St John Quartermaine is a bumbling teacher at a language school in Cambridge.

It's the early 1960s and Quartermaine is a quintessentially English gentleman, as much a part of the school’s furniture as the blackboards and chalk rubbers.

But while he is completely absorbed by school matters his colleagues are gossiping about other goings-on altogether.

As their humorous trials and tribulations are shared between the group, Quartermaine finds himself increasingly bewildered by the whirlwind of life beyond the staff-room.

Simon Gray’s comedy is the first in-house production of the autumn season at Northampton's Royal Theatre.

Cast

Rupert Wickham (Peak Practice and The Bourne Identity) plays Quartermaine.

Following her portrayal of Lady Rumpers in Habeas Corpus, Marty Cruickshank returns to the Royal to play Melanie Garth, a single woman forced to care for her sickly and ungrateful mother.

Josh Cohen (Benjamin in The Graduate at The Gielgud Theatre, London) plays struggling novelist Mark Sackling.

Sophie Shaw (In Deep, Holby City) plays long suffering Anita.

New boy Derek Meadle is played by Jonas Armstrong and Ian Price plays headmaster Eddie Loomis.

And the slightly insane Henry Windscape is played by Timothy Davies (A Touch of Frost, Kilvert’s Diary).

Quartermaine’s Terms has been described as a cross between C4’s Teachers and the classic comedy Please Sir.; It won best new play in the 1981 Drama Awards and the 1982 Cheltenham Prize for Literature.

In Weekender