A NEW stage adaptation of one of Charles Dickens’ best-loved novels is coming to The Mayflower this autumn.

The national tour of Great Expectations forms part of a celebration of the famous writer’s life and work throughout 2012, to mark the bicentenary of his birth.

This lavish, spectacular and unashamedly theatrical stage production brings to life some of literature’s most memorable characters.

The tragic and mysterious Miss Havisham is portrayed by Paula Wilcox who can currently be seen on television as Pauline in Mount Pleasant.

Her other TV roles include Hilary Potts in Emmerdale, Lilian in The Smoking Room and Chrissy in Man About The House. Her West End theatre credits include La Cage aux Folles, The Female Odd Couple, The Queen and I and Shirley Valentine.

Playing the manipulative lawyer Jaggers is Jack Ellis who is best known as Harry Mason in Coronation Street, Robert Ashford in Where the Heart Is and Jim Fenner in Bad Girls.

On stage, he appeared in the West End production of A Few Good Men with Rob Lowe and Suranne Jones and in an international tour of Richard III with Kevin Spacey, directed by Sam Mendes.

Taking the role of the terrifying convict Magwitch is Chris Ellison, a familiar face on the small screen for many years in his long-running role as Frank Burnside in The Bill.

A royalty share of the box office takings will go to The Dickens Trust.

It has been set up with Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, the great, great, great grand-daughter of the novelist, to distribute funds to organisations concerned with issues that Dickens was passionate about, including prison reform, adoption and literacy.

Great Expectations runs at The Mayflower Southampton from October 22-27.