QUENTIN Crisp went from a conventional Surrey upbringing to global notoriety following the publication of his memoir, the Naked Civil Servant - made into a television film starring John Hurt.

Crisp was an extraordinary and sometimes controversial raconteur, actor, writer and wit, and is brought to life in a new production called Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope - written and performed by Mark Farrelly and directed by Linda Marlowe. This much-acclaimed production, to be performed at the Arts Centre on Sunday at 7.30pm, follows an off-West End season at the St James Theatre.

It shows Quentin in his beloved Chelsea flat as the 1970s dawned, and then in his final years in his adopted New York, with the new millennium beckoning.

Naked Hope brings Quentin into the 21st century for a gloriously uplifting reminder of the urgent necessity to be your true self.

Mark Farrelly’s West End credits include Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? opposite Matthew Kelly, and he is directed by Linda Marlowe, renowned for her work in the plays of Steven Berkoff, a role in Eastenders, and her award-winning solo work such as Berkoff’s Women.

Tickets are £18.50. To book, call 01793 524481 or visit swindontheatres.co.uk.