HOT on the heels of the huge advance sales success of Little Britain, the latest League of Gentleman stage show is also heading for Bournemouth on November 5.

The production will feature writers and performers Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith in another local show for local people, and it will play the newly refurbished BIC.

Tickets go on sale on May 20.

The latest tour will see the multi award-winning comedy team returning to its roots - the League of Gentlemen started life as fringe theatre - with the latest tales of life from the darkside as portrayed in the strange and terrible fictional town Royston Vasey.

Despite its decidedly theatrical beginnings, The League of Gentlemen was first adapted into an award-winning BBC Radio 4 series in 1997 and then, like Little Britain, found its core audience and a cult following as a TV show.

First screened on BBC2 six years ago, the show introduced the nation to such characters as Pauline, Hilary Briss, the Denton family, Dr Chinnery and, of course, local shopkeepers Tubbs and Edward.

Within months it had won the Golden Rose of Montreux and the RTS Award for Best Entertainment and a year later scooped a BAFTA award for Best Comedy

As the team prepares for the League's latest theatre tour, there is excitement about the impending release of a new feature film.

Called The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse, it will be released in cinemas across Britain on June 3 and finds Royston Vasey facing annihilation.

The locals realise that the only way to avert disaster is for a small rescue party to find a way out into the real world and confront their creators.

Not only does this offer yet another treat for the show's fans but it also acts as timely publicity for the forthcoming theatre tour.

Whether the latest League of Gentlemen outing on stage will have quite the same galvanising effect on the public as Little Britain's pending tour remains to be seen.

Over the past few months Matt Lucas and David Walliams' brainchild - in many ways a natural companion piece to the twisted world of Royston Vasey - has grabbed just about every award going.

BIC entertainment bosses initially put just one performance of Little Britain on sale to mark the reopening of their lavishly refurbished venue.

They then watched in astonishment as tickets just kept selling and selling. There are currently six performances.

They will be watching the box office activity for League of Gentleman with interest.

"We're really excited about this booking and reckon the show's going to be huge but as for adding extra dates, we'll just have to wait and see," said entertainments officer Chris Jenkins.

Tickets cost £23.50 and £20.50 and are available from the BIC/Pavilion box office (0870 111 3000) or book online at the BIC website