John Hannah stars in Uncle Vanya at St James Theatre

John Hannah will star as Vanya in Russell Bolam's upcoming production of Uncle Vanya at the St James Theatre, which opens on 8 October.

The actor, who is making his return to the stage following a six year absence, is joined in the cast by Amanda Boxer (Speed Twins, Relative Values), Buffy Davis (School for Scandal, Hedda Gabler), Joe Dixon (Threeway, The Orphan of Zhao), Alan Francis (Cul-de-Sac, Alan Francis: Expands) and Amanda Hale (The Nether, The Domino Heart), with full casting to be announced.

Part of Stage One's upcoming emerging producer season at the St James Theatre, Chekhov's classic Uncle Vanya is adapted by Anya Reiss, and produced by Emily Dobbs.

John Hannah, who is well known for his film and television roles including Spartacus, Sliding Doors, The Mummy and Cold Blood, has theatre credits including Riflemind (Trafalgar Studios), The Mercy Seat (Almeida) and Miss Julie (Young Vic).

The One Stage season opens with Breeders and ends with Accolade. Uncle Vanya runs from 8 October to 8 November 2014.