YES, PRIME MINISTER to Close; Tour Announced

The sell-out production of Jonathan Lynn and AnTony Jay's play Yes, Prime Minister will end its London run at the Gielgud Theatre on 15 January, before beginning a UK-wide tour on 31 January at Brighton Theatre Royal featuring a new cast which stars Simon Williams as Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby and Richard McCabe as Prime Minister Jim Hacker.

The production will then tour to Leeds, Newcastle, Bath, Edinburgh, Southampton, Nottingham, Leicester, Malvern, Plymouth, Aylesbury, Norwich, Manchester, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Birmingham, Northampton, Richmond, Glasgow and Cardiff.

AcclaimEd English actor Simon Williams is best known for playing James Bellamy in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. He also appeared in three series of the sitcom Don't Wait Up as Dr. Charles Cartwright and in the medical drama Holby City as Sir Charles Merrick from 2000-2003. Throughout his career, Williams has appeared on stage in numerous productions, most recently in David Hare's production of The Power of Yes at the National Theatre.

Richard McCabe is an Olivier award-nominated classical actor who has been an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) since 1997. He has performed in numerous productions for the RSC, National Theatre, Barbican and performed in playhouses throughout the country. He recently appeared at the Chichester Festival Theatre in Bingo: Scenes of Money and Death alongside Patrick Stewart and the double bill of Tom Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound and Richard Sheridan's The Critic. McCabe's recent TV roles include BBC One's Wallander and Spooks.

AnTony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, the original writers of the classic TV series Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister have reunited for this anniversary production which has received great critical and public acclaim during both its initial season at Chichester Festival Theatre and current run at the Gielgud Theatre. In both locations the production has played to capacity audiences, with Britain's political elite among those tempted through the doors, including the Chancellor George Osborne, the Home Secretary Theresa May, Ian Hislop, former Home Secretary David Blunkett and Sir David Frost. A range of high-profile celebrities have also attended the show including Stephen Hawking, Gloria Hunniford and The Apprentice's Margaret Mountford.

Prime Minister Jim Hacker and Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby face a country in financial meltdown. The only prospect of salvation comes from morally dubious allies - leading to deliciously comic consequences.

AnTony Jay has enjoyed a distinguished career as writer, broadcaster and producer. He was founder and editor of the BBC's legendary Tonight programme, is the editor of The Oxford Dictionary of Political Quotations, and author of Elizabeth R and two acclaimed documentaries on the Royal Family. He is a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.

Jonathan Lynn's prolific career spans more than four decades as a director, screenwriter, producer and actor in films, television and theatre, as well as best-selling author and novelist. As well as co-writing, he will be directing this stage version of Yes, Prime Minister. His film credits as director include The Whole Nine Yards, The Fighting Temptations, The Distinguished Gentleman, My Cousin Vinny and Nuns on the Run (which he also wrote).

Jay and Lynn's BAFTA award-winning political comedy Yes, Minister first aired on BBC2 in 1980 and ran until 1984. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister ran from 1986 until 1988.

Lynn and Jay also wrote three novels, The Complete Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, Volumes 1 and 2, which cumulatively sold more than a million copies in hardback, were on the British top-ten bestseller list for three years and have been translated into numerous languages.

The recession-busting West End production of Yes, Prime Minister recouped within five weeks of opening, taking over £2.5 million by mid-November, proving that the brand of Yes, Prime Minister remains one of the strongest in UK comedy.