UNTIL MARCH 20, BATH: One of the UK's best-loved and finest actors, Simon Callow, stars in The Holy Terror, written by one of the UK's greatest playwright's Simon Gray. This new production is from award-winning director Laurence Boswell.

The Holy Terror is appearing at the Theatre Royal prior to a West End run.

Simon Callow plays Mark Melon in this master-class of psychological battles. Wizard of social relationships, pace-setter, mind-blower, manipulator, charmer, and schemer, Mark Melon juggles his friends, lovers and family with dazzling skill or so it seems.

"He is a buccaneer publisher, who does a lot of lateral thinking and turns around a publishing house by trampling over so many people in both his private and public life," explained Simon.

"Eventually he has a nervous breakdown but manages to pull through. It is quite a scary story but Simon Gray tells it in a funny way. There is a lot of black humour but it is also very touching," he added.

Simon knows the author of the play well and from the moment he first read it he wanted to be in it.

"Eventually we got the producer and the cast and it all came together," said Simon.

Simon first got into acting when he wrote a letter to Laurence Olivier asking for work. He was asked to go and work at the National Theatre in the box office.

Simon has starred in and directed many West End productions including The Mystery of Charles Dickens and The Importance of Being Earnest.

His many film credits include Angels In America, Four Weddings And A Funeral, Shakespeare In Love and Bright Young Things.

Simon has just finished work on the film Phantom Of The Opera, which is due to be released in December.

"It's a wonderful film and very romantic.

"It should go down very well," said Simon.

Simon has also worked extensively in television and he has written autobiographies, as well as biographies of Charles Laughton and Orson Welles. He was awarded the CBE in 1999.

The Holy Terror

Theatre Royal Bath

Monday until March 20.