THE one and only time the opening show of Strictly Come Dancing had a dance off Brian Capron, star of Coronation Street and now of Strictly Murder, was unlucky enough to be in the bottom two and the first to leave the show.

He regained his reality TV show mojo though when his wife persuaded him to take part in Celebrity Masterchef and he made it to the final. "It laid the curse of my reality TV career," he says. "It was all for the best, though," he adds. "I was having a bit of a golden era, and it brought me down a peg or two!"

He also then went on to learn to tap dance and went on tour with Stepping Out and has been on stage singing and dancing in several musicals.

But it's murder that brings Brian to Hereford and Malvern this year, as he takes a starring role in Brian Clemens' Strictly Murder.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given his high profile as murderer Richard Hillier in Coronation Street, Brian says: "I get offered a lot of thrillers and I've only ever done one, but this is a bit different - it's a tribute to thrillers of the past.

"It's a difficult genre to write nowadays because of the communications technology, but this is set just before the outbreak of World War Two in Provence, which already creates an atmosphere of menace with the rise of Hitler in the background."

But, he adds, "it's very difficult to describe without giving it away. It starts with a slow burn but then picks you up by the throat and doesn't let go.

"I have a lovely showy part," he says, adding with a laugh, "but I can't talk about it ..." Another spoiler is avoided.

Strictly Murder is directed by Brian Clemens' son Sam, who specifically wanted Brian for the part and "he pushed the producers to give us more rehearsal time which let us really establish the characters."

There is also, he reports, a fabulously classy set and original music from a composer of film scores. "It's very filmic and the music adds to the atmosphere."

With four dates completed, audiences are convinced, says Brian. "They love it. They don't know what's happened until the very end and before that there's revelation upon revelation. It's very twisty-turny and audiences are on the edge of their seats.

"A fellow cast member pointed out to me that there's far less coughing from the audience - they don't want to miss a word!"

If there is a downside to the tour for Brian it's that he and his wife will miss visiting Hay Festival for the first time in years. "But I'll be in Scotland so it's just not possible. But we love Hay Festival and used to come to the Big Chill. We just love that part of the world."

Having seen his profile rise massively during Coronation Street, he admits that it's a double-edged sword. "But much more good than bad. It gave my career such a boost. If I'd had a plan in this totally illogical profession it would have been to get into something on telly so that peple would know me and come and see me in the theatre.

"I'm a kid from a council estate in Staines - I never thought I'd sustain a career this long and I've done some fabulous things, like Guys and Dolls and thanks to Coronation Street I'm in the position to do only what I want to do."

Strictly Murder is at The courtyard from Thursday, May 11 to Saturday, May 13. To book, call the box office on 01432 340555 or visit courtyard.org.uk