★★★★

From Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors through to No Sex Please, We're British, UK theatre has a long love affair with farce.

The latest addition to the proud tradition that has given us such icons as Dromio, Frank Spencer and Basil Fawlty is Ray Cooney's Out Of Order. Set in the Westminster Hotel, the play follows the story of Peter Willey MP, a Government minister who checks in for an overnight stay on the night of a key Parliament debate.

But within minutes things take a bizarre turn, in no small part due to an unruly bay window with a mind of its own. What follows is a rip-roaring tale of lies, laughter and lots of unlikely scenarios as Mr Willey (Andrew Hall) and his entourage try to entangle themselves from an intricate web of mistruths entirely of their own making.

This show at Brighton's Theatre Royal is packed with familiar faces, from Shaun Williamson (Eastenders, Extras) to Arthur Bostrom ('Allo 'Allo) to Susie Amy (Footballers' Wives).

Williamson plays the fire-fighting assistant to Willey with great aplomb, while Hall is utterly convincing as a man who will stop at nothing to preserve his own status. In an era of fake news and distrust in decision makers, this has a thoroughly contemporary feel to it.

If there was a criticism it was that the play lost some of the pace in the second half, in part due to the length of the first (close to one hour). But with a stellar cast and some excellent writing, this fast-paced play delivers enough moments of genuine face-aching laughter to make it a worthy addition to the UK's farcical theatre heritage.