AS the countdown to the UK general election gets underway a fiercely funny look at the rocky relations between the press and our politicians in a world of spin-doctors and Leveson Inquiries is explored in a new play.

Narrating the critical first 100 days in power for a new prime minister, Feed The Beast, by Steve Thompson, premieres at Birmingham Repertory Theatre from April 16 to May 2.

Michael is moving into Number 10 Downing Street and there will be no charm offensives with this Prime Minister, not with a country to run.

There’s no time for lunches with the press while there are children living in poverty. And there’s certainly no time to comment on a minister’s illicit affair while the country needs more nurses.

But when his family’s private life looks set to be the next big story, Michael seeks help from a press secretary who advises, “Feed the beast before it turns on you”.

Can Michael keep politics centre stage or will he become the big story himself?

Writer Steve Thompson said: “The Leveson Enquiry was a unique moment in British history: four Prime Ministers gave evidence at a public enquiry. Two of them had been canonized by the media - two of them had been destroyed by it.

"Yet, for all four of them, the media had been a defining part of their story. Feed The Beast explores the relationship between 10 Downing Street and the press and asks the critical questions: what sort of politicians do we want running this country, and how do we judge them?"

For more information about the play, visit Birmingham-rep.co.uk.