Comedian Hugh Dennis is to host a one-off West End fundraising event of the Trial of Richard III in aid of Shakespeare Schools Foundation (SSF).

The unique production will see Shakespeare’s King Richard III put on trial for the murder of heirs, rivals, friends and wives on April 29 at the Novello Theatre in London.

The Mock The Week star, who is an SSF Partron, will also assume the role of foreman of the jury. Ultimately the King’s fate will rest in the hands of the celebrity jury and the audience who will vote on the trial’s outcome.

David Oakes David Oakes (TV: The Pillars of the Earth, The White Queen; Stage: Venus in Fur) will play the Duke of Buckingham​ and will take the stand to give evidence.

The production has been written by Oscar-nominated and BAFTA award-winning writer Jonathan Myerson and is directed by Northern Stage Associate Elayce Ismail. They are working with the star cast, young actors from Shakespeare Schools Foundation’s national Festival and top criminal barristers on a performance that will be part-scripted and part-improvised to create a unique experience.

Hugh Dennis says: "I am delighted to be hosting ​the ​​​Trial of​ Richard III​, ​a ​fundraising event in aid of Shakespeare Schools Foundation​. As a patron of the charity I have been amazed by ​their​ work and by the children who take part in their events. I look forward to leading the jury-audience in this one-off event that brings together distinguished criminal barristers, actors from stage and screen and young people from SSF's nationwide Festival. It promises to be a court case that could change the course of history!"

Hugh Dennis is on The One Show on April 25.

• Tickets available: www.TrialofRichardiii.org