PARTY Piece is a wonderful and very English comedy.

Set in the gardens of two Victorian terraced houses, we watch the preparations for a barbecue-cum-housewarming and listen to the old man next door moaning and complaining about his ailments, his neighbours and his daughter-in-law.

It is clear things are not going to run smoothly. The apologetic and eager-to-please wife and her truly awful husband receive one lame excuse after another as their guests cry off.

They know what we are discovering - their host's thrifty and obsessive ways just don't make for fun.

But they do make for great comedy. Zimmer frames fly over the fence, frozen pork chops are dropped from bedroom windows and blonde wigs burn on the barbecue but it's the characters, especially George Cole's Mr Hinson, who have the audience laughing out loud.

Cole doesn't seem to act. He is the curmudgeonly, cantankerous and slyly scheming pensioner. A man whose age appears to allow him to be hilariously rude, he is good at getting what he wants while complaining he's hard done by.

Peter Amory, Emmerdale's Chris Tate, is brilliant as his exasperated but well-meaning son. Playing David Hinson, the barrow boy made good who now drives a Jag, he's a natural.

When the party finally gets going, neighbours gatecrash and the guests insist on having a drink and a good time, which means Dr Michael, played by Matthew Cottle, throws everyone out and his frustrated wife declares what fun she really wants.

Written by Richard Harris, the play is perfect for Cole and the cast generally are excellent, seeming to relax into their roles as the play progresses.

The set too deserves a mention. The backs of the two terraced houses look wonderfully real and look like they have been built brick.

Sue Vickers