NOT many couples can say they are able to live and work together, but for Timothy West it gives him a chance to see a bit more of his wife.

The famous actor is married to one of Britain's most respected actresses, Prunella Scales, meaning work is never in short supply in this family.

With his success in Edward VII, Churchill and Brass, and his wife's famed role as Sybil in Fawlty Towers and the Queen in Alan Bennett's A Question of Attribution, it's hardly surprising the couple have plenty to do.

In fact, West says starring with his wife in The External, which starts at Malvern Theatre on Monday, is actually an opportunity for them to spend more time together.

"It's really nice to work together again," said the actor, who received a CBE in 1984 for services to his profession.

"It means we get to see each other more - and shows we're still speaking to one another!"

There's another acting star in the West family too, for after seeing the couple's son Samuel play Hamlet at Stratford, it's obvious he's inherited his parents' brilliance when it comes to their trade.

For West senior, who recently worked with his wife in Pinter's The Birthday Party in the - how appropriate - West End, it was the excellence of The External's script that led him to team up with her again.

He takes the role of leading academic and drunken philanderer Sir Edgar Naseby, who has only managed to keep his career on track due to his ever-suffering secretary Anne Hanson, played by Scales.

She stands by him through frustrated love, but even her loyalty evaporates after Naseby goes a step too far.

"I only choose work now because of the script and this is very good," the actor added.

"So far the play has been going very well. We have both appeared at Malvern before and are really looking forward to returning.

"It's a lovely area and the theatre is very well run."

Incidentally, The External is only 80 minutes long with no interval.

For tickets to the play, which runs until Saturday, May 12, contact the Malvern Theatres box office on 01684 892277.