THE complete word of God in abridged form, ghost trains and treachery among English society provides the backdrop for The Everyman Theatre's latest programme of productions.

With nerve-jangling mysteries, hilarious looks at adolescence and an insight into espionage, the Cheltenham theatre is promising something for every age and taste.

The season gets on track as former Dad's Army star Ian Lavender comes to the theatre with The Ghost Train.

In a small Cornish station, six passengers take refuge in the waiting room after being left stranded by an accident - only to regret the decision as ghostly apparitions materialise.

The classic thriller, penned by Lavender's Dad's Army co-star the late Arnold Ridley, is promised to get audiences on the edge of their seat when it comes to Cheltenham between Monday, January 28 and Saturday, February 2.

A battlefield with a difference comes to The Everyman between Tuesday, February 19 and Friday, February 22.

Number 27 Beechcroft Avenue may look like any other house, but for teenager Will Flowers it is a place of danger and fear as his dear sister Estelle terrorises the family.

Meanwhile, The Reduced Shakespeare Company returns to the theatre as it brings its version of The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) in a bid to make the "good book even better". The production is also on at Worcester's Swan Theatre in March.

Between Monday, March 11 and Saturday, March 16, Liza Goddard and Robert Powell join forces to bring Single Spies, two plays looking at espionage and forgery in the 1950s.

An Englishman Abroad follows an old Etonian double agent as he interrogates an English actress in a flat in Moscow, and is followed by A Question of Attribution, the story of Anthony Blunt, the Queen's art consultant who was sensationally exposed as a spy.

The award-winning comedy Art comes to the theatre between Monday, March 18 and Saturday, March 23, starring Simon Shepherd from Carlton Television's drama Peak Practice.

For details, contact the box office on 01242 572573.