EBOR Players have been listening very carefully to requests to do more than a pantomime each year in Bishopthorpe. Consequently, after 20 years of pantos, the York group will be staging ‘Allo ‘Allo! next month, an unprecedented step that has been met with a rush for tickets.

“We weren’t sure what the reaction would be to a play,” admits publicity officer David Rose. “Our pantomimes have been very successful and play to full houses, but we were unsure if we would have the same level of interest in a play and so only planned to play for three nights. However, we’ve been overwhelmed with the demand for tickets.

“The three evenings we chose sold out within a couple of weeks of going on sale and so we’ve taken the decision to put on a matinee performance, such has been the show’s appeal.”

Directed by director Jan Kirk, Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft’s stage play spin-off from their BBC1 series ‘Allo, ‘Allo! will run from April 23 to 25 April at Bishopthorpe Village Hall at 7.30pm each evening plus a Saturday matinee at 2pm. Jan’s cast will combine familiar faces from the Players’ pantomimes with actors recruited from York and Harrogate drama groups.

“The hall will be transformed into Café René with the audience sitting at café tables and able to purchase wine, paté, cheese and French bread and they’re also encouraged to dress for the event for a truly authentic French atmosphere,” says David, who will play café owner René Artois.

Look out too for Sonya Gillespie as Edith Artois; Helen Dowson, Yvette Carte-Blanche; Rebecca Hughes, Mimi Labonq; Amanda Gee, Michelle Dubois; Dave Hardman, Colonel Kurt von Strohm; Stella Chatterton, Helga Geerhart; and Matt Taylor, Captain Alberto Bertorelli.

Further roles go to Phil Pickering as Herr Otto Flick; Paul Brook, Officer Crabtree; Josh Wren, Roger Leclerc; Alex Schofield, Lieutenant Hubert Gruber; Vince Loach, General Von Schmelling; and Jo Curran and Lisa Beadle as British Airmen. Yes, you read that correctly, Jo and Lisa as airmen.

• A small number of £8 tickets are still available for the matinee from Liam Godfrey at lgodfrey@yorkcollege.ac.uk or on 01904 709015, but hurry.