A B'Stard of an Illness

Rik Mayall has been forced to pull out of several performances of the latest stage version of The New Statesman due to a viral infection.

Mayall, 49, has been suffering from illness throughout the latest tour, failing to appear in Aberdeen a fortnight ago and Bromley last week. Before that the actor missed dates last May in Nottingham, Malvern and Leicester, and collapsed five minutes before the end of a West End performance in January.

The poorly Mayall is expected to pull out of all his dates at the Richmond Theatre, and is also expected to miss his run the following week at the Milton Keynes Theatre.

The stage version of The New Statesman sees Alan B'Stard MP move to Number 9 Downing Street, as the creator of New Labour. He has also made billions after orchestrating Black Wednesday, and has been playing the Americans and Al-Qaeda off each other in the hunt for WMDs. More Info