“A guessing game of a whodunnit and a brilliant one at that.”

That’s how actor Susan Penhaligon, who plays Mrs Boyle in Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap - which is at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford, until Saturday, September 21 - describes it.

The actress, who says she has read most of Christie's books and thinks she is "fascinating" said: “ I never thought I’d be in The Mousetrap. I’ve been in two of Agatha Christie’s other plays And Then There Were None and a little known one called Verdict but I’d never seen The Mousetrap or read it.

"When the part came up, I read the play and I thought ‘wow’, it’s funny, tense, has great characters, brilliant plot, and what struck me was that it was based on a real event - chilling really. Agatha Christie is so clever, there’s always truthful emotion in her plays."

Audience members will remember Susan from shows such as A Fine Romance and Emmerdale.

She adds of the play: "It’s a perfect plot, it’s vintage with very recognisable period characters and it’s spooky. It’s great quality entertainment. I think it’s interesting to see an original play of hers, on the stage, rather than on TV, particularly as it was written for the theatre. It’s a different animal."

Theatregoers are always urged not to give away the plot, for those who haven't seen it.

To book tickets go to orchardtheatre.co.uk or call 01322 220000.

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