Call the Midwife star Helen George is set to hit the stage in a new production of the acclaimed musical the King and I.

The tour, which will begin in February next year, kicks off at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury.

The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic will also visit the Orchard Theatre in Dartford for five nights in April.

Helen, who is best known for playing Trixie Franklin in the BBC drama, will star as Anna Leonowens in the musical.

Set in 1860s Bangkok, the story follows an unconventional relationship between the King of Siam and Anna, a British schoolteacher who has been brought to the kingdom to teach the King’s wives and children.

“Anna is such a strong, passionate and determined character, and I’m going to relish bringing her to life every night,” says the 38-year-old actor. “Theatre is my first love, and I am so excited to be returning to the stage for this beautiful, majestic production of the King and I.”

Helen trained at the Royal Academy of Music and the Birmingham School of Acting before joining the cast of Call the Midwife, which is partially filmed at the Historic Dockyard Chatham, in 2012.

The TV star briefly swapped the hospital ward for the dancefloor in 2015 as she competed in the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. She finished in sixth place with her partner Aljaž Škorjanec.

The King and I, based on Margaret Landon’s 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam, first made its Broadway debut in 1951 and has since toured the world.

It was also adapted into an Oscar-winning film in 1956, starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner.

The King and I will be at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury from Saturday, February 4 to Saturday, February 11. Book online here.

The show will then be at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford from Tuesday, April 4 to Saturday, April 8. Book online here.

Further casting announcements, additional UK theatres and details of an international tour are due to be revealed soon.