Only Fools and Horses and Hi-de-Hi telly treasures lead cast for Best Exotic Royal Marigold Hotel at Royal & Derngate

Three comedy treasures will take to the Royal & Derngate stage when the world premiere theatre version of the The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel comes to town next year.

Ruth Madoc, Tessa Peake-Jones will join Paul Nicholas for the second leg of a national tour which opens in Cheltenham in February and starts a five-night run in Northampton on May 9. The trio are perhaps best known as Gladys Pugh from iconic sitcom Hi-di-Hi, Delboy Trotter’s girlfriend Raquel in Only Fools and Horses, 80s telly hearthrob Vince in the Bafta award-winning Just Good Friends.

Tessa Peake-Jones will perform as Evelyn, the role filled by Dame Judi Dench in the film version. Ruth Madoc appears as Muriel, played by Dame Maggie Smith on the big screen, while Paul Nicholas is Douglas, Bill Nighy’s movie character.

Based on a Sunday Times bestseller which inspired one of this century’s most treasured films released in 2012, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a joyous, feel-good comedy about taking risks, finding love, and embracing second chances, even in the most surprising of places.

The story takes us on a journey to India with an eclectic group of British retirees as they embark on a new life. The luxury residence is far from the opulence they were promised, but as their lives begin to intertwine and they embrace the vibrancy of modern-day India, they are charmed in unexpected and life-changing ways.