An actress who spent her childhood near Alton and fell in love with theatre in Farnham will take the stage in Guildford for Torben Betts’ The Other Side of Murder from September 15 to 19.

When celebrated television medium Darius Divine, host of hit light entertainment show The Other Side, plans a cosy family dinner, he expects awkward small talk - not unexpected guests, ghostly visitations and explosive revelations.

This darkly comic new thriller at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre stars Rufus Hound as Darius, Susie Blake as Miriam, Carla Mendonça as Susannah, Aisha Jawando as Laura, Beth Lilly as Jen and Andy McLeod as Jason.

Susie, 76, who has appeared in Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV, Coronation Street and One Foot in the Grave, spoke to the News & Mail about the play - and her local connections.

She said: “I spent my childhood in Medstead and growing up I spent much of my summer holidays at the Castle Theatre in Farnham.

“That was where my love of the theatre started. Seeing theatre at such close quarters was fabulous - Shakespeare and ghost stories. It had a metal roof so it was either hot or you could hear the rain. I remember it so clearly.”

The Other Side of Murder will take the audience on a wild theatrical ride that will have it laughing one minute and gasping the next.

Susie said: “The television personality played by Rufus has a massively successful show organised by his wife. He holds a dinner party for his daughter who he has not seen since she was five, and she’s now 20. His girlfriend is also there.

“I play his wife’s mother Miriam, who is obsessed with Gilbert and Sullivan. She’s been in several Gilbert and Sullivan shows and watches Gilbert and Sullivan in her granny flat at the bottom of the garden.

“Rufus’s character and mine hate each other. He’s a fraud and I am a medium, so I despise him because he’s earning money on television for doing something I can. We have a lot of fun with all the spirits.

“It’s a funny and spooky play with a terrific cast. Right from the beginning there’s a lot of tension. It’s a proper farce, like Brian Rix, with people who shouldn’t meet. Being Torben Betts, it’s very light and complicated. He writes incredibly realistically.”

Susie moved from one field of the performing arts to another as she developed her career.

She said: “I started with ballet and it was a bit serious. My love of comedy grew as I got older. I preferred to talk rather than dance.”

Susie felt the audience will love it: “I don’t think anybody will fall asleep. It’s a fast-moving dark comedy and not all of the characters are behaving particularly well. Rufus’s wife is fed up with him, his mother-in-law hates him and he’s trying to work through it with this television programme. It’s great fun to do!”

For tickets, priced from £36 (concessions £15), call 01483 440000 or visit www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk