BLOOD Brothers, the captivating and moving story of twin boys who are separated at birth, only to be unwittingly reunited with ultimately tragic consequences, returns to Malvern Theatres next week.

Leading the cast as Mrs Johnstone is Maureen Nolan, returning to a role she's now played many times since 2005.

Maureen is the fourth Nolan to take the part, following sisters Bernie, Denise and Linda, winning the four an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records, and says she'll happily play the part until producer Bill Kenwright calls time on her!

Though Maureen reveals that she didn't see it until older sister Bernie won the part, once she did, she, like millions of BB fans, was hooked. "I saw it 18 times," she says. "I think the secret is in the writing - whoever you are, some part of it will grab you and touch part of your life, whether you're rich or poor, posh or not, there's something in it for everyone."

Blood Brothers is unique among musicals for the reaction it almost invariably provokes in audiences: "Ninety nine per cent of the time, there's a standing ovation," says Maureen. "And the other one percent, they'll still be whooping and crying. It's a fantastic thing." .

"I am delighted to be doing it agani," she says. "A lot of the cast are the same as before and we all stay together when we're on tour. It's like a home from home.

Slightly different to the home sister Linda moved into earlier in the week, joining the Celebrity Big Brother house - "We're all big fans of the show," says Maureen, "And Linda was delighted to be going in. She was immune from the first eviction, which was great as she didn't want to be first out."

Despite having played Mrs Johnstone so many times, Maureen reveals that it's never easy. "I have to go through it, I have to go to that place, otherwise I feel I am short-changing people and if I'm not feeling it, they're not going to."

She admits that the standing ovation is addictive. "It's a drug," she says. "I know we all put everything into the end, and I always think 'thank God you know what we are feeling and you appreciate it'. What other job could you have where people stand up and clap you at the end of the day? I won't ever take it for granted. It's when you go off and do other things and realise there's no art to them and no depth that I truly appreciate Blood Brothers - Willy Russell is a genius.

"It's hard to do, mentally draining, but when I first did it in the West End it used to take me a good hour to recover, but I've learned how to snap out of it now."

Following three of her sisters into the role, Maureen has lost none of her enthusiasm for playing Mrs Johnstone: "She's funny, feisty, strong and maternal - I never thought I'd play her and it's amazing."

Blood Brothers is at Malvern Theatres from Tuesday, January 14 to Saturday, January 25. To book, call the box office on 01684 892277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk