POPULAR entertainer and television celebrity Les Dennis is set to take to the stage in Birmingham in a star-studded performance of the hit show Kiss Me Kate.

The star - who made his name through popular ITV game show Family Fortunes - will be playing one of the gangsters in the show, which opens at Birmingham Hippodrome on Tuesday, September 21.

Kiss Me Kate took Broadway by storm in 1948 and now, more than 50 years on, Cole Porter's classic masterpiece has been brought back to the stage for a whole new generation to discover.

It follows the anarchic but exuberant life of a theatre company staging a musical version of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew and features tunes such as Too Darn Hot, From This Moment On and So In Love.

Les (left) appeared on Channel Four's Celebrity Big Brother and is no stranger to the stage, having starred in the West End in blockbuster musicals such as Chicago and Me and My Girl and the highly-successful UK tour of ART.TV.

The star has also made television appearances in Casualty, Merseybeat, Brookside and has just finished filming Quest 2 for ITV.

He is starring in Kiss Me Kate alongside actor Michael Grecco, who made his mark playing the womaniser Beppe di Marco in BBC1's Eastenders, before achieving critical acclaim in the West End playing the lead role of Billy Flynn in Chicago.

They will be joined by the cream of the West End, led by Craig Urbani and Julie-Alanah Brighten.

The production opened in London last month and, speaking to the Evening News, Les - who hit the headlines in 2002 after breaking up with Amanda Holden following her affair with actor Neil Morrissey - said audiences had been very receptive.

"It's been going very well - it's a great show and everybody that's been to see it gets into it.

"It doesn't seem like a touring production because the producers have spared no expense - there's 26 on stage, a fantastic cast, a full chorus complement and amazing sets."

Asked as for his plans for the future, he revealed he has more television work in the pipeline, but would not elaborate.

"In the meantime I'm carrying on with the show and basically enjoying my career," he added.

Kiss Me Kate runs at the Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday, October 2. Tickets are priced from £10.50 via the box office on 0870 730 1234.