LOCK up your inmates for a comic Christmas on the stage.

Near ta theatre presents Christmas.Time on a tour of Dorset next month.

They will bring bucketloads of Christmas spirit and festive cheer to the Artsreach programme of events with their hit festive comedy Christmas. Time.

Shut up in their small prison cell, Charlie and Toby are feeling low, and why wouldn’t they?

It’s Christmas Day and they’re serving time at Her Majesty’s pleasure. But why shouldn’t they be having a Merry Christmas in spite of their incarceration? What’s stopping them from creating Christmas around them? Absolutely nothing! And so they set off on their festival of carols, Claus, Christ and custody!

Written by Miracle Theatre's Ciaran Clarke, and directed by Simon Harvey (Kneehigh), Christmas. Time. is a musical comedy for all the family which promises to be a fun, festive and fantastically funny Christmas offering!

Touring through Dorset with Artsreach, the county's rural touring scheme, co director Kerry Bartlett said:“With the support of our funders, the Arts Council, North, West, East and Dorset County Councils and our season sponsors Blanchards Bailey Solicitors, we’ve had a hugely successful season, with full houses for music, theatre and dance events right across the county.

"Now this long-running and ever popular production provides the perfect festive finale to our winter season!”

Join inmates Charlie and Toby on a fantastical adventure through Dickens, pantomime, musical, Christmas dinner and Christmas films! See as they build a wonderfully Merry Christmas around them with songs, snowmen and lots of laughs in this truly festive show that puts the ‘cell’ firmly back in celebration.

*Christmas. Time. Thursday, December 14, 7:30pm. Portland Royal Manor Theatre. Call 0333 666 3366 for tickets.

Friday December 15, 7.30pm. Buckland Newton Village Hall. Call 01300 345455 for tickets.

Saturday December 16, 7.30pm. Broadmayne Village Hall. Call 07443 659912 for tickets.

Sunday December 17, 7.30pm. Shillingstone Portman Hall. Call 07870 972089 for tickets.

See artsreach.co.uk for more information.