She's zany, colourful, as sparky as a bolt of lightning. ANDY SMART tries to keep up with actress Su Pollard as she chats about Annie, Hi-de-Hi and her favourite Nottingham pubs

IT is such a well-worn cliche, but where our own Su Pollard is concerned, it works perfectly: you can take the girl out of Nottingham, but you can't take Nottingham out of the girl.

It was my accent that sparked her off. Although she left her home city for London many years ago, she spotted it straight away.

"Funnily enough, I had something wrong with my plumbing ... not my plumbing, my house plumbing, and we had this great bloke come, John from Pimlico Plumbers, they're very posh, he makes them all wear uniforms, and he comes from Nottingham.

"We were talking about all the old days in Radford. I used to love all the dives like the Variety Club in Radford and I remember my lovely mate John Evans, he used to teach drama at the Arts Theatre.

"I remember we used to go to the Spread Eagle and the Clinton Arms, with all the bare-chested ladies. We used to go in the Bell Inn. I used to love all those places. We used to spend about 15 minutes in each pub, just have half a lager, then we would de-camp to St Ann's Well Road, Parliament Street.

"Let's put it this way, we went to the less salubrious establishments. Then finish off with fish and chips where I used to live at the bottom of Alfreton Road."

Conversation with Su is a mesmerising experience, full of anecdotes, memories and quips. After one question I am laughing so loud I miss most of her reply. Su doesn't care.

"You might wear the poshest clothes known to man," she says wisely, "but unless you smile you might just as well be wearing a plastic sheet." You see, Su might talk 19 to the dozen, but she rarely wastes a word.

She's coming back to Nottingham for a fresh stint at the Theatre Royal as beastly Miss Hannigan in the evergreen family musical Annie ... and she can't wait.

"It's a fantastic house, a really lovely auditorium to play, beautiful seating, it's been maintained in my view to a really high standard.

"I was so privileged and proud to have a seat named after me. They asked me what I would like on it and I just said 'Su Pollard, Queen of the Midlands'. I didn't want anything about achievements in the theatre, just Queen of the Midlands because that's what Nottingham is."

Her Theatre Royal run will be an "at home" week for Su. "I am expecting family and friends. They nearly all come, they are very loyal, so I have copious amounts of wine in the dressing room and make sure everyone is well watered, then catch up with a few friends, have a couple of lunches. See as many people as I can, really."

Su is in her fourth stint as the bewigged and perpetually sozzled orphanage boss Miss Hannigan, but she says she never tires of such a wonderful part.

"Poor Miss Hannigan, she falls on the floor a lot, she is so drunk with Jack Daniels. I try to make the audience feel sympathy for her, she has had a terrible life. All she has got in life is the radio. She's desperately trying to get a man, she tries to seduce every person she meets, even the President ... she shows him her leg."

Not for the first time, Su draws on her Nottingham memories for inspiration.

"My character's based on a lady who was married to a local butcher, a bit sad because she was obviously mentally ill. Do you remember when you had those electric fires and you would sit in front them and get those brown rings on your legs, well she had all that, terrible slippers with holes in and never had a wash.

"I've brought a bit of Nottingham characterisation into Miss Hannigan from New York."

And every time she slaps on the smeared lipstick and that trademark scruffy wig – "I'm sure it's covered in nits!" – the audience can be assured that Su will give it all she has got.

Recognition

"It is just a really nice, feel-good show. I can hear the audience as they come out saying 'Ooh that was good, I loved it'.

"That is wonderful. People in our job, we are very fortunate because we get applauded at the end. So many people don't get the recognition that we do, immediately. I say to them, look guys you are really lucky to be in this profession so you owe it to the people to give that extra 10%. People deserve that."

Eventually, I have to ask her about her great success as chambermaid Peggy Ollerenshaw in the long-running BBC comedy Hi-de-Hi and especially how a scatty, off-the-wall young lass from Nottingham landed the part.

It seems she had the same agent as Dad's Army writers David Croft and Jimmy Perry and when her agent heard they were writing a comedy about a holiday camp, he sent Su along to talk to them.

She takes up the story in her own, inimitable style. "I duly went to visit Jimmy's flat and I remember going up about 89,000 steps. Right to the top of the mansion block in Victoria, very posh, eight bedrooms, you know.

"Anyway, I knocked on the door and he said 'no, we don't want any pegs', and I said 'no, I'm not a gypsy'. You see I'd got this Afghan coat smelling of petulia oil and a bowler hat with a feather sticking out of it. He obviously thought I was barmy."

"Now why would he think that?" I ventured, and this time it was Su's turn to chuckle.

"Anyway, I didn't hear anything for about a year and then one day my agent rang and said remember that interview you did...well they have written a little part for you as a chalet maid."

That was back in 1980 and over the next nine years Su, along with Ruth Madoc, Jeffrey Holland and Paul Shane, became a TV favourite, a reputation that was enhanced by follow-up shows You Rang M'Lord and Oh Dr Beeching.

She still keeps in close touch with her co-stars – "Ruth, Jeff, Shaney". "We were a big part of each other's lives and we always support each other.

"You miss the work, the camaraderie, the way of learning. I learned so much about timing and stuff. I worked with two of the best in the business, Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who had the creme de la creme working for them.

"I doubt if there would ever be any long-running shows like that now, apart from My Family which they have nursed to death, bless 'em.

"I don't think there will ever be the budget for those shows any more. I like to think that my legacy, and everyone who worked on Hi-de-Hi!, You Rang M'Lord and Oh Dr Beeching is that it stands the test of time."

This is the 30th anniversary tour of Annie and it is playing to packed houses all over the country.

"It is so well loved," says Su, "and we even get people coming dressed as Annie...no one ever gets dressed up as Miss Hannigan, though...come on girls, support me!"

Annie is at the Theatre Royal from Monday to Saturday, September 19. Call the box office on 0115 989 5555.