Joe McFadden talks The Cold House on the Hill Role ahead of Birmingham and Shrewsbury dates

Scottish entertainer Joe McFadden won the 2017 series of TV’s most popular show with dance partner Katya Jones.

Not that he was an unknown before that. Having earned his break as a kid by landing a role in the Scottish drama Taggart, McFadden has seldom been out of the spotlight. And with successful roles in Heartbeat and Holby City, among many others, he’s spent most of his life in the public eye.

So his theatrical credits are both extensive and impressive. They include Casualty and Sex, Chips & Rock’n’Roll, then there was The Crow Road, seven years on Take The High Road and much, much more. In theatre, McFadden has been much in-demand. From Rent in London’s West End to a series of blockbuster shows in Edinburgh, including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the city’s Playhouse, he’s seldom had time to rest.

Now he’s on the road in his latest production, The House On Cold Hill, in which he stars with former Eastenders star Rita Simons. The show was written by number one best-selling author Peter James, following the incredible sell-out stage successes of Not Dead Enough and The Perfect Murder.

The House on Cold Hill is another spine-chilling thriller and the BAFTA-nominated McFadden will take centre stage with Simons, who played the iconic Roxy Mitchell in EastEnders. They’ll be joined by Charlie Clements, (Bradley in EastEnders) and Persephone Wales-Dawson (Nico Blake in Hollyoaks) in James’s ghostly new stage hit.

It focuses on the Harcourt family who move into the house of their dream. Their dreams, however, quickly turns into the stuff of nightmares as they begin to feel that they may not be the only residents at Cold Hill. Fans can look forward to a modern-day supernatural thriller that will send shivers down the spine and make them think twice about returning home to a dark, empty house after the show.

McFadden and co have already played a number of UK theatres at the start of a lengthy run, which continues until June. And locally, they’ll visit Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn from February 4 to 9 before playing at the

And they will be playing Birmingham Alexandra Theatre from May 6 to 11. McFadden says: “The show is going really, really well. We’re playing to lovely audiences across the UK and having a great time on the road.”

“It’s basically about this family; Olly and Carol and their daughter Jade. Olly had a successful advertising business, which he sells so that he can buy a sprawling house in the country. It appears to be very idyllic but throughout the course of the play you see that there’s a lot more to the house than meets the eye. For a start, there are, shall we say, ‘interesting’ people from the local village. You are kept guessing about the ghostly goings on in the house all the time.

“There are some really great scare moments and it’s very contemporary. There’s bits where people are using Facetime and Alexa makes an appearance too. It’s a really great cast. Actually, it’s quite funny. We all died in either Eastenders or Holby so we’re actually all back from the dead to feature in Peter James wonderful ghost story.”

Holby retains a special place in McFadden’s heart. From January 2014 to December 2017 he had a leading role as Raffaello Raf di Lucca in the BBC One medical drama. His character was killed off in the two part episode Group Animal. Soon after, he signed up for the fifteenth series of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with Katya Jones, eventually winning in the final and claiming the prized Glitterball Trophy.

“It’s great to have done Holby and Strictly,” he adds. “It means that people want to come and see you and that’s only a good thing. This play will attract quite a few people that haven’t necessarily gone to the theatre but who will have seen me on TV. That’s great for everyone, really.”

McFadden has mastered the differing talents of TV and theatre, which he describes as being a world apart. “On both, you’re acting and trying to convince people you’re someone else. But there’s not so much pressure on TV because you can go again if something goes wrong. The wonderful thing about stage work is moulding the characters and working with the director. You have time before a show starts to develop the play and go through all of the minute details. When you do TV you don’t really have the time or luxury of doing that. Theatre feels more like a collaboration with the other actors and the directors. And, of course, it’s all the more rewarding because you get that instant gratification when the audience enjoy something you’ve just done. That’s the buzz that everyone talks about. You can’t beat it when it goes well. The effect is amazing.”

And how about Strictly? Surely the nerves kick in when you’re about the descend the show’s fabled staircase to take to the dancefloor.

“Strictly is a different kind of pressure. I have to say, the nerves I felt in the last week when you’re dancing for 13 million people were unlike anything I’d ever known. In many ways, you get those nerves every time you step onto a stage because there’s a live audience watching. So I’d describe Strictly as being good preparation. The fear was like nothing I’ve ever experienced beforeand you have to have complete faith in your partner, just as you rely on the rest of the cast in a play. Winning Strictly wasn’t part of the plan. It was a big surprise to win. From my perspective, I was just happy to get to the end.”

McFadden has led a peripatetic life. He’s popped up in all parts of the UK, featuring in plays at theatres around the country. From his native Scotland to the West End and all points in between, he’s come to know most major towns and cities.

He fell into his craft at an early age after a drama teacher spotted his potential. And he has that mentor from Holyrood R.C. Secondary School, in Glasgow, to thank for recommending him for a part in the Scottish detective show Taggart.

“I wasn’t really that interested in the job,” he says. “I just sort of fell into it. I had a great drama teacher and was chosen to be in Taggart and then got a job on Take The High Road, which lasted for six years. I didn’t know I was born. It was a really great time. When I hit my 20s I thought acting was great because I’d never been out of work. But I’ve come to realise things could have been very different. I must be honest, I wouldn’t have had the guts to go to drama school in the hope that I’d get a job at the end of it.”

Thankfully, McFadden hasn’t had to worry and the work now follows him, rather than him having to chase the work. So, after finishing his role in The House On Cold Hill he’ll be heading out on another major tour in Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

“I love the diversity,” he says. “Nobody wants to do the same thing over and over again. That’s a trap that you can fall into. I feel lucky that I do films and plays and sing a little bit and dance a little bit too. I’m creatively challenged and that’s when I operate at my best. So going from this to Priscilla later in the year will be completely different. It’ll be a different set of challenges and that’s what I really looking forward to.”

• Tickets for performances of The Cold House on the Hill are available from the box offices at Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn and Birmingham’s New Alexandra Theatre.