Although stage actor Alexander Hanson has played a spy before, he has never played one quite like Guy Burgess.

Burgess was a member of the notorious Cambridge Five spy ring, a group of Cambridge University graduates who leaked British secrets to the Soviet Union before and during the Cold War.

Openly homosexual and flamboyant, he lived out the rest of his life exiled in Moscow, drinking heavily and ordering suits in from Saville Row.

The story of his exile and his chance encounter with actress Coral Browne forms the first act of Alan Bennett's Single Spies, entitled An Englishman Abroad.

A new adaption of Bennett's classic double header opened this week at The Rose Theatre, produced by the High Street venue itself.

"Guy Burgess was fascinating because he was an incredibly bright man during the 30’s along with these intellectuals who thought that the way forward would be to support Russia," says Hanson.

"They all grew up in privileged backgrounds but they were aware 90 per cent of Britain was on the poverty line. They wanted to do something about it - they were taking a hell of a risk.

"They were passing on sensitive information from the British Government to the Soviets.

"You would think why the hell would you want to pass information on to Stalin’s Russia? But that’s without the benefit of hindsight."

In An Englishman Abroad, actress Coral Browne is given just one instruction before her serendipitous dinner meeting with the disgraced Burgess at his flat in Moscow.

She is told: "Bring a tape measure."

Hanson says: "At a time when homosexuality was just not on - he was very open.

"He was a flamboyant, great talker. He was a real fun guy to be around and Bennett really captures that in the play. You wish you were like him.

"It is very funny but at the same time there is great depth in it. You come out feeling more informed and it is thought-provoking. These are really really well crafted plays."

The second act, A Question of Attribution follows another Cambridge spy, Anthony Blunt, played by Michael Pennington.

Blunt was an an art expert and surveyor of the Queen's Pictures before being exposed as a double agent late in his lfe.

The play follows Blunt as he tries to solve a riddle in a painting - but later comes under the watchful eye of MI5.

Single Spies; Rose Theatre, High Street, Kingston; September 25 - October 11, 7.30pm plus matinees; various prices; visit rosetheatrekingston.org.