Ian Lavender in Shawshank Redemption

Dad’s Army star Ian Lavender is to make his Edinburgh Fringe debut in the Shawshank Redemption.

The 67-year-old – the last surviving regular cast member from the sitcom platoon – will star alongside Omid Djalili and Owen O’Neill in the production at the Assembly Rooms.

He plays Brooksie, an elderly, inmate who works in the library and who has become institutionalised.

He said: ‘I am delighted to make my debut, as a performer, in such an iconic piece at the Edinburgh Festival and I am looking forward to it very much.’

Lavender’s stage credits range from Merchant of Venice to The Rocky Horror Show and he was a regular on EastEnders from 2001 to 2005. 

The rest of the cast will be announced shortly.

The Shawshank Redemption was written by O’Neill and fellow stand-up Dave Johns, based on Stephen King’s original novella. Their version was first performed in 2009, but has been ‘substantially re-written’, say producers at the Assembly Rooms Fringe.

Published: 24 May 2013