A brand new production of The Hypochondriac starring Tony Robinson, Imogen Stubbs and Tracie Bennett opens at the Theatre Royal Bath from Wednesday, October 8 to Saturday, October 18.

Richard Bean, the adaptor of One Man, Two Guvnors, turns Moliere’s medicinal masterpiece into a riotous farce in this new staging with songs by Richard Thomas, the composer and lyricist of Jerry Springer: The Opera.

The play tells the story of the penny-pinching Argan, who is healthy, wealthy and completely obsessed by a list of imaginary ailments.

Confusion is piled upon hilarious confusion as a gang of eccentric quacks and Argan’s treacherous wife endeavour to fleece him of his fortune, whilst his lovesick daughter, her dashing lover and an astute maid, attempt to set him straight.

Argan, the play’s protagonist, is played by Tony Robinson, known to millions as the dim-witted but loveable sidekick of Blackadder.He is also known for hosting Channel 4’s Time Team and The Worst Jobs in History. His extensive work on screen also includes playing the Sheriff of Nottingham in Maid Marian and her Merry Men, performing in Hotel Babylon, Big Bad World, My Wonderful Life, and appearing in the films Blackadder Back and Forth, Hogfather, Mrs Caldicot’s Cabbage Wars, and Brannigan.

Director Lindsay Posner directed Hay Fever starring Felicity Kendal at the Theatre Royal Bath. One of the UK’s greatest directors of comedy, he also recently received acclaim for his productions of Noises Off at London’s Old Vic, and Abigail’s Party and Relatively Speaking in the West End; all of which also played the Theatre Royal Bath.

The Hypochondriac appears at the Theatre Royal, in Bath, from October 8 to 18. Tickets are available from the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 or online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk.