FANS of playwright Alan Bennett have a treat in store when three of his original hugely acclaimed monologues are performed later this month at Malvern’s Festival Theatre.

As part of a limited national tour a brand new production of Bennett’s Talking Heads will run for a week at this popular Worcestershire venue from Monday, August 24 to Saturday, August 29.

It will feature Stephanie Cole (Coronation Street, Waiting for God, Tenko), Siobhan Redmond (Dunsinane, Between the Lines, Taggart) and Karl Theobald (Twenty Twelve, Green Wing, Primeval) and will offer an unmissable chance to see three of Bennett’s brilliant monologues, at once darkly comic, poignant and uplifting, and widely regarded as modern classics - Talking Heads features A Cream Cracker Under the Settee, A Lady of Letters and A Chip in the Sugar.

A Cream Cracker Under the Settee stars Stephanie Cole as 75-year-old widow Doris, obsessive about tidiness and maintaining her independence, but fearful she might be moved to a care home.

Lying on the floor after a fall, Doris spies a cream cracker under the settee, which she determines to use as evidence against her incompetent home help.

The original television production performed by Thora Hird in 1988 was nominated for three BAFTA awards.

Stephanie Cole is one of the UK’s best-loved actresses; the winner of the Best TV Actress at the 1992 British Comedy Awards for her role as Diana in Waiting for God and the Best Comedy Performance at the 2012 British Soap Awards for her role as Sylvia Goodwin in Coronation Street.

On television, she also played Joan Norton in four series of Doc Martin, Dr. Beatrice Mason in Tenko, Betty Sillitoe in A Bit of a Do, Peggy Beare in Keeping Mum, and Mrs Featherstone in Open All Hours and Still Open All Hours.

She starred in the first series of Bennett’s Talking Heads in 1988, receiving great acclaim for her portrayal of Muriel in Soldiering On.

On stage, she has enjoyed great success in A Passionate Woman and Quartet in the West End. She has also starred in So Long Life, The Shell Seekers, as Mrs Malaprop in Sheridan’s The Rivals and played Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit in the West End. She recently performed in This May Hurt a Bit at Bristol Old Vic, on tour and in London.

A Lady of Letters stars Siobhan Redmond as Miss Ruddock, a working class singleton who is not afraid to speak, or write, her mind. Watching the world from behind her curtains, she constantly dashes off letters expressing her ill-informed opinions; but Miss Ruddock’s obsession with remedying the social ills she sees around her soon lands her in hot water.

Siobhan Redmond has performed extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company, including Dunsinane in 2013, in a co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland.

She also starred in The House of Bernarda Alba and Mary Stuart for the National Theatre of Scotland. She has played lead roles at the Donmar Warehouse, London’s Royal Court, National Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe, and her West End credits include The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Perfect Days.

Her television work includes playing Detective Sergeant Maureen Connell in Between the Lines, Chief Supt Karen Campbell in Taggart, Shona Spurtle in The High Life, Sharon in The Smoking Room, Janice Taylor in Holby City, and CSE Lorna Hart in The Bill; as well as appearances on The Catherine Tate Show, Bob Servant and Benidorm.

A Chip in the Sugar stars Karl Theobald as devoted son Graham Whittaker whose life begins to unravel when he discovers his ageing mother has taken up with an old flame, Frank Turnbull. As Mr Turnbull’s influence over his mother grows, so does Graham’s jealousy and his suspicion that Frank is hiding a secret.

Alan Bennett performed the role of Graham in the original television production in 1988.

Karl Theobald is best-known on television for playing Dr. Martin Dear in Green Wing, Graham Hitchens in Twenty Twelve, Oliver Leek in Primeval and the landlord in Plebs. He has also appeared in Skins, Doc Martin, Common Ground and Pramface.

His film credits include Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, Downhill, Get Him to the Greek and The Truth. His theatre credits include Travelling Light at the National Theatre, Victory at the Arcola Theatre and Donkey’s Years in the West End.

Director Sarah Esdaile has previously directed a number of Alan Bennett’s plays, including The Lady in the Van for Hull Truck which toured the UK in 2012.