FAMILY disputes at Christmas time feature in a new production which opens at Malvern Theatres next Tuesday.

Wynyard Browne's The Holly & The Ivy is being staged at the Festival Theatre and stars veteran actor Tony Britton as the Reverend Martin Gregory.

Tony, whose career spans more than 50 years and is probably best known by television viewers for Don't Wait Up, plays an elderly vicar who is joined by family members for a Christmas gathering in 1947 at his Norfolk vicarage.

Despite the peace and good will radiated by the host, the arrival of his son, who is on leave from the Army, two irritable aunts and an errant daughter - along with a few festive tipples - turn the atmosphere sour, leading to a number of astonishing revelations.

The play by the Middle Ground Theatre Company is described as the perfect winter warmer for the festive season. Former children's television presenter Brian Cant also appears.

Tickets for the production, which runs until Saturday, January 18, start at £10 and are available from the box office on 01684 892277.