I had no idea about The 39 Steps other than it being a film by Alfred Hitchcock. That is what piqued my interest when I saw it was on at Theatre Royal Brighton.

Turns out the original book has been turned into a comedy for this show. It has been loved by audiences, meaning it was the fifth longest-running play in West End history in a nine year stint after transferring to London in 2005.

I’m so glad I went as it was a laugh a minute, and thoroughly charming.

Main character Richard Hannay witnesses an incident early on that sends him spiralling into an adventure full of mishaps and hilarious encounters. Tom Byrne as Hannay is an absolute joy on stage, I could imagine him and co-stars Safeena Ladha, Maddie Rice and Eugene McCoy on the big screen if there is any Richard Curtis style Brit flicks in the making any time soon. The four of them play, somehow, numerous characters to hilarious effect, sometimes in the same scene.

McCoy cracked me up, he can move his face and his body to act in a fantastically funny way, from being like Blakey in On the Buses to a smiley, dancing woman. They were all so versatile and funny using props and amazing special effects to take you on train journey and car ride to Scotland and back.

I cannot imagine anyone regretting watching this uplifting show, go see it if you want a proper laugh.

The 39 Steps is on at Theatre Royal Brighton until Saturday, with two shows on Thursday and Saturday, prices from £13.