Following the success of Popcorn, playwright and comedian Ben Elton is working on a new play which will receive its world premiere at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.

Blast from the Past, a two-hander directed by Jude Kelly, is now confirmed for an April opening in the Leeds-based theatre. The play is likely to receive a West End transfer but, as with Popcorn, Elton may adapt the script based on the initial audience's reception.

Popcorn is based on Elton's fourth novel of the same name. The bloody satire on Hollywood movie violence was first produced in the autumn of 1996 as a co-production between the West Yorkshire and Nottingham Playhouses. It transferred to the Apollo Theatre in the West End in April 1997 and is currently booking into 1998. The play, which gained a new cast in September, has received critical acclaim, particularly for its success in drawing young new audiences to the theatre.

Ben Elton first achieved prominence at the age of 23, when he co-wrote the BBC smash TV series The Young Ones which has since gained an international cult following. Stand-up career, novels and plays followed. His earlier plays Gasping and Silly Cow also enjoyed substantial West End runs.

--By Terri Paddock
What's On Stage, London