I HAD no idea Arnold Ridley was such an accomplished playwright, a master craftsman, in fact.

Like many people I grew up watching him as doddery old Private Godfrey in Dad's Army. He wrote The Ghost Train, a fun filled comedy currently playing at the Royal Exchange Theatre.

Invariably, the play is showing its age and had the first act been 10 minutes shorter, it wouldn't have impacted on the story at all.

A group of strangers find themselves stranded on a remote Cornish train station and soon discover it's supernatural secret. But there's a twist to come and I've no intention of spoiling the surprise.

This play is a gift for Told By An Idiot, a company famed for their use of movement on the stage and the opening scene, in which the train pulls into the station, is ingeniously done. Also, there's a very funny scene involving the snooty Miss Bourne, every inch the archetypal English spinster.

It was pleasing to see children in the audience and they looked like they were loving this great big dose of summer silliness. So if productions like this wet their appetite for live theatre, that can only be a good thing. They are, of course, the audiences of the future.

Director Paul Hunter has managed to get the tone just right and the cast is blessed with a perfect sense of comic timing. I'm not going to single out individual performances as this is a terrific team effort from a company that won't let you leave the theatre unless you're feeling well and truly entertained.

* Until June 20. The box office is on 0161 833 9833. Star rating - ***