The production premieres at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, next month. Tickets for its six-day run at the Viaduct Theatre, Halifax, in May sold out before Christmas.

Jessica, will play Othello's wife Desdemona in the co-production between the Playhouse and Halifax-based touring theatre company Northern Broadsides.

After a month in Leeds it will visit Scarborough, Coventry, Bath, Kingston and Newcastle under Lyme before ending its tour in Halifax on May 10.

Lenny's transition from comedy to tragedy is bound to capture the attention of the national media, casting the spotlight on Jessica and raising the profile of Northern Broadsides among a wider audience.

Petite Jessica, whose TV credits include Wire in the Blood, Peak Practice, Cold Feet, Fat Friends and Holby City, has also appeared several time on stage, including in Wuthering Heights at York Theatre Royal and in Harper Regan at the National Thea-tre, South Bank, London.

Both she and Lenny are making their debuts with Northern Broadsides.

Lenny jumped at the chance to play Othello after meeting Barrie Rutter, artistic director of Northern Broadsides, three years ago. Lenny had failed to get to grips with the Bard's works at school but a BBC Radio 4 series, Lenny and Will, reignited his interest and Barrie's passion for Shakespeare spurred him on.

The production also features Fine Time Fontayne, Conrad Nelson as Iago and Barrie Rutter, who directs the production, as Desdemona's father Brabantio.

Although there is a waiting list for tickets to see Othello at the Viaduct Theatre, Halifax, tickets for the production at West Yorkshire Playhouse – which opens on Saturday, February 14 – are still available.

For details, tel: 0113 213 7700. As part of Arts Council England's free theatre scheme launched on February 16, a limited number of free tickets will be available for people under 26.