Shane Richie is bringing his roguish charm and hilarity to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre for the stage production of The Entertainer.

You may remember him as Alfie Moon, the former landlord of the Queen Vic and husband of the vivacious Kat Slater in Eastenders.

Set in 1982, The Entertainer tells the story of Archie Rice - Shane Richie's character - who is a washed-up entertainer playing a summer season.

As his soldier son sails with the Task Force to liberate the Falklands, his daughter Jean returns from campaigning against the war, and Archie’s professional and personal lives collide with devastating consequences.

The Entertainer - Shane Richie as Archie Rice
The Entertainer - Shane Richie as Archie Rice

Directed by Sean O’Connor, the curtains of this adaptation will first open at Leicester Curve in August and then tour the UK. For the first time since its premiere in 1957, this classic play will be given a vibrant new setting.

In Wolverhampton the performance runs from October 7 - 12 and tickets starts at £14.50.

If you're a Friend of The Grand or a member you can scoop up the early-bird tickets from March 12 at 11am. For the general public, tickets will go on sale from March 15 at 11am either online, at the Box Office and by calling 01902 42 92.

Shane Richie said, “Following in the black patent shoes of Olivier, Gambon, Lindsay & Branagh, it’s an incredible honour to be asked to play one of literatures greatest fictional characters, Archie Rice.

"In the words of the great man himself 'you’re a long time dead, let’s just whoop it up!'”

Sean O’Connor said, “Osborne’s story of a man who faces the end of his career in the declining days of a popular art form in the context of Britain struggling to establish its place on the international stage has never seemed more relevant or more timely.

"Against the backdrop of the Falklands War of 1982, the satirical new world of alternative comedy has dismissed Archie’s style of humour and his sort of act as old–fashioned and even offensive. The mother-in-law joke has been outlawed and a generation of entertainers like Archie have suddenly found themselves irrelevant.

"I’m hugely excited to bring this new vision of one of the 20th century’s finest plays to the stage and completely thrilled to have secured Shane – one of the great entertainers of today- to play one of the most iconic roles in British theatre.”