HOLLYWOOD star Patrick Stewart is returning to the British stage - with Barbara from The Royle Family.

The Mirfield-born actor will star alongside Sue Johnston in a return to serious drama.

He will play the lead role in an Ibsen play about a brilliantly successful architect fearing younger rivals.

A regional run of The Master Builder starts in Malvern, Worcestershire, on May 15 before transferring to London's West End.

Patrick - best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation - began rehearsals after giving a one-man show in Dewsbury in aid of his old youth club.

Thousands of pounds were raised for the redevelopment of the Gilder Hall club in Mirfield.

Patrick promised he would be back again to help out with a charity auction later this year.

The Ibsen play - described as a story of betrayal, pride and sexual passion - is due to open for a 10-week run at the Albery Theatre in London on June 9.

Patrick's new film - X-Men 2 - opens in Britain on May 1.

He again plays Professor Charles Xavier in the sequel to X-Men, a box office hit three years ago.