Men Behaving Badly duo Neil Morrissey and Caroline Quentin reunite for Noel Coward play

Neil Morrissey is to be reunited with his Men Behaving Badly co-star Caroline Quentin for their first double-act since the series ended 16 years ago.

The friends will perform comedy of a different kind as Morrissey — who played the feckless Tony in the Nineties television series — joins the cast of Noel Coward’s play, Relative Values.

Quentin is already playing Moxie, a senior maid, in the play, which tells the story of a clash between the English aristocracy and Hollywood.

Morrissey will take over from Rory Bremner as the butler from May 24 for the final month of its run at the Harold Pinter Theatre.

“I really enjoyed it when I came to see it and it was a nice surprise to be offered the part,” he said.

“Caroline is a gem of a woman; a national treasure. We’re good friends and she has said if I want to go through things, she will help me out. I will have two weeks of rehearsals so I have to take every shortcut and Caroline will be an extremely fine shortcut.”

Quentin said: “I can’t wait to look across the stage in the first scene and see my old friend. He’s comedically the most creative actor I’ve ever worked with. Neil is a really gifted physical comedian.”

She recalls their first working partnership fondly. “It’s so revolting to say it, but it was such great fun. We did it for eight years and we laughed every single day. People still identify with it.”

Morrissey, who last appeared on stage in a tour of Oliver!, will be returning to the venue where he made his stage debut in Kay Mellor’s A Passionate Woman in 1988.