YORK actor Andrew Dunn is ready to strip off again for the final British and Irish tour of Simon Beaufoy’s award-winning stage play The Full Monty from September, visiting the Grand Opera House, York, from October 15 to 20.

Best known for playing Tony in Victoria Wood’s Dinnerladies and for his regular appearances impersonating Alastair Campbell on Bremner, Bird And Fortune, Dunn will once more take the role of Gerald, the foreman at the steel plant that closed down but who won’t tell his wife he has lost his job, still setting off to work each day.

He previously stripped for the 2016 tour, when playing Gerald alongside Louis Emerick, Gary Lucy and Kai Owen, who all return for the 2018-2019 finale.

David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers’ presentation of the Sheffield Theatres production, winner of the UK Theatre Award for Best Touring Production, will tour well into 2019 with more dates to be added. The cast will be led by Dancing On Ice winner Gary Lucy, who will star as Gaz after playing such roles as Luke Morgan in Hollyoaks, Danny Pennant in EastEnders, DS Will Fletcher in The Bill and Kyle Pascoe in Footballer’s Wives.

Louis Emerick will appear as ageing ace dancer Horse after roles as Mick Johnson in Brookside, Norman the Doorman in Benidorm and PC Walsh in Last Of The Summer Wine and an upcoming turn as Mike in Coronation Street. Joe Gill, best known for Finn Barton in Emmerdale, will be Lomper; Kai Owen will play Dave, with Rhys in Torchwood and Pete in Hollyoaks on his CV. Further casting is to be announced for a production directed by previous The Full Monty cast member and Coronation Street actor Rupert Hill.

The Full Monty began life as an award-laden film with York actor Mark Addy to the fore, continuing its success as on stage with its story of six out-of-work, impoverished steelworkers from Sheffield with nothing to lose deciding to take the plunge as a strip act.

The latest tour features a design by Robert Jones and choreography by Ian West. Tickets for the York run are on sale on 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york.

JOHN Godber is to stage the sequel to his record-breaking Hull New Theatre hit The Kings Of Hull from September 5 to 15 under the title of Long Live The Kings Of Hull.

The first play was commissioned as part of Hull’s UK City of Culture celebrations, introducing York Theatre Royal pantomime regular Martin Barrass in the role of family head Malcolm King at his golden wedding anniversary as Malcolm and wife Betty reflect on the city’s past, from the 1960s through to Brexit and beyond. Now Godber picks up the story with Malcolm and his family embarking on a P&O Ferries’ Dutch Dash, where they discover it is not only the sea that gets rough. It could be Rotterdam or anywhere, but when you take the Kings out of Hull, the sparks still fly. Box office: 01482 300 306 or hulltheatres.co.uk