NICHOLA McAuliffe will play spirit medium Madame Arcati in Damian Cruden’s spring production of Noel Coward’s wartime comedy Blithe Spirit at York Theatre Royal.

Nichola is best known for her sitcom role as Sheila Sabatini in Surgical Spirit from1989 to 1995 and played Miss Shepherd, the cantankerous vagrant with a whiff of onions and bodily functions, in Alan Bennett’s comedy The Lady In The Van at Hull Truck Theatre in April and May 2011.

She will be joined in Coward’s dark comedy of manners by Andrew Hall and Caroline Harker when Blithe Spirit’s ghostly tale makes an appearance in York from May 9 to 31.

Actor and director Hall, who played Marc Selby in Coronation Street, will take the lead role of twice-married author Charles Condomine. He was last seen on a Yorkshire stage in June 2013 as Dr Watson in Sherlock Holmes – The Best Kept Secret at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds.

Harker, formerly D.S Hazel Wallace in ITV’s A Touch of Frost , is cast as Charles’s exasperated second wife and will be reuniting with artistic director Cruden, having played Mother in his Olivier Award-winning London production of The Railway Children at Waterloo Station in 2010.

Further roles go to Amy Rockson as the spirit of first wife Elvira; Louise Calf as the scatty maid, Edith; Rachel Atkins as Mrs Bradman and Blair Plant as Dr Bradman. Blair has a long association with the Theatre Royal, from humble beginnings as stage crew 30 years ago while he studied at York St John University, and he later played Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night in 2009 and performed alongside Harker as Russian author Shepansky in The Railway Children in London the following year.

Damian will be working with designer Nigel Hook, whose set must serve as a misbehaving extra character in Coward’s comedy. “I’m looking forward to directing this particular play and working with the experienced cast chosen for their ability and appropriateness for the roles,” says the director, whose rehearsals began on Monday this week.

“Blithe Spirit holds fond memories for me. It’s the first play I remember going to see as a child. I was 12 and remember seeing my mother playing the part of Elvira. This was a proud moment and one that will stay with me.”

Tickets: 01904 623568.