Star returns to stage after crash

By Neil Smith
Entertainment reporter, BBC News

Kris Marshall (left) co-stars with Peep Show's Robert Webb

Actor Kris Marshall has made his debut in West End comedy Fat Pig as planned, three weeks after suffering head injuries when he was hit by a car.

The former My Family star showed no ill effects from the accident, which happened on a night out in Bristol.

The play's writer and director Neil LaBute said: "It was pretty serious yet he bounced back incredibly quickly.

"We all feared the worst, so it's amazing to have Kris back after what he's gone through," he told BBC News.

The actor, who was in intensive care after the collision, received a round of applause after his first scene during the first preview performance at the Trafalgar Studios in central London.

'Scary' return

Marshall thanked well-wishers afterwards, and admitted it was "scary" to return to the stage.

He plays an office worker who takes issue with a colleague's overweight girlfriend.

His co-stars include Joanna Page, from BBC Three comedy Gavin and Stacey, and Robert Webb, from Channel 4's Peep Show. The play is scheduled to run until September.

Marshall is best known for playing Nick Harper in four series of BBC One sitcom My Family.

The star, who also appeared in Love Actually and the BT adverts, was last seen in the West End in 2007, playing opposite Billie Piper in Christopher Hampton's play Treats.