It will be making its world premier at The Civic Centre, in Berkhamsted, on Friday, July 4, before going on to entertain audiences throughout England, Sweden and Denmark.

And there are also plans to present it at the Edinburgh Fringe next year.
Seven years in the making, the piece was due to launch last year, but Paul decided to direct the annual Pepper Show in Berkhamsted for a second year running and put his play on hold.

He has written a bleak comedy, which started life as a series of radio plays that were not broadcast but recorded on CD and then sold in shops.

Paul, a 41-year-old writer and musician from Aston Clinton, explained: "The play is a series of interlinking monologues. The characters challenge people's beliefs. They are simple characters but the more the audience learns about them the more complex they become.

"We present the tales of six individuals whose altruistic intentions have led them into a moral maze, charging our audience as the jury and inviting them to take part in our online debate by registering their verdicts at pauleccentric.co.uk/thesorrypeople."

Paul revealed how he gave identities to those unknown but recognisable people he passes by everyday.

He has expanded on this idea and integrated it into the play.

"My favourite piece in the play is The Pedestrian. It's about a taxi-driver who takes the same route to work each day, at the same time and sees the same passers-by in the same places.

"His lonely job results in him making up names and personalities for these people. In his mind, they become his friends, but it's when he tries to help them out, in the various problems he imagines they have, when it becomes apparent he's a bit of a lunatic."

While applying for an Arts Council grant for the play, a couple of core ideas came from answering the question, 'What does your show have that others don't?'

Paul said: "We decided to make it interactive through our website so people could log on and debate the issues in the various dilemmas.

"We didn't get the grant but instead we came up with another great idea to sell shares for the play to pay for the tour."

Pepper Show fans will recognise cast members from last year's show in The Sorry People.

Doc Wardour, Ruth Leah and Pete Curtis all star.

Tickets are available from donn_d_m@hotmail.com or by texting 07921764712.