Awful Auntie, the play based on David Walliams’ popular children’s book, is a tale of frights, fights and friendship.

The play promises an action-packed stage production, performed by a cast of five actors led by Georgina Leonidas as Stella Saxby, star of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Les Misérables.

Both funny and thrilling, this new stage production is adapted and directed by Birmingham Stage Company’s Neal Foster, whose previous hit family productions include Gangsta Granny and Horrible Histories.

Neal said: “I adored the book when I read it and I knew instantly it would make a fabulous theatre show because it is such a gripping story. ”

Awful Auntie comes to Swindon’s Wyvern Theatre from Wednesday, November 21 to Saturday, November 24.

Neil said of the story: “When Stella sets off to visit London with her parents, Lord and Lady Saxby, she has no idea her life is in danger. Waking up three months later, only her Aunt Alberta can tell Stella what has happened. But not everything Alberta tells her turns out to be true and Stella quickly discovers she’s in for the fight of her life against her very own awful Auntie.’’

Birmingham Stage Company is one of the world’s most successful companies at staging children’s classics for family audiences. Their past triumphs include twelve years of Horrible Histories shows, the hit West End production of David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny and stage adaptations of Roald Dahl stories.

Neal said: “This is the biggest show we’ve ever staged in our twenty-five-year history. It’s an enormous set to recreate Saxby Hall, a Rolls Royce car, a giant owl, special effects, all wrapped up in the most thrilling story, which unfolds in real time.

“ It will be thrilling, scary and hilarious all at the same time!’’

Writer David Walliams, who is one of the judges on the popular Britain’s Got Talent TV show and co-creator of the ground-breaking comedy series Little Britain, is also the best-selling author for children in the UK.

David has seen a string of his books top the best-seller lists. First publishing The Boy in the Dress in 2008, he has gone on to write and publish a dozen titles including Mr Stink, Billionaire Boy, Gangsta Granny, Ratburger, Demon Dentist and Grandpa’s Great Escape, and his books have been translated into no fewer than 50 languages.

The role of Aunt Alberta is played by Richard James, who starred in Great Expectations with Helena Bonham Carter, and The Wind in the Willows with the Monty Python team.

Ashley Cousins, who plays the role of Soot, recently played Ben in BSC’s award-winning production of David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny on tour and in the West End.

Eagerly awaited by a hoard of young Walliams’ fans, Awful Auntie became the best-selling children’s book of 2014 - selling 50,000 copies in its first week on the book shelves and winning the Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year.

Tickets for the Swindon show are from £17.50 - £21.50 on 01793 524481 or visit www.swindontheatres.co.uk