hit was Move It in 1958.

Cliff Richard and The Shadows are to reunite for an arena tour in 2009 to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

They dominated the charts in the late 1950s and 1960s and notched up 19 number one hits between them.

Their hits included Move It, Living Doll and Travellin' Light. It will be the first time they have performed in concert together for 20 years.

The group say it will be their final tour. Tickets for the 11 dates in autumn 2009 go on sale on Sunday.

Initially formed as a backing band for Sir Cliff Richard, The Shadows were originally called The Drifters until finding out there was already a US band with the same name.

The Shadows also appeared with him in films including The Young Ones and Summer Holiday.

The line-up split in 1968 to pursue individual careers. The Shadows toured throughout the 1970s and 1980s while Sir Cliff achieved huge success as a solo star.

Fans will be able to see Sir Cliff, Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and Brian Bennett on the following dates:

September 2009

Fri 25 and Sat 26 - London O2 arena
Wed 30 - Nottingham Trent FM Arena

October 2009

Sat 03 and Sun 04 - Birmingham NIA
Tue 06 - Cardiff CIA
Wed 07 - Liverpool Echo Arena
Fri 09 - Glasgow SECC
Mon 12 - Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
Wed 14 - Sheffield Arena
Sat 17 - Manchester Evening News Arena