EVERYONE wept for Neighbour's softy Harold when his beloved wife Madge died. Still, most people preferred Helen Daniels and what was Neighbours' loss has been Hampshire's gain because Anne Charleston, who played the fiery housewife, is fast becoming a firm fixture on the local performing arts scene.

The popular actress, currently starring in Jack and the Beanstalk at The Anvil in Basingstoke, will throw off her sequined fairy queen costume and head to the nearby Haymarket theatre to star in John B. Keane's charming comedy The Kerry Matchmaker.

The play opens on January 12 for a run of just five performances and also stars the equally popular Mick Lally of Ballykissangel fame.

This hilarious play sees Keane at his mischievous best, mixing a multitude of characters into an addictive instalment of theatre fun! Who else could get away with putting a lonely widow, sad spinster, frustrated farmer and shy jockey in the same room together?

If the prospect of an evening with the dinner party from hell doesn't inspire you though, then what about a moving slice of Irish theatre to warm your heart on a cold winter's evening?

A Night in November sees writer Marie Jones back to her best. This often hilarious, sometimes deeply poignant play centres on a Belfast Protestant who finds himself inadvertently cheering on the Irish Republic's football team as they head to America and the World Cup. Inevitably, prejudice rears its ugly ahead along the way, but at the centre of this punchy and vivid story is a decent man with a tolerant heart.

A Night in November runs from January 17 to 22.

For information on ticket prices for both of the above plays, or to book, contact the box office on 0870 770 1088.