A MARRIED couple best known for their starring roles in two of the country’s most popular soaps are to appear in a play in Cambridgeshire.

Actor Ben Freeman, best known for his role as Scott Windsor in ITV’s Emmerdale, and his wife Jennifer Biddall, who played Hollyoaks stunner Jessica Harris, will star in a gripping new thriller called The Chosen Ones.

The play at the Key Theatre in Peterborough has been written by Philip Gladwin who has twice been nominated for the Dennis Potter award - known more commonly as The Writer’s Award.

His work includes writing episodes of The Bill, Holby and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Jennnifer said: “It’s a massive departure from anything else I’ve ever done. It’s a modern play, freshly written and we’re the first ones to try it out.

“As soon I read the script I wanted to be in it. I play Anna, a young woman who goes home for what she thinks is a happy family get together - and Ben is the evil gardener who has very different ideas!”

Ben, who plays Callum in the play, said: “My character is great. He’s very dark and threatening and his purpose becomes clear as the play goes on. It becomes a very deadly battle by the end.”

It’s the couple’s fourth play together since meeting when they both starred in the musical Dreamboats and Petticoats in January 2009. They got married in September last year.

Ben said: “It’s a nice bonus being with Jennifer at work - it’s not that we don’t want to work apart because we’ll always make the time to see each other whatever happens.

“It’s nice knowing that I can get fat and bald and she’ll still stay with me!”

Jennifer admits she was desperate to do some theatre after leaving Hollyoaks but she gets recognised much less than her husband.

She said: “Ben gets stopped loads and I like it because I get to stand to one side.

“I think it’s lovely that he gets all this attention.”

Ben said: “I was only 17 when I started work on Emmerdale and you end up becoming a character people know so well that they forget your real name.

“I get recognised in some very bizarre places - I was half-way up a mountain and somebody stopped to take a picture of me.”

The pair will be appearing at the theatre from April 12-16. Visit www.peterboroughkeytheatre.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01733 207239 to buy tickets.