John Ramm

Those titans of dramatic insight, The National Theatre of Brent, Desmond Olivier Dingle and Raymond Box (aka Patrick Barlow and John Ramm) present the history of the Suffragettes in, of course, their own characteristic way, where Little Dorrit and her politician husband explore the issues before she joins the struggle. If you have not met The National Theatre of Brent before, be patient as they lumber through their introduction. The bubbling historical and linguistic stew which lies beyond is definitely worth it.

The peerless National Theatre of Brent, led by artistic director Desmond Olivier Dingle (Patrick Barlow) and his hapless "entire company" Raymond (John Ramm), turns its attention to controversial Britartist Tracey Emin and in particular her infamous bed - one of the greatest beds ever unmade. Charged by collector Charles Saatchi to come up with a new work Tracey is motivated by the "inspirational ladies of history" following an argument with her boyfriend over the state of the flat. This is pomposity-pricking of the highest order and absolutely hilarious.

Bright Constable Twitten (Matt Green) wants to cheer up poor Sergeant Brunswick (John Ramm) but it's hard going when they're under the command of Inspector Steine (pronounced Steen and played by Michael Fenton Stevens) who can't spot a crime when it's going on in his own nick. As it often is, as their cleaning lady Mrs Groynes (Samantha Spiro) is a criminal mastermind. Enter Harry Jupiter (Philip Jackson), top reporter and Brunswick's idol. You have to be spry to follow the twists in Lynne Truss's cartwheeling comedy.

Desmond Olivier Dingle, co-founder and half the entire company of the famed National Theatre of Brent, proudly opens this new season with a portrait of Bob Dylan, supported by Raymond Box (John Ramm) whose script-mangling is quite peerless. Travel with them to the shivering plains of America's Midwest to observe Bob (played by Desmond) knocking on his sweetheart's door in Hibbin, Minnesota. "We'll be happy but dull for the rest of our days," she says. But Bob listens to a Woody Guthrie record. And everything changes.

Patrick Barlow and Jim Broadbent were the original National Theatre of Brent, with an approach to the great themes of drama somewhat akin to that of the painter LS Lowry's to the industrial north: apparently naive but actually perceptive. Barlow and Broadbent, on their own, tackling everything from the nativity to Shakespeare, were very funny. This is Barlow's take on the story of St Joan, maiden warrior and martyr, played here by Dawn French. Broadbent appears in the unexpectedly large cast list which includes Cheryl Campbell and John Ramm, with Anne Reid and Maggie Steed as Joan's guardian angels.

The return of the cops'n'comedy capers set in Brighton during the 1950s, written by Lynne Truss. When we rejoin the action, crime has ceased on the South Coast; nothing for months while the rest of the country is up to its winkle-pickers and drape jackets in juvenile delinquency. This is because Twitten (Matt Green) the fiercely bright constable, has forced Mrs Groyne (Samantha Spiro) the police station char and secret criminal mastermind, out of business by threatening to reveal her crimes in a letter he has deposited with his solicitor unless she cuts out the criminality.

And so the coppers languish; Twitten works on his book; Inspector Steine (Michael Fenton Stevens), Brighton's answer to Jacques Clouseau, works on his golf; Sergeant Brunswick (John Ramm) infiltrates a string quartet he suspects of being a band of brigands.

It's all engagingly silly, crammed with period detail jammed into the narrative: Well, standing around talking won't get worldwide success for Colin Wilson's unreadable novel The Outsider, says Mrs Groyne, who is much given to such gnomic utterances.

Lynne Truss's answer to Inspector Clouseau is a 1950s Brighton cop who believes he has cleaned up all the crime on his patch. Little does Inspector Steine (Michael Fenton Stevens) realise that the station charlady, Mrs Groynes (Sam Spiro) is a criminal mastermind. Fortunately for the next five weeks, PC Twitten (Matt Green) is on her case and doughty Sergeant Brunswick (John Ramm) is there to clear up the loose ends, even when, as today, they festoon the Hippodrome.