You might think it’s tempting fate to stage a play where everything is supposed to go wrong, but they’re a brave bunch at Hitchin’s Bancroft Players.

Their production of Michael Frayn’s peerless theatrical farce Noises Off begins its run at the Queen Mother Theatre in Walsworth Road on Friday.

The evergreen offering – also staged by Stevenage’s Lytton Players earlier this year – kicks off the Hitchin company’s 70th year.

The follows the backstage antics of a theatre touring company – including forgetful Dotty Otley, played by Maureen Nobes, pictured – as they stumble their way through rehearsals of a new farce called Nothing On, endure a shambolic first night and continue on to a disastrous final show.

The show runs until Saturday, September 26. Visit www.qmt.org.uk for ticket details.