Philip Olivier on his sell-out Take That musical Never Forget

THE demise of Brookside set many a soap fan a-sighing. But no one was quite so disappointed as its young Scouse star Philip Olivier who lived just around the corner from Brookside Close.

"I used to live 500 yards away from the set," he recalls. "So nobody was more devastated than me when it finished because I actually had to travel to work!"

Philip, 29, played Tinhead for seven years, right up to the very last episode of the Liverpool-set soap.

"Brookside was a great show," he sighs, full of nostalgia. "It had a tremendous group of writers, some of whom have gone on to do great things, like Jimmy McGovern."

On to pastures new – and the challenge of travelling to work pales in comparison to what Philip's up to in his latest job.

For he's starring in the scantily-clad Take That musical Never Forget, which is pulling in legions of devotees.

In it, he plays Dirty Harry, a stripper who turns up at the wrong audition and finds himself in a Take That tribute band playing "Jason".

Stripping down to his kecks was the least of Philip's problems.

It's fair to say that, having successfully gone through the rigours of Channel 4's celebrity athletics test The Games and run out winner, he is reasonably confident about his physique.

"The easiest part was doing almost a full strip at the start of the show," he grins. "It was just the dancing and singing that came afterwards that I was worrying about."

Never Forget's producers contacted Philip in March about taking on a role in the musical, which was devised in consultation with Gary Barlow.

"I told them I'd never had any training," he recalls. "I said, 'I can't even sing'. But they gave me a singing test and they said I was all right – and I'd be singing with the group anyway.

"Little did they know how big a challenge it would be. It took me a week just to learn how to step-click. Thankfully, my character isn't the sharpest tool in the box, so I've got away with it!"

The other characters in the fictitious Take That tribute group, around which the musical revolves, are Ashley, a mummy's boy, Jake, a Jack-the-lad, Adrian, a geek, and Jose, a sexy Spaniard.

Their trials and tribulations take us on a journey of Take That numbers including Relight My Fire, It Only Takes A Minute and Back For Good – hence the sell-out crowds who like to sing along.

Add into this a spectacular stage set – including a curtain of rain – that recalls some of the lads' best gigs and a 21 ensemble cast and you can see why everyone's getting so excited.

Then, of course, there are the costumes. Or lack of them.

"There's not much to them," admits Philip. "In the early years, Take That didn't wear very much. We wear chaps – or chap, we call them, since there's only one of them – and hot pants."

Overall, the show is, he says, "a spectacle to see".

In fact, Philip himself is a Take Thatter. "Could It Be Magic is a great song," he enthuses. "When I was about 14, I used to write down their lyrics so I could learn them. Fifteen years on, I'm using them!"

Have any of the original Take That been to see the show?

"I did see somebody in dark glasses and a hat..." teases Philip. "No, I'm joking. Their families have been. I think the lads have been busy with their own tour."

Philip, of course, is not the first young, glam thing from Brookside Close to make his name in a musical. Claire Sweeney and Jennifer Ellison (his on-screen girlfriend) have both taken the West End option in shows like Chicago.

"I saw Jennifer in Chicago; she was tremendous," Philip said. "We all knew she was a great singer because she used to sing all the time when we were working together."

The experiences of all three actors suggest they've managed to break out the typecasting mould that besets many a soap actor's career.

"I was always worried because people were saying I would be typecast," admits Philip. "But hey – I'm still working. And Nottingham is one of the dates I'm really looking forward to."

Although, sadly for Philip, we're not quite as close to his Liverpool home as Brookside Close.

Never Forget at Nottingham Theatre Royal has sold out. Returns only. 0115 989 5555.