Stephen Fry announces first tour in 40 years

Presenter and actor Stephen Fry is to take his book Mythos, a retelling of Greek legends, on the road this summer - his first UK tour in nearly 40 years.

Mythos: A Trilogy - Gods. Heroes. Men will open at the Edinburgh International Festival on 19 August.

The play has been split into three separate shows and audiences will help Fry choose which tales he will tell.

He said he is "shivering and quivering with excitement" at his first tour since working with Hugh Laurie.

The comedy duo and best friends toured new material around the UK in the late 80s.

"Three different shows over three different nights: people can come to one, two or three evenings, but whichever they choose I hope will be as exciting for them as I know it will be for me," he added.

• Stephen Fry recovering from cancer op

• Stephen Fry steps down as Baftas host

Fry's most recent foray into the world of theatre was an award-nominated turn as Malvolio in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, which ran in London before transferring to Broadway.

In February 2018, he announced he'd had surgery to treat prostate cancer and said the early intervention had saved his life.

Mythos had its premiere at the Shaw Festival in Ontario, Canada in 2018 where it was warmly reviewed.

The Gods play will chart the lives of the Greek Gods Zeus, Hera, Apollo and Athena among others, while Heroes will chronicles the fabled feats of the likes of Perseus - who battled the Gorgon, and Theseus who slew the Minotaur.

Men, the final instalment, will recount ancient battles and conflicts like The Trojan War and epic journeys like those of Odysseus.

After four performances in Edinburgh, the show will move to Salford, Liverpool, Birmingham, London, Oxford and Gateshead.