Kevin Spacey has recruited Stephen Fry to help him revive a London theatre by writing a pantomime version of Cinderella.

The Oscar-winner – who, as artistic director, has been struggling to attract audiences to the Old Vic – has vowed to stick at the job for his full contract.

"I'm in it for the long haul," declared the actor, who will take to the stage in September in the Vic's next production.

The news of Fry's recruitment to the cause follows the Sir Ian McKellen playing Aladdin for the theatre's pantomime last Christmas. "After the success of Aladdin, I'm thrilled that Stephen Fry is writing a new panto for the Old Vic," commented Spacey. "He's an exceptional talent, a very funny man, and I think theatre-goers of all ages are in for a real treat."

Also heading for the Vic are My Family's Robert Lindsay and Pam Ferris of The Darling Buds of May - both to star in a 50th anniversary production of John Osborne's The Entertainer.

"It will be an enormous pleasure for audiences to see Robert Lindsay as Archie Rice in The Entertainer, a part he was surely born to play," said Spacey. "A household name on television, he appears all too rarely on stage."