WRITER Torben Betts mines a rich seam with a supremely dark comedy which shows what happens when a pair of London right-ons invite next door’s football fanatic and his blousy wife round for the evening.

Yes, this is Abigail’s Party with knobs on – in this case the knobs being the nauseating couple who have just relocated ‘oop north’ and decide to check out the natives.

Metro socialist Emily (Emily Bowker) spouts polemic at much the same rate that Alan (Graeme Brookes) spews out a seemingly endless stream of lager-fuelled philosophies. Of course, neither listens to a single word the other person says.

This is wonderful, cringe-laden stuff, and completely familiar to anyone who has ever had the misfortune to end up at a dinner party sitting next to a footie bore or – perhaps even worse – the Islington ideologue force-feeding you their vintage view of the world.

Yes, Emily certainly makes the flesh creep. For despite her constant championing of the downtrodden, the real truth is that she despises the working classes for their philistinism, mindless drinking habits and passive acquiescence to the forces that control their existence.

She is the latter-day equivalent of a Victorian missionary in Darkest Africa, marvelling at the sheer vulgarity of tarty Dawn (Kerry Bennett) who can barely move in a figure-hugging number that soon catches the eye of posh boy partner Oliver (Alastair Whatley).

Occasionally, Oliver is a restraining influence. But nothing must get in the way of the clichés, so he is generally brushed aside as easily as she drops back copies of the New Statesman into the recycling bin.

However, the night really belongs to the irrepressible Graeme Brookes, the soccer fan who appears as depressingly mass-produced as any of the individuals we’ve been viewing on our television screens of late.

Poor, bewildered Alan is verbally kicked around the room and then finally into touch by the southern pseuds who will eventually up sticks and leave the noble savages broken and their lives changed forever.

This is a brilliant piece of theatre and not to be missed. Invincible runs until Saturday (June 18).