In Only When I Laugh, Jack Shepherd stars as 1950s theatre manager Stanley, who is not having a good day. His band is stuck in traffic, his number two comic and one half of the tap-dancing twins are cavorting behind everyone’s backs, and a top-billed singer is on her way from London. But the top of the bill belongs to Reg, comic and hero of the working classes. The only thing more crude and vulgar than his act is his behaviour in the dressing room. With the City Council on his back to tame Reg’s routine, how will Stanley ensure the show will go on?

Shepherd, who also wrote Only When I Laugh, is probably best known for playing Wycliffe in the television detective series of the same name. As well as his acting abilities, Shepherd has a growing reputation as a writer and director.