A random selection of 12 men from varied backgrounds, thrown together in a room and left to argue. The drama of this situation made such an impact on TV writer Reginald Rose when he was summoned for jury service that he wrote a TV play, Twelve Angry Men. It became a film (1959 with Henry Fonda and again in 1997 with Jack Lemmon), then a stage play. And it arrives at the Theatre Royal Windsor this week at the start of a new UK tour.

The curtain rises on 12 men being led from a New York County Supreme Court in 1954 into a locked room to decide whether a 16-year-old black kid from a slum is guilty of the homicide of his abusive father. Eleven of them think one way, one is not so sure, and in order to avoid a retrial they have to agree.

As the 12 jurors thrash out their verdict, the discussion gradually reveals each man’s personality and prejudices.

It could of course be pretty boring – no change of scene, no dramatic turn of events. But thanks to a riveting script the discussion draws the audience in and the interaction of personalities is gripping.

And this cast of actors is superb. The dialogue is sometimes fast and furious, sometimes fraught with emotion, and all 12 carry it off superbly, from the brash to the bigoted to the calm and reasoned, and those wavering in between.

Tom Conti - Olivier award holder and recently voted with Judi Dench Most Popular Actors in the West End in the last 25 years - is outstanding as ‘Juror 8’. All 12 have long lists of credits squashed into the programme notes.

The stage scene has to be simple – just a fairly bare room – but the design conveys the claustrophobia and the stifling hot day. Clever details add to the realism – beyond the door on the right, the court officer sits on guard throughout. Through the door on the left is the washroom, where a juror might escape from the heightened emotions or try to pressurise another. The back windows are open to bring in any breeze – and shut suddenly when a thunderstorm brings a downpour. And just watch the long table at the centre, which you suddenly realise has shifted round without you noticing. Symbolic.

Some business and law schools apparently use the film to demonstrate the art of persuasion. And this is the most provocative thought one brings away: among any group full of bluster, anger and passion, which personality has the greatest influence on his fellows? Lots of ponder here.

Twelve Angry Men continues until February 7 at the Theatre Royal Windsor. Tickets range from £13 to £35, available from www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk or by calling the box office on 01753 853 888.