It will then tour to Canterbury, Sheffield, Birmingham, Southampton, Cambridge, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Malvern and Bath in 2012, with further dates for 2013 to be announced.

Adapted by Graham Linehan from the classic 1955 Ealing comedy of the same name, it is directed by Sean Foley and produced by Edward Snape for Fiery Angel in association with Stage Entertainment UK, Olympus Theatricals, Jason Heigh-Ellery and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse. Casting for the tour is still to be announced.

The Ladykillers tells the story of the eccentric little old lady Mrs. Wilberforce who lives alone with her parrots in a strange lopsided house in King's Cross. Her life is turned upside down by the arrival of Professor Marcus and his four friends, who between them make up the most unlikely group of criminals. Planning the heist of a security van, they decide to use Mrs. Wilberforce as cover and involve her unwittingly in the plot. Things do not go well and the Professor's plan starts to unravel.

Linehan is best known for his TV work writing "Father Ted" and "The I.T. Crowd." Foley's West End credits include The Play What I Wrote (also Broadway), Ducktastic, Pinter's People and the forthcoming production of Joe Orton's What the Butler Saw.

Tickets for The Mayflower Theatre Southampton run, from Oct. 15-20, are now on sale, with further venues to follow shortly. To book tickets, contact the box office on 02380 711811, or visit www.theladykillers.co.uk for further details.