Les Dennis praises Henry's Othello

Les Dennis has praised fellow comedian Lenny Henry for his part in Barry Rutter's production of Shakespeare's Othello.

Dennis wrote in The Guardian that he had seen Henry give an "extraordinary" performance in the play two weeks ago.

He said: "No dipping in of the toe for our Len: instead, he's gone straight in at the deep end with one of the Bard's most demanding roles.

"I thought his performance had great power and emotional range - the sell-out audience were spellbound."

He said that when the cast performed a close-harmony musical number there was a shift in the audience willing Henry to "make us laugh" in the current climate. However, he added that "the moment passed, and we were all pulled back into the drama of the play".

Henry has said that he empathised with the character of Othello because he too was subjected to racist abuse when he was younger.