TADCASTER couple David Hinkley and Liz Roberts are to recreate the stage roles that brought them together 11 years ago.

They first met while appearing in Towton, a play by North Yorkshire author Andrew MacHutchon, which premiered in 1996 at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, in York.

David, a business development manager within BT Global Services, and Liz, head of drama at Selby High School, fell in love during the production.

Now they are to reprise their roles, this time starring in the Swan Players' revival of Towton at The Carriageworks, Leeds, from Wednesday to Saturday.

The couple later married and have since taken part in many productions. Next week they recreate the passionate roles of Richard of York and Margaret of Anjou in MacHutchon's tale of treachery, treason and passion, which recalls the largest and bloodiest battle ever to be fought on English soil and the dramatic events that led up to it.

MacHutchon intertwines historical fact with fiction in a play that turns the spotlight on King Henry VI's French wife Margaret of Anjou, a woman who, when men ruled supreme, was a match for all.

For nearly 25 turbulent years, Margaret ruled England with the power of her personality and an iron will that led to the deaths of tens of thousands of English men in the War of the Roses.

Towton is the tale of Margaret and the men who loved her, admired her, hated her and died for her.

This reworked production marks the Carriageworks debut of the Swan Players, a North Yorkshire theatre group whose previous shows have been presented at Harrogate Theatre and the Rowntree Theatre. For the latest show, the Players have joined forces with War of the Roses historian Scowen Sykes and battle historian and re-enactment specialist Des Thomas to "create an authentic theatrical experience that combines drama, live battle scenes and pyrotechnic effects".

The group has pulled off a coup in engaging the services of distinguished actor Robert Hardy, who has agreed to record a voiceover for the production.

David Rose, who will play Henry VI, says: "Robert Hardy is not only one of this country's finest actors, he's also a medieval historian of some note with a particular interest in the War of the Roses. He is patron of the Towton Battlefield Society and is a recognised expert on the longbow.

"I approached his agent in London and he asked for a copy of the script. I subsequently spoke to Robert and he expressed his wish to help us by recording a piece of dialogue. I'll be visiting him at home next week to make the recording."

Swan Players present Towton, The Carriageworks, Leeds, June 6 to 9, 7.45pm.

Box office: 0113 2243801.