THE CREATOR of classic sitcoms like Rising Damp was also renowned as a writer of thrillers.

Skipton Players are staging Dead Reckoning, one of these suspense plays by Eric Chappell, from Tuesday to Saturday, February 23 to 27.

The amateur group will present the drama at 7.30pm each evening at Skipton Little Theatre next to the town’s Tesco supermarket.

Liam Burnham, a regular performer with Sutton’s Green Hut Theatre Company, will appear in the play, along with fellow Players regular Tracey Crewdson.

Ann Busfield, the director, has made a leap of faith by casting newcomers Derek Blackwell and Andrew French, who have very little stage experience, in the main parts.

Skipton Players spokesman Christopher Rose said: “We think audiences will agree that it was a worthwhile risk.”

Dead Reckoning features a renowned artist who is caught up in a maze of chilling mind games and deceit after the death of his first wife.

When a mysterious stranger arrives at painter Tony Reed's house, he is forced to face a past that still haunts him and make a decision that he has only ever fantasised about.

This decision leads Tony and his second wife Megan into a terrifying nightmare from which there seems no escape.

Who exactly is Mr Todd, and who really killed Tony’s adored first wife?

Call skipton.little.theatre@gmail.com or call 07527 141176 to book tickets.