A WIRRAL actor is among the cast of Molière’s comedy The Hypochondriac, currently being staged at the Liverpool Playhouse.

Heswall-born Jake Harders plays Cleante in the English Touring Theatre production, which ends its run on July 18 before going on a UK tour.

Adapted from the original by Liverpool’s Poet Laureate Roger McGough, the play pokes fun at hypochondria and the 'quack' medical profession.

Jake, 32, a former Birkenhead School pupil told the Globe: "The show's going very well and it is definitely the hardest acting job I've done so far.

"I've worked in London for the last 10 years and done a lot of serious drama, such as Shakespeare.

"But The Hypochondriac is much, much different and Gemma Bodinetz has done a wonderful job of directing.

"With this production you can't afford to fudge your lines, as the jokes are everywhere, and everything has to be just right. The translation by Roger McGough has brought out a lot of jokes.

"For me, it's an honour to be part of something that was created in Liverpool and is, hopefully, going to be enjoyed by audiences elsewhere."

Jake recently appeared in a West End production of Rupert Goold’s Six Characters in Search of an Author, but says he would like to work in Liverpool again.

Tickets are from the box office on 0151 709 4776 or everymanplayhouse.com