A former monk who gave up his vow of chastity in his pursuit of love has created a new comedy sketch show If The Cap Fits.
Thomas Jackson became a monk after he graduated at the age of 21 and taught at Downside School, near Bath.
But his father was from Worsley and his mother was from Eccles so he always felt his true roots were in Salford, even writing a novel about his imagined childhood in the city, called The Tree of Tremendousness.
After 25 years as a monk, he left, advertised in the lonely-hearts section of a newspaper, married and moved north.
If The Cap Fits is performed by a new comedy group of four Manchester-based professional actors: Teresa Powell, Tom Rawdon, Denise Hough and Lisa Bailey.
Thomas, who has a small cameo in the show, added: “You'll recognise the snide neighbours and the kind of people you don't want to visit you in hospital. But there aren’t any theological sketches!”
However he doesn’t think his former work colleagues in the monastic community would be shocked to see his latest work: “They were very broad-minded."
If The Cap Fits is at Manchester’s Taurus Bar on October 23, the King’s Arms in Salford on October 30, Joshua Brooks on October 31, O’Shea’s on November 5 and Nexus Art Café on November 6.
Details: www.greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk