West End hunt for Saddam's double

A bunch of Saddam Hussein lookalikes were taking to the stage today in open auditions for a new West End show.

Theatre impresarios Michael Grade and Raymond Gubbay are searching for doppelgangers of the former Iraqi dictator to star in their latest production.

The real-life Saddam is known to have had a number of doubles to impersonate him over the years.

They would have a head-start at today’s auditions, which were being held at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, west London.

Berets, flak jackets and fake moustaches will be available for those who do not naturally bear such an uncanny likeness to the former despot.

The as-yet-unnamed play is being written by award-winning satirist Alistair Beaton, former speechwriter to British Chancellor Gordon Brown.

He has promised it will be “the most topical show the West End has seen” when it opens this summer.

It follows his 2001 West End hit Feelgood, a satire about politicians and spin doctors.