Lucky audience members land £10 Royal Opera House tickets for standing room only in the orchestra pit

A night at the opera can be eye-wateringly expensive.

For one production at the Royal Opera House the best seats cost £165.Sometimes it is much more.

For an organisation that will get more than £77 million in public money over the next three years, the perception of accessibility is critical.

ITV News Royal editor Tim Ewart reports:

There are plenty of cheaper seats that sell for £20, £30, or £40.

The trouble is they can be a very long way from the action.

But for the first time that is not an issue.

Now, a lucky few can stand in the orchestra pit for just £10.

The orchestra is normally out of sight.

But on the opening night of Orpheus and Eurydice it is front and centre, and the people in the pit were given an unparalleled view.

Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez, a champion of accessibility, tells ITV News that singing with the conductor behind him is challenging but worthwhile.

Opera does suffer from the image of elitism.

But it is something officials at the Royal Opera House are anxious to dispel.