Michael Fenton Stevens, Crispin Redman and More Set in UK Tour of YES, PRIME MINISTER

Principal casting has now been announced for the third UK tour of Jonathan Lynn and AnTony Jay's hit stage version ofYes, Prime Minister. Michael Fenton Stevens (recognisable as Sir Henry in ITV's Benidorm) will take on the role of beleaguered PM Jim Hacker, while opposite him Crispin Redman (known as Judge Richards in Law & Order: UK) will play Sir Humphrey Appleby and West End star Michael Matus (Taboo, Lend Me A Tenor) will perform the role of Principal Private Secretary, Bernard Woolley.

Opening at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford on 7th February 2013, the widely acclaimed production of Yes, Prime Minister will then tour to: Truro, Bromley, Cheltenham, High Wycombe, Brighton, Salisbury, Bradford,Durham, Ipswich, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, Richmond, Bristol and Tunbridge Wells. The tour provides the chance to see one of the twenty-first century's most successful new stage comedies at regional venues across the UK.

Michael Fenton Stevens is most recognisable as Sir Henry in long-running ITV drama, Benidorm. He has appeared in numerous television dramas including recently, Mrs Biggs, Not Going Out and for CBBC Hotel Trubble. His theatre work includes Scissor Happy at the Duchess Theatre, The Bed Before Yesterday at the Almeida, The Importance of Being Earnest and It's A Wonderful Life both at the New Wolsey Theatre, and numerous pantomimes. Michael is familiar to fans of Radio 4 drama The Archers as the voice of Paul Morgan.

Crispin Redman is best known as recurring character Judge Rory Richards in Law and Order: UK. Other television work includes appearances in New Tricks and Endeavour, which follows the young Inspector Morse. Recent theatre work includes the touring productions of Dinner and The Tempest, Camille at the Lyric Hammersmith, The Island of Slaves for the RSC and Peggy for You at Hampstead Theatre and the West End.

Michael Matus has appeared most recently in the stage productions Taboo, Wonderful Town, The Snow Queen and Lend Me A Tenor. His other stage work includes Oklahoma at Chichester Festival, Imagine This at the New London, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Timon of Athens at Shakespeare's Globe and Rough Crossings for Headlong Theatre company.

As the coalition beds in but with little hope of harmony, Prime Minister Jim Hacker is struggling to keep international troubles at bay. To add to squabbles over the collapsing euro and the push for greater austerity, he is now faced with a moral dilemma caused by dubious diplomatic demands. Meanwhile, Sir Humphrey is in favour of greater austerity for ordinary people but not for senior civil servants.

This 2013 tour of the wildly successful stage production is announced as Yes, Prime Minister returns to our television screens in six new episodes penned by AnTony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. The BAFTA award-winning political comedyYes, Minister first aired on BBC2 in 1980 and ran until 1984. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister ran from 1986 until 1988. The success of the stage production, which premiered in 2010 and has since enjoyed three triumphant West End residencies, resulted in new episodes of Yes, Prime Minister being commissioned for television. These have been recorded starring the original West End actors David Haig as Prime Minister Jim Hacker and Henry Goodman as Sir Humphrey Appleby. The new series will air on UK Gold in January 2013 and is set to be one of the television highlights of next year.

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. Following the success of this stage production, six newly penned episodes of Yes, Prime Minister were commissioned. These have been recorded starring the original West End actors David Haig as Prime Minister Jim Hacker and Henry Goodman as Sir Humphrey Appleby. The new series will air on UK Gold in January 2013 and is set to be one of the television highlights of next year.

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 UK tour of the Chichester Festival Theatre production of Yes, Prime Minister is produced by Mark Goucher (The Vagina Monologues, The Complete Works of Shakespeare), Wimpole Theatre (Whipping It Up, A Christmas Carol) and Matthew Byam Shaw (Frost Nixon, See How They Run, Boeing, Boeing) for Playful Productions.

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