A DARK comedy about neighbourhood safety from acclaimed playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn begins a four-day run at the Brentwood Theatre next Wednesday.

Neighbourhood Watch, performed by Havering amateur drama group Ad Hoc Players Theatre Club, follows the move of brother and sister Martin and Hilda to the Bluebell Hill Development where they have little idea how involved they will become with their neighbours.

A mistake by Martin though leads to an alarming escalation of events as the neighbours band together to protect themselves from the perceived dangers of the world around them.

The play is the 75th from one of England’s most prolific playwrights.

As a Oliver and Tony award winner, Sir Alan knows a thing or two and theatre.

His shows have been produced in Scarborough, where he was an artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre, London’s West End and all over the world.

Some of his work has even been adapted for TV and the big screen, including A Chorus of Disapproval and Time and Time Again.

Neighbourhood Watch was first performed in September 2011 in Scarborough, and was released for amateur groups in 2013.

The show begins at 8pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 7pm on Saturday June 7.

Tickets are £12 for adults and £10 for concession, and are available from www.brentwood-theatre.co.uk