Back for good; While actor Philip Olivier is a household name, the former Brookside star is only just making his first tentative steps onto the stage. But, he tells Matt Thomas, he's loving every minute of it.

Byline: Matt Thomas 

IT may seem strange that a 29-year-old, who has been in the acting game since the age of 16, has managed to avoid taking on a theatre role.

But then if you were starring in some of Britain's most successful soap operas, namely Brookside and Hollyoaks, perhaps treading the boards wouldn't be top of your priorities.

Now Philip Olivier, most recently spotted next to Christopher Biggins in Celebrity Come Dine With Me, is set to remedy that.

He's playing Dirty Harry, the role analogous to Howard Donald, in the touring production of Take That musical Never Forget, which comes to Cardiff's Wales Millennium Centre - where it premiered in 2007 - on Tuesday.

It's not the first time he's encountered the boyband's music. Growing up in their heyday, he was hard put to avoid it - but he didn't really want to.

"Yeah, being a bloke, you're better off keeping it under your hat, that you're a Take That fan," he says.

"But, yes, I was a big fan. Just cracking tunes aren't they?" His natural inclination is not towards the chisel-jawed dark horse of the band, however.

"I was a Gary Barlow fan most of all I reckon, just because he was the guy behind the songs, " he said.

"But that's a good point, it's not like I'm really playing Howard, I'm playing the part of a man playing Howard in a tribute band.

"That's why I don't think of it as a musical, like those Abba and Queen shows.

"It's a show and it's got songs in it and dancing, but it's got something a bit different to it, it's got a story and it makes some quite clever points about fame, about show business, by having the characters form a Take That tribute band."

The nature of fame is something Philip has been dwelling on lately.

"I've got no illusions about the reason I was asked to join the cast, as an untried theatre actor, as someone with no singing or dancing experience," he said.

"It was because of the name that I've built up through other programmes and projects.

"Initially we were in discussions that they might choreograph scenes around me, so that I wouldn't have to do so much dancing. That's what they quite often do in this sort of situation.

"But I was determined that I would do this properly, put in the effort.

"I didn't want to let the rest of the cast down.

"So while we were in dance rehearsals for the production, which were running from 9am till 6pm anyway, I'd be coming back afterwards for three hours extra, and putting in extra time in vocal training as well.

"It's been hard, but if you want to do something you might as well do it properly," he said.

The experience has helped him grow as an actor, as well.

"It's really opened up my eyes to a new way of working.

"In TV, it's just you and the director and you're working very closely together and he can basically talk you through what you're doing," he claims.

"On stage, you have to react a lot quicker, everything happens at once and you're getting the feedback from the audience, encouraging you to modify your performance in that way as well. It's pretty exciting."

Although rehearsals have kept him busy over the last few months, he has still found time to pose for gay magazine Attitude, being the cover star of the April edition.

"Doing that sort of thing is important to me yes, showing support in any way for a group of people who quite often don't have an easy time of it," he explains.

"People say to me, 'Oh, you must be gay then,' they assume that, but really that's exactly the sort of thinking that shouldn't be happening.

"I'm not gay but I'm very much a supporter of gay rights and I don't really see why anyone wouldn't be.

"If there's anything people can do to help do away with that old-fashioned view of sexuality, then they should definitely do it."

Never Forget is at the Wales Millennium Centre from tomorrow until Saturday. Call 0870 040 2000 for tickets.