An actress known for her roles in Eastenders and Friday Night Dinner is heading to the Wycombe Swan to play the lead role in a feminist reimagining of Shakespeare.

Tracey-Ann Oberman, who rose to fame playing Chrissie Watts in Eastenders and Auntie Val on Friday Night Dinner, is set to lead a modern retelling of the Shakespeare classic The Merchant of Venice.

The play, which is coming to the Wycombe Swan theatre this October, is a gender-swapped reimagining that sees Oberman playing protagonist Shylock as a strong-willed single mother in 1930s London.

Dubbed The Merchant of Venice 1936, the adaptation follows the same plot beats as its blueprint but focuses on Oberman's Shylock making a deal with an antisemitic aristocrat in London's Jewish East End and reckoning how best to take her revenge against him.

The play opened at Watford's Palace Theatre earlier this year to positive reviews, with The Guardian describing it as "striking and impactful" and the Daily Telepraph declaring it to be "making theatre history".

Other familar names starring alongside Oberman in the drama of ambitions and political unrest include Hannah Morrish (Father Brown) and Raymond Coulthard (Emmerdale).

The Merchant of Venice 1936 will play at the Wycombe Swan from Tuesday, October 10 to Saturday, October 14.

Click here to purchase tickets, which start at £10 per person.