Revival co-stars Daniel Rigby

Tom Basden has adapted Dario Fo’s classic play Accidental Death of an Anarchist for a major new stage revival.

Fellow comic actor Daniel Rigby will star in the new version of the 1970 story, about an inquiry into a suspicious death in police cells.

Sheffield Theatres, which is staging the production from next month, calls it ‘a really timely examination of our police powers and how they regulate themselves’.

In the play, an irrepressible, fraudster known as The Maniac is brought into police headquarters just as the officers inside prepare for a judicial review of the incident – and  dupes the officers into performing a farcical recreation of the incident, exposing the absurd corruption and terrifying idiocy at the heart of the system.

Former Edinburgh Comedy Award best newcomer Basden previously adapted Dostoyevsky's short story  The Crocodile for the stage.

He also recently wrote and starred in the BBC comedy Here We Go alongside Katherine Parkinson, Jim Howick and Alison Steadman; while the ancient Roman comedy Plebs, which he co-writes, is to come to an end with a feature-length episode on streaming service ITV X this autumn.

Rigby’s credits include Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror, Channel 4’s Flowers and Sick Note for Sky Atlantic. He earned the best actor Bafta in 2011 for playing Eric Morecambe in the BBC drama  Eric and Ernie 

This new production of Accidental Death Of An Anarchist, directed by Daniel Raggett. will run at Sheffield Theatres’ Studio Theatre from Friday September 30 to Saturday October 15. Tickets

Published: 5 Aug 2022