The Wire star Dominic West prepares for live show - and hopes to perform for '˜intelligent' northern audiences

Although he will not physically be in the county tonight, he has already expressed his desire - in the build-up to his latest appearance - to perform for northern audiences again.

In the meantime, the 46-year-old has been concentrating on the production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, which is taking place from 7pm. It is being broadcast to more than 600 cinemas across the UK.

In 1782, Choderlos de Laclos’ novel of sex, intrigue and betrayal in pre-revolutionary France scandalised the world. Two hundred years later, Christopher Hampton’s adaptation won an Olivier Award for Best Play. Josie Rourke’s revival marks its thirty-year anniversary, with a cast which includes Elaine Cassidy and Janet McTeer.

West plays Le Vicomte de Valmont, who conspires with former lover the Marquise de Merteuil, played by McTeer, to seduce a virtuous woman and ruin a chaste teenager. It is another occasion in which West plays a devilish character.

After this acting exhibition, he could soon be seen closer to home, as he revealed to The Guardian, by saying; “I was really hoping to play Richard III in Hull next year, but it seems there are scheduling difficulties. I love going home to the north because audiences there are so much more intelligent, and enthusiastic.”

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