Mr Sheridan will perform as a pall-bearer in Pauline Goldsmith's play Bright Colours Only, carrying the coffin through the streets of Edinburgh as the actors leave the theatre.

However, sadly for fans of Mr Sheridan's rhetorical style, the part is a non-speaking role.

Mr Sheridan told the BBC: "I'm worried I might drop the coffin. I'm told it's not a speaking part, so Pauline is playing to my strenghts.

"But who knows? This could open up a world of acting opportunities.

"The Edinburgh fringe today, Cannes tomorrow - from Holyrood to Hollywood."

Billy Elliott star Gary Lewis, former punk singer Richard Jobson and film director Peter Mullan are also pencilled in for star-turn cameos in the play at the Edinburgh Assembly Rooms.

Mr Sheridan, the SSP's only MSP, joked that his only previous acting experience was on the football field.

He added: "Pauline is a party member and I was very impressed when I went to see her show in Glasgow, so I was only too happy to take the part when she asked me."

Show producer Sandra Morton told the BBC: "Tommy will lead the six pall bearers as they leave the theatre followed by the audience who become the funeral cortege."

Mr Sheridan, who is also leader of the SSP, takes only half of his salary, donating the rest to political causes. He was elected to Glasgow city council in 1992 while serving a six month sentence following a protest against the Scottish practice of warrant sales, the auctioning off of goods collected by bailiffs.