DOES your nearest and dearest ever return from the supermarket bearing say 14 cans of cat food, knowing full well that you do not possess an animal of the feline species?

Then you can rest assured that the offer of two for the price of one was too good to miss. Well the same must be said of the grand comedy double bill presented last week at the village hall by the Malvern Wells Players. A well judged pairing of plays, each entirely different, and set in locations as far apart as Russia and suburban England, but with the common bond of awakening your chuckle muscles.

The Proposal, by Anton Chekhov, concerned the plight of a young man who arrived nervously to propose to the object of his affections, only to become embroiled in a dispute with both her and his future father-in-law over adjacent land. Then, of all things, the relative hunting prowess of rival dogs. All this, while the young man in question collapsed several times owing to a dicky ticker. So much so, that the old man urged his daughter to accept the proffered hand in marriage while it was still attached to a live body!

My typewriter stubbornly refuses to print out the Russian names involved. Suffice it to say all three cast members Suzannah Weatherill, David Jago and Bert Houlding, who make it look effortless, were first class, under the astute direction of Mike Jackson.

Hidden Meanings, by Michael Snelgrove, revolved around Rodney Carson, a business executive by day and a Sherlock Holmes devotee by night, complete with deerstalker and bumbling sidekick Dr Watson. This was not so much a whodunit, but who didn't do it, as three separate attempts were made on the life of the eventual victim. A lot of fun, with Geoff Rowswell turning in an "Ideal Holmes Exhibition", as the super sleuth, ably assisted by Evan Peach as the doctor who literally didn't have a clue, whilst the rest of the cast played their parts to perfection. A special mention must be made of director, Geoff Palmer, who though not listed as such in the programme, played the dead (or was he) man. The sets as always betrayed the talented hand of Peter Ewence.

All this, plus a free glass of wine in the interval - what more could you ask?