THE singing dustman from Only Fools and Horses has joined forces with comedy writer and presenter Rory McGrath for a new musical show.

A Bridge Over Troubled Lager – Volume 2 will see McGrath and Philip Pope call in at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, on December 12 and the Bridport Arts Centre on December 13.

McGrath and Pope’s marriage of mirth will once again combine Rory’s sublime lyrics – a signature combination of sophistication, wryness and downright filth – with the mature elegance and artistry of Philip’s music.

Expect dozens of songs, rudely interrupted by the pair’s backchat and bickering on subjects including – but not limited to – social media, pets, Scottish independence, Philip’s toe, love, marriage, Croatian pop in the 90s and foul language.

And then there’s reality TV, conservation, Schubert, heavy metal, the French, hardline Christianity and the Polish word for a mayfly.

Rory McGrath – comedy writer, presenter, actor and singer-songwriter – was born in Cornwall and read modern languages at Cambridge.

Besides writing for shows such as Who Dares Wins and Alas Smith and Jones, he was a co-founder of Hat Trick Productions – responsible for such classics as Whose Line is it Anyway?, Father Ted, Have I Got News For You and Chelmsford 123.

In the ‘90s, he became a mainstay on hit sports/comedy panel show They Think it’s all Over.

More recently McGrath has been a regular on Grumpy Old Men, Three Men in a Boat and Great British Adventure (Paddy McGuinness, Will Mellor).

Philip Pope soon became known for his vocal impressions and from this came parody band The Hee Bee Gee Bees in the ‘80s – he was the driving musical force. He went on to be musical director and lead singer for Spitting Image (The number one hit The Chicken Song was his handiwork).

Like McGrath he also starred in TV’s Who Dares Wins and Chelmsford 123, as well Not The Nine O’Clock News, KYTV, Shelley and Blackadder.

He also donned a cunning disguise and altered his voice to become Tony Angelino, the ‘Crying’ speech impediment singer in a classic episode of Only Fools and Horses.