HIS DAD’S commute from Petersfield to London planted the seed for a play for which Tom Ward-Thomas has won plaudits.

There were four star reviews across the board and sell-out shows for One of Those when it was performed in London last year.

It is back in Covent Garden for a three week run, until Saturday, February 13, at the Tristan Bates Theatre, and 27-year-old Tom couldn’t be more delighted.

There is a new frisson to his debut playwriting offering, a fast-paced comedy challenging classical stereotypes of age and gender.

Tom, who lives at Hawley, near Liss, with his younger sisters, acclaimed country music duo Ward Thomas, has added an extra ending scene, which pulls the relationship strands together.

“People suggested it needed a conclusion, and it does bring a poignant note to it all, with some of the characters having to face up to what they’ve done,” explained Tom.

One of Those is set on a long, quiet train journey to Cornwall, with James, played by Tom, and Laura meeting for the first time. Meanwhile, in the next carriage, Philip and Davina are looking forward to their first weekend away together, only to be confronted by Philip’s wife.

It explores the exciting beginnings of one relationship against the desperate cartwheels of another, with scenes switching between the past and the present as the audience views the stages of their relationship from different perspectives.

There are comic scenarios, and slightly uncomfortable ones too, with silences between the couples, for example, in real time.

“I have always loved plays that don’t have time lapses,” said Tom. “It gets a bit tense!”

Also bringing a freshness to the production are two new faces – Martin Ball, who has just come off Les Miserables in the West End, and Louise Bangay, who was in Trevor Nunn’s production of Cyrano de Bergerac at Chichester Festival Theatre.

“Martin brings a masculine attitude to the role and it’s very relatable to a lot of men in that situation. We have had women in the audience laughing at that and the men looking a bit shifty!”

The train setting came from his dad’s daily commute, and a chance encounter he had on a bus. He asked someone how to spell ‘bureaucracy’ and was struck by the randomness, and intensity, of rendez-vous on public transport. This became a scene in the play between the two young people.

The talented Tom also has two feature films in development – The Convict, about Ireland in the 1880s, and Artist’s Retreat, in which he plays city worker Ralph who goes on an artist’s retreat by default.

He is also penned a pilot for a TV sitcom about the catering industry.

And he is very proud too, of the creativity and success of his musician siblings, twins Lizzie and Catherine, who are in the process of recording a new Ward Thomas album.

“There is a big difference in its production style,” revealed Tom.

See One of Those at the Tristan Bates Theatre from January 26 to February 13, with matinee and evening performances. Tickets are £15 with £13 concs.

E-mail [email protected] or call 020 3841 6611. Visit www.oneofthoseplay.com