A CROSS between a stand-up comedy gig and an insightful view of what it means to be an England fan.

That’s what theatre-goers can expect with a new play from the writer of Meeting Joe Strummer and Way Out West.

Paul Hobson’s England Away, which takes to the Mercury Studio stage in Colchester next week, is set on the night before England beat German 5-1 in Munich in 2001.

Set on a campsite, four England fans meet up to share a drink, a few songs and some secrets as well.

Interspersed with the plot will be stand-up segments from comic Eddy Brimson, who, as well as being a firm fixture on the circuit, has written a number of books on football.

He says: “What I do during the play is come on and do a number of monologues, which relates to what is going on.

“I was put on to Paul by a mutual friend and really my role was to talk about the different kind of people you meet when you are following England away.

“You get a pretty weird mix that follow England abroad and we wanted to reflect that in the play.”

A die-hard Watford supporter, Eddie used to go to a lot of England games when he was growing up.

“One of the main reasons for going to football,” he adds, “is to have a laugh and that’s why Paul wanted to include that.

“I’ve been a comic for 13 years and I still do the clubs every week. That’s what pays the rent, but I’ve enjoyed this experience, especially working with the actors who are very good.”

Eddy has written seven sports books which have sold more than 200,000 copies in the UK. With titles such as Everywhere We Go, England, My England and Derby Days, some have even been translated into Italian and Russian.

“You can be anywhere in the world,” Eddy says, “and you can have a conversation about football. But my thing is not to write about the game. I’m more interested in the supporters, who are the foundation of the sport and yet the most undervalued aspect of the whole thing.”

England Away Mercury Studio Theatre, Balkerne Gate, Colchester.

April 24 to 26. 9pm Thursday, 7.45pm Friday and Saturday.

£12.50 plus concessions 01206 573948 www.mercurytheatre.co.uk