It doesn’t seem 23 years since Su Pollard last played Hi-de-Hi’s Peggy, the chambermaid, whose uniform she still keeps. Unbelievably, she’s about to play Miss Hannigan in Annie for the fifth time in seven years on the musical’s final tour.

“It’s nice to do acting, nice to have fun and nice to dance even at my age,” she says. “A good choreographer will design movements to suit you.”

She believes being Peggy has helped her get other parts - even Shakespeare. Five years ago she played nurse in Romeo and Juliet.

“If it wasn’t for Peggy, I wouldn’t have my lovely house or the work I have done since,” says the bubbly mistress of stage and screen.

“If every new character you play is believable, people will forget Peggy.”

Su's worked with children before. When she was the Queen in Snow White, she announced she was a medium (in the psychic sense). One little boy shouted “Medium? More like large!”

In Annie, she likes singing the song Little Girls but always tells the kids she is only acting when she shouts at them.

A co-star is Sandy, the dog.

“He goes on alone when his owner holds out his favourite Wensleydale cheese.

“He’s hoping to get in the Guinness Book of Records. He’s been in Annie for ten years right from the start.

“We are giving him an anniversary party in November. He’ll have cheese, dog biscuits and cake.” Winner of nine Tony awards, Annie will, as Su puts it, be VFM (value for money).

* Annie will be at the Palace Theatre, Manchester from 8th – 12th November. Box Office 0844 871 3018