Acclaimed actor Stephen Tompkinson stars as university tutor Frank in Educating Rita at the Cambridge Arts Theatre.

The hilarious and heart-warming comedy by British playwright Willy Russell is at the theatre from July 29 till August 3.

When married hairdresser Rita (Jessica Johnson) enrols on a university course to expand her horizons, little does she know where the journey will take her. Her tutor, Frank is a frustrated poet, brilliant academic and dedicated drinker, who is less than enthusiastic about taking Rita on, but the two soon realise how much they have to teach each other.

Stephen Tompkinson is best known for his roles in Drop the Dead Donkey (1990 - 98), Ballykissangel (1996 -98), Wild at Heart (2006 -12) and as the title role in DCI Banks (2010 - 16). On stage Tompkinson has appeared in Sign of the Times (2009), Spamalot (2012), A Christmas Carol (2018) and as Yvan in the 2018 UK tour of Art which toured to Cambridge Arts Theatre in February of that year.

Willy Russell is an English, dramatist, lyricist and composer. His best-known works include Educating Rita, Blood Brothers and Shirley Valentine.

Educating Rita deals with the concept of freedom, change, England's class system, the shortcomings of institutional education and the nature of self-development and of personal relationships. The original production won the 1980 Olivier Award for Comedy of the Year and received a nomination for comedy

Tickets are priced from £20-£40 and performances are at 7.45pm, with matinee shows at 2.30pm on Thursday and Saturday.

Contact the box office on: 01223 503333/www.cambridgeartstheatre.com.