THE nights are drawing in, the weather has finally turned and, chances are, you're feeling down in the dumps.

But the good news is there's a cure to those autumn blues and it can be found on your doorstep.

It comes, not in pill form, but in the shape of a very funny comedy currently playing at Altrincham's Club Theatre.

Inspector Drake and the Perfekt Crime is great value because it borrows from a number of different theatrical styles and blends them into one mouth watering cocktail.

Come to see David Tristram's rib tickler of a play - it'd be a crime if you stayed away - and you'll recognise elements of comedy, thriller and farce.

Inspector Drake, a top detective, is called to the country house of a top doctor who has reported his wife missing. But this well respected cop smells a rat and suspects murder. Assisting him in his investigation is the hopeless Sergeant Plod, who's so dense he couldn't solve a crossword clue, let alone a crime.

Tristram's piece has more twists and turns than a Formula One racing track but don't worry, unless you're as thick as Plod you should be able to keep up.

The humour is a little daft at times but manages to retain its appeal without becoming annoying. Verbal and visual gags, expertly executed by a strong ensemble cast, will put an equal strain on your laughter muscles and while the script is garnished with a little sauce, there's nothing to get offended at here.

Director John Banks gets the best out of the performers and the Club's atmospheric auditorium. For me, the stars of the show are Matthew Smith and Peter Nawn as Drake and Plod.

Indeed, there were times when Smith reminded me of a younger version of Men Behaving Badly star Martin Clunes as he verbally and sometimes physically laid into his pathetic excuse for a partner. As a double act, these two are irresistible.

* Until Saturday at 7.40pm. The Club Theatre is at 17 Oxford Road, Altrincham, and tickets are available from Stella Blackburn on 980 8572.