Rushen Players return to the stage this month with the second part of the spoof whodunnit trilogy by Peter Gordon.

They will present Secondary Cause of Death, directed by Catie Angus, at the Erin Arts Centre in Port Erin over three nights next week.

They were originally set to perform the zany play in November but it had to be rescheduled to sickness.

Graham Roberts will again take on the role of Inspector Pratt, back with his famous malapropisms and total incompetence in solving any crime, let alone this one!

He arrives at Bagshot House with grim news for Colonel Craddock (Juan Bridson), but that’s just the beginning.

Who is the strange Polish count (Robert Clayton? Is Henrietta (Robyn Hughes) really an army captain? How does the eccentric thespian, Longfellow (also Juan Bridson) fit in to the equation?

These are just some of the characters who make Pratt’s return a chaotic nightmare as the bodies pile higher and higher.

The cast also features Sharon Roberts as Lady Isodora Pollock, Ailsa Harrop as amateur sleuth Cynthia Maple, Pauline Johnson as housekeeper Martha Armstrong, Naomi Howarth as cook Lily Tuthill and Riikka Kotiranta as nurse Ann Parsley.

It follows their great success staging the Death by Fatal Murder, in November 2020.

Catie told Island Life: ‘Rehearsals have been lots of fun – all the actors are experienced and all have slipped into their roles beautifully.

‘We will have a great set, with great attention to detail, thanks to David Leiserach and Adrienne Sanderson.’

Catie encouraged people to come along and watch, saying: ‘Beat those January blues and immerse yourself in the convoluted world of Detective Inspector Pratt.

‘Double agents, wives with grudges, exploding cigars, deranged jobbing actors and many more mysterious characters are in and out of secret entrances at an alarming rate. “Who done what to whom?” That is the question- and you can have fun trying to unravel the mystery.’

Performances take place on Wednesday to Friday next week (January 25 to 27), starting at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £10 or £2 for under 18s.

They are available online or from the box office on 832662.

It’s open 10am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday.