CHILDREN’S favourite Horrid Henry is causing trouble on stage at Malvern Theatres this month, in an adaptation by Bouncers playwright John Godber of Fran-cesca Simon’s best-selling books.

Horrid Henry Live And Horrid opens at Malvern today (Thursday).

Horrid Henry, for the uninitiated, is the hero of a phenomenally popular series of books and a top-ranking CITV series. He lives with his mum and dad and his little brother, Perfect Peter. His best friend is Rude Ralph and his greatest enemy is Moody Margaret next door.

“Henry is the imp inside everyone,” says his creator, Francesca Simon. For Godber, Horrid Henry was already a favourite at home.

“In fact, my daughter Martha’s responsible for me becoming involved with this stage production,” he says. “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.

“He’s a universal character – he’s instantly recognisable and he has a desire for self-preservation, which we can all relate to. Henry is always desperate to get his own way. Sometimes he does and sometime he doesn’t – which is very healthy.”

Horrid Henry runs until Sunday. To book, call 01684 892277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk