CHILDREN’S favourite Horrid Henry is causing trouble on stage at Malvern Theatres this month, following an adaptation of the best-selling books.

Horrid Henry Live and Horrid opens in Malvern on Thursday, May 21.

Horrid Henry, for the uninitiated, is the hero of a phenomenally popular series of books by Francesca Simon and a top-ranking CITV series.

They centre on Henry who lives with his mum and dad and his little brother, Perfect Peter. His best friend is Rude Ralph and his greatest enemy (apart from Peter) is Moody Margaret next door. The truth is, Henry’s not really horrid, he’s just very focused on what he wants and his ways of achieving it are somewhat anarchic.

In Francesca Simon’s words, Henry is “the imp inside everyone”. For cult-playwright John Godber, Horrid Henry was already a firm favourite at home. He said: “Both my children were, and still are, huge Horrid Henry fans. In fact, my daughter Martha’s responsible for me becoming involved with this stage production. She was looking at my emails over my shoulder and when she saw the one from Watershed Productions about Horrid Henry, she stated categorically that if I didn’t do it, she would leave home immediately.”

Godber thinks he understands why the Horrid Henry books have become so popular: “He’s a universal character. He’s instantly recognisable and he has a desire for self-preservation, which we can all relate to.”

Horrid Henry Live and Horrid runs until Sunday, May 24. Tickets cost £8 - £15.50 available on 01684 892277 or at malvern-theatres.co.uk.