Well, THAT was chuffing brilliant!

From the moment we’re told to keep our phones off and our knickers on, we know the stage version of The Full Monty will be every bit as cheeky as the film.

The tale of six redundant Sheffield steelworkers who turn to stripping to raise some desperately-needed cash first captured the heart of cinema-goers in 1997 and went on to become one of the nation’s favourites.

The long-running play adapted for the stage by Oscar-winning writer Simon Beaufoy has also been a phenomenal success - and it’s not hard to see why.

Staying faithful to the film, with all its iconic songs and best-loved lines, The Full Monty is a genuinely uplifting production that tackles unemployment, suicide, impotence and homosexuality with sparkling wit, heartfelt pathos - and more than a little of that bare-faced cheek.

There isn’t a weak link in the exceptional cast, who all look as if they’re enjoying it as much as the delighted Mayflower audience.

Hollyoaks actor Gary Lucy as Jack-the-lad Gaz had the women screaming as soon as he appeared on stage, but the cheers were just as loud for Kai Owen as Dave, Andrew Dunn as Gerald, Louis Emerick as Horse, Joe Gill as Lomper, and James Redmond as Guy.

There’s superb support from the rest of the cast - including the talented Fraser Kelly as Nathan - many of whom play several characters.

It’s simply impossible not to join in the fun as all your favourite moments play out on stage, with expert scene changes, lighting and incessant smoking all adding to the atmosphere.

“You’d better be good, or there’ll be a riot,” the nervous lads are told before they take to the stage for their big performance.

Well, they were good, and there was still a riot, with every single audience member up on their feet and screaming their appreciation for this wonderful show.

On its third visit to Southampton as part of its final UK and Ireland tour, this is your last chance to see The Full Monty on the road.

Go and remind yourself why it’s one of your favourite films. You won’t regret it.

Jane Sullivan