THE words "he's behind you" suddenly become more chilling when applied to actor Bill Ward, the man behind Coronation Street bad apple Charlie Stubbs.

He's making his panto debut at the Lowry this Christmas and he's playing yet another villain - the evil Abanazer in Aladdin.

The 37-year-old says he's looking forward to playing a type of character the children love to hate. What makes a good panto baddie?

"I don't really know, but I have a funny feeling I am about to find out! I suspect I am going to be booed a lot because of who I play in Coronation Street, so that should be a good start. I also think facial hair of some kind is important, and a nice big cape," he says.

Bill recalls being taken to pantos when he was a child growing up in his native Newcastle and there's one particular show that sticks in his memory. It was called The Lambton Worm and when he discloses the plot, it's easy to see why he hasn't forgotten it.

"It's a north east folk story about an enormous worm that goes around eating cows and sheep until it gets cut up and thrown in a well," he recalls.

To prepare for the role of Abanazer, the Geordie star was able to talk about magic with one of the country's top practitioners, Paul Daniels. Did he enjoy the experience, or not a lot?

"Well, I only had a couple of hours so I didn't actually learn any tricks I'm afraid. But we did talk more generally about the kind of things we could do, and how we could make the show a bit more magical. You'll have to come along and see if we managed it," he says.

Bill is enjoying himself in Weatherfield, because playing Charlie Stubbs allows him to "do and say some pretty outrageous things."

* The Lowry, Salford Quays, presents Aladdin from December 8 to January 7. Performance times vary and tickets are available from 0870 111 2000. For the full interview, see the January edition of Lifestyle magazine.