There's No Place Like a Home, Lighthouse, Poole

IT boasts a cast of actors from the golden age of television. Household names who in their time have been watched by millions.

There's Gordon Kaye, Rene from 'Allo 'Allo, Ken Morley who played Reg Holdsworth in Coronation Street, Christopher Beeny, Edward in Upstairs Downstairs and even Peter Byrne who played detective Andy Crawford in Dixon of Dock Green.

This alone ensures a good house although pensions don't always stretch to cover the price of theatre tickets and Paul Elliott's finely observed comedy about the residents of a home for ageing theatricals is pitched firmly at the retirement market.

The combined ages of the dozen actors in this crazily convoluted sit-com-cum-farce is hundreds and hundreds of years old.

Most of the jokes seem even older - you know the punchline long before it lands.

Curiously this seems to add to the charm of this rather over-wordy piece of theatre.

It boasts a ludicrous plot and occasionally veers towards the decidedly un PC with jokes about Jews, the Chinese, dwarfs and how good wives keep their thoughts to themselves and their lips firmly buttoned, The audience loved it. One woman shrieked with laughter so loudly I feared they'd have to call an ambulance.

It's in aid of a good cause too, raising money for the Combined Theatrical Charities.