CELTIC today revealed their latest signing - comedy star Tony Roper.

The Parkhead club confirmed that Tony - who starred in Rab C. Nesbitt as the amoral Jamesie Cotter - has teamed up with them to produce a major stage show.

The play, set to run at the Pavilion Theatre for three weeks in the autumn, has Celtic's success in getting to the UEFA Cup Final in Seville five years ago as the backdrop.

Tony, who wrote successful play The Steamie and recent stage hit Rikki and Me, confirmed he is currently writing a new Celtic-based adventure which has the working title The Celts In Seville.

I went to Seville and I was completely caught up in the atmosphere," he says.

"It was a real high in the consciousness, an explosion of happiness. And it was a strange season. Celtic were tipped to win the league that year and didn't.

"Then they hoped to do well in the Champion's League and that didn't happen. But then they took on the might of Europe in the UEFA Cup and did brilliantly.

"So I figured there must be some way to recapture that amazing feeling. And I came up with an idea for a play."

Tony's play focuses on a family of supporters who become caught up in the emotion. "It's a bit like the Royle Family Go To Seville," he says.

The actor/writer's stage dream developed during one Celtic match when he found himself sitting next to club chairman Peter Lawwell.

"We got to taking about Seville and I said I had an idea for a play. And I suggested, wouldn't it be great if Celtic backed it and gave something back to the fans'.

"And Peter smiled and said, Let's try and make it happen'. And he's been true to his word. It's now been given the green light and will be staged in autumn."

But this isn't the club's first theatre production. The Celtic Story was staged at the Pavilion 15 years ago, starring Barbara Rafferty and a young hopeful, Karen Dunbar.

But Tony feels the new play could surpass that success.

"It tells of a great time in so many people's lives," he says.

"I want to capture the feeling of the time, the fact that fans went to Seville and drank the place dry - and there was no violence.

"I want to celebrate the fans, how they conducted themselves. And I want to get across it was also a time of great fun and banter with Rangers fans."

Tony points out the play will become a major production, with a top cast, music and giant screens installed in the theatre to provide flashbacks of Celtic's glory run in Europe.

The cast have yet to be determinded, but Tony says it's unlikely he will appear in the show.

"There's a part I'd like to do but writing the play and directing it will take up enough energy.

"But having said that, this will be a great fun play, a great night out and the sort of show any performer would love to appear in."

The Celts In Seville will run from August 18 - September 6.

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