An array of Britain's favourite actresses will appear at Brighton's Theatre Royal next season.

Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith, Diana Quick and Honor Blackman are among those taking to the stage this autumn in a line-up of funny, moving and thought-provoking dramas.

Felicity Kendal, best known for The Good Life, makes her debut at the Theatre Royal in Amy's View, a witty play by David Hare about an actress and her complex relationships.

Her former co-star in the series, Penelope Keith, will appear in Entertaining Angels, the story of a clergyman's widow enjoying new-found freedom.

Distinguished actress Diana Quick, who is married to Bill Nighy, stars in a new production of a powerful anti-war play by Bertolt Brecht, Mother Courage and Her Children.

Honor Blackman, the glamorous actress best known for her roles as Cathy Gale in the Avengers and Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, leads the cast of The Kingfisher, a romantic comedy about old friends.

Other plays include the premiere of the comedy An Hour and a Half Late!, which will star comedian Mel Smith and actress Belinda Lang, and an award-winning production of Heroes, a gentle comedy about First World War veterans staying in a military hospital, starring Art Malik, Christopher Timothy and Michael Jayston.

More light relief will be on offer in the shape of Habeas Corpus, Alan Bennett's saucy seaside comedy about the sexual antics of an apparently respectable family, starring James Fleet.

Dance fans can look forward to productions of two of the world's favourite ballets, Swan Lake and Coppelia and Spirit Of The Dance.

For families, there is the internationally-acclaimed Snowshow by a Russian clown, which uses water, cobwebs, bubbles and dry ice and culminates in a snowstorm that engulfs the entire audience.

The Gruffalo is also back by popular demand. The season culminates with the year's traditional Christmas panto, Aladdin, starring Toyah Willcox.