CHRIST on a bike has long been a cry of the more profane among us, but Shakespeare on a bike, ruff and all, is surely a far less familiar concept, although all this could be about to change.

The HandleBards are a theatre company that moves about by bike, sets, costumes and all, - including ruffs.

Spokesman and actor, Matthew Seager said: "Over the past three years our four strong troupe have cycled over 5000 miles across the UK and Europe carrying all of our set props and costumes on the back of our bikes, performing Shakespeare’s plays as we go.

"We’re back this summer with our all-male troupe and a new all-female troupe performing four Shakespeare plays to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death - hence the title of our tour, '4 for 400'."

The HandleBards will visit 70 venues across the country, for their fourth UK season.

Local stops this time round, for the men, will include the Painswick Rococco on June 11 and the Old Swan and Minster Mill at Witney, on June 11, when the bikes will be propped up for Richard III.

On June 22, the bicycle clips will be off for Much Ado About Nothing, at Compton Verney.

The girls will roll into the Old Swan and Minster Mill at Witney on July 14, with Romeo and Juliet. On July 15, they will be at The Fleece, Bretforton, barring punctures, and on July 16 and July 17, they will free-wheel into The Dell, at Stratford.

The troupe began their adventure in 2013 with a 967 mile cycle from Glasgow to London.

Back then, it was literally a theatre on a shoestring; the boys used shoelaces and a sponge to attach their trailers to their bikes.

Founder Paul Moss said: "Since then, the group has gone from strength-to-strength; they’ve grown from a set of friends with cheap bikes and a rickety old trailer to an internationally successful theatre company, who have performed their brand of fast-paced, bicycle-powered Shakespeare in twelve countries across three continents, winning the support of legions of fans, including British bicycle manufacturer Pashley, whose hand-crafted bikes the HandleBards will be riding throughout 2016.

“With six plays and five thousand miles under our belt, we're ready for our biggest and most ambitious season yet. In this anniversary year, as a way of celebrating the life of the great British playwright, we are excited to put our first ever all-female troupe on the road alongside our internationally acclaimed all-male troupe.”

Tickets and further tour details at www.handlebards.com