The Kent and East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) is to host an on-board comedy show next month.

The show, titled Off and On and described by the standard-gauge heritage railway as “a hilarious new theatre production”, will take place on board the train departing from Tenterden station at 3:40 pm on Thursday 20 August.

The comedy show, which was written by Ben Cawood and is being brought to the stage by Right Track Theatre, is a farce set on board a 1980s sleeper train travelling from London King’s Cross. The show moves at a fast pace, with its plot featuring mistaken identities and cover-ups, as well as eccentric characters and “laugh-out-loud” comedy.

On board the sleeper train is a “hapless” junior government minister, who has his resignation speech with him but is unaware that his career is about to hit trouble. Also on board the train are the minister’s wife (described as “domineering”), a rail executive (who is “furious”), a “lovesick” catering manager, and a “flamboyant” train manager. The cast of characters is completed by a honeymooning couple from Yorkshire who have already downed three whiskies.

Tickets for the show are priced at £12 for adults and senior citizens, with accompanying children attending for free. As well as tickets for the performance, audience members will also need to buy a Freedom Train Ticket.

The show runs for around 85 minutes and as it contains mild innuendo, it is deemed suitable for people aged twelve or over.

Tickets are available to buy here.

Later this year, the Railway will host ‘Fright Night’, with tickets already available to buy.

The Kent & East Sussex Railway is a popular attraction, which runs for eleven and a half miles (18.5 km) through the Rother Valley. Trains have vintage and British Railways coaches, and are hauled mostly by steam locos and occasionally by a diesel multiple unit.

“A reckless late-night fling with a conductor triggers a hilarious chain of mistaken identities, slamming doors, faked deaths and frantic cover-ups that spiral wildly out of control. Explosive, outrageous and silly, Off and On is a high-speed comedy that sends classic farce hurtling into the modern age.

“Expect an unforgettable journey where everything that can go wrong … does!”

Kent & East Sussex Railway