THE Iron Lady is making a turn in Birmingham later this month days ahead of the Conservative Party conference in the city.

Actor Steve Nallon will play the UK’s first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Jonathan Maitland’s debut play Dead Sheep at Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

Dead Sheep portrays the true story of how Mrs Thatcher was brought down by her one time friend and political soul mate Geoffrey Howe.

Using imagined dialogue to portray private scenes between the main protagonists, it recreates the events leading up to Howe’s famous 1990 speech, in which he criticised Thatcher for undermining policies on economic and monetary union in Europe, ultimately leading to her downfall and resignation.

Dead Sheep is the result of two years research, during which the playwright gained access to Geoffrey Howe himself and other prominent politicians and advisers of the era.

Set in 1989 a seemingly invincible PM has sacked her Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe, thinking she had nothing to fear from him as his speaking skills, had famously, been compared to those of a dead sheep.

But inspired by his wife Elspeth, a formidable and witty feminist, whose relationships with Thatcher was notoriously frosty, Howe overcame his limitations to destroy Mrs Thatcher's career.

Dead Sheep is written by broadcaster and writer Jonathan Maitland who said: “When I wrote Dead Sheep in 2014 I knew it would be resonant. But it now feels uncanny.

"Then, as now, it was a story of a government split over Europe, agonising conflicts of loyalty, and a fatal miscalculation by a seemingly impregnable Prime Minister."

He added: "The timing couldn’t be sweeter especially since we’re at The REP just days ahead of the Tory Party Conference. We’re considering a special seating policy: Remainers to the left, Leavers to the right.”

Actor Steve Nallon, who studied at Birmingham University, stars as Margaret Thatcher. He is known for his work as a voice artist on Spitting Image and for impersonating Margaret Thatcher on television throughout her PM.

Steve is joined by Paul Bradley (Professor Elliot Hope in Holby City) as Geoffrey Howe, Carol Royle as Elspeth Howe, Graham Seed as Ian Gow/Nigel Lawson, Christoper Villiers as Bernard Ingham/Alan Clark/Dennis Thatcher and John Wark as Stephen Wall/Brian Waldon. Ian Talbot OBE directs.

Dead Sheep is at The Birmingham Rep from Monday, September 26 until Sunday, October 26, for more information visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk.