I spoke to soap stars Ellie Leach & Jason Durr ahead of their performances in Cluedo 2 in Blackpool

Cluedo 2 is on at the Blackpool Grand Theatre between Tuesday, October 15 and Saturday, October 19.

Before it’s arrival, celebrity reporter Aimee Seddon got to chat to two of its biggest stars, Coronation Street actress and Strictly Champion Ellie Leach and Casualty actor Jason Durr.

Take a look at what they had to say below.

How are you feeling about bringing Cluedo to Blackpool?

Ellie: “I'm so excited to come to Blackpool! … Blackpool for me holds so many memories. I used to go there all the time when I was a kid, and I think that it's just such a fun place to be, especially when you've kind of grown up going there too, and everyone's just so lovely. Obviously, you're up north, can't be it, you just can't be it.

“I'm also excited to be in Blackpool with the rest of the cast. We've got an amazing cast, and we have so much fun doing this show and I think that Blackpool is the perfect place to bring Cluedo. It feels very much like a Blackpool play. It's a lot of fun and we've toured up and down the country, and the reaction has been amazing, but I'm really excited to be in Blackpool.”

Jason: “This country just seems to love who dunnits and our whodunnit is slightly different, because it's a whodunnit, but it's also a comedy. So we get the joy of just making people laugh every night and believe me, we make each other laugh on stage a lot as well so there's a lot of naughtiness going on there.

“All those phenomenal and iconic characters from Cluedo, the board game, we get a chance to bring them to life and breathe air into their bones and soul and all that kind of stuff. So the audiences seem to love it, and they really get on board and there's nothing better than having a really, really good laugh, but at the same time trying to guess who, in this particular version, did it with what and where. The audiences, like Ellie said, we've been really, really lucky. They've absolutely loved it.”

And then you two are playing Colonel Mustard and Miss Scarlet so for people who live under a rock, what are those characters like and do you guys relate to them?

Ellie: “As you say, the characters are so iconic and I think even if you haven't played Cluedo before - which I'm sure that there's many people in the country who haven't, me being one of them- … you know the characters, you know what the concept of the game is. And yeah, I'm loving playing Miss Scarlet. I think that she's great... she's very charming but also, I think that all of the characters are maybe not who they pretend to be and that's why the story works so well because you’re constantly keeping the audience guessing. As the body count mounts, people wonder who it was, and you kind of get like, different parts of the story, you see different characters interact with each other and how their relationships blossom from that. So, yeah, it's been great to play Miss Scarlett and obviously the show is set in the 60s, so we've got 60s costumes and music. It's very, very fun. I'm loving trotting around in a little red dress.”

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Jason: “I'm not just saying this, Ellie is absolutely fantastic, and we all get an opportunity to play what are iconic characters, whether it's Reverend Green, Colonel Mustard that I get to play, Miss Scarlet, Mrs. White. We've got a couple of new characters in there as well and we're very fortunate to have a really good team behind us. So whether it's Mark Bell, the director who directed The Play That Goes Wrong, Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran who wrote things like Good Night Sweetheart- they're just a fantastic team of people and they're all very, very funny. So we've been given a licence to bring all those iconic characters to life and as Ellie said, it’s set in the 1960s so lots of 60s music, 60s costumes.

“It's just funny and what's wrong with doing a who dunnit that's funny, it's brilliant. And we've been very humbled by the fact that we've gone around the country playing to packed theatres, which is great and there's nothing like it. Ellie and I have been in front of the camera for years so to get back on stage and get that immediate reaction that people love [it] is just gold dust.”

And do you have any affinity to Colonel Mustard’s outfit?

Jason: “I gotta say I think I do look good in my yellow and also I get to wear that ridiculous moustache, though. I did originally have a moustache of my own, but we visit a lot of cities and towns in this country, and I get the wrong kind of looks as I walk down the street so I decided to shave it off. But, yeah, it's great fun playing Colonel Mustard and it's one of those shows that’s for the whole family so you can bring the whole family, whether you're 8, 80, the grandparents are going to enjoy it, the family are going to enjoy it and you can also guess during the interval, when you're having your drinks, talk to each other and try and guess was it Mrs. White in the hall with the dagger, or was it Miss Scarlet in the kitchen with a lead pipe? So, and it's just a lot a lot of fun.”

You’re coming to the Grand Theater with it, have either of you been there before?

Jason: “Yes, I've played the Grand. It's a beautiful theatre and, as Ellie was saying, the Blackpool audiences are always - I'm sure she must have felt this when she came with Strictly- the Blackpool audiences really get on board so that's something we're all looking forward to as well.”

Ellie, you grew up in the North West, so did you ever go there as a kid to watch shows?

Ellie: “I've actually never been to the theatre in Blackpool, so I'm very, very excited to go. Obviously this is my stage debut, so it's my first time doing a theatre performance and I'm very, very excited to be coming to Blackpool with it. Like Jason said, we did go to the Tower Ballroom with Strictly and that was the most incredible experience. When I got there, it just reminded me of being a little girl, and it just brings back so many memories of coming to Blackpool so I'm very, very excited to go back and to be able to perform at the theatre.”

It may be Ellie’s stage debut, but Jason, you've done plenty of stage shows in your time so how does that dynamic work?

Jason: “Every play is new. This is also a brand new piece and it's not a drama, it's funny, so to do something comedic again has been great, and to be on the stage rather than on camera has been brilliant because I haven't been on stage for years. And fortunately, as we touched upon earlier, it’s a really tight team, we all get on well and that's made doing the play so much easier. We really trust each other, we rely on each other on stage, and we also make each other laugh a lot, which is a bit naughty, but we do it.”

Ellie: “Yeah, I feel very lucky to have this as my first theatre show, and to come into a cast that have been so welcoming and so helpful. Obviously, doing something for the first time is very, very nerve wracking and I think that even though I was on Corrie for 13 years, and I've done acting for TV, acting for theatre is very, very different, and so to be able to be kind of guided by a group of amazing actors who have so much experience in the theatre world, I just feel very lucky to be able to work with such an amazing team.”

Ellie, how did competing on Strictly Come dancing help you make that leap from TV to stage?

Ellie: “Obviously, I learned a lot of acting skills on Corrie and then to marry that with the experience of doing the live shows on Strictly and performing for an audience that are actually in the room, as opposed to behind the screen, I've really took both of them skills to prepare me for what theatre may be like. So, yeah, I've loved being able to have that live aspect and to have that reaction from the audience straight away. It kind of makes you feel like ‘okay, they're really taking on board the work that we're doing right now’ and the audiences have been receiving it so well so it's been a real joy to step into my first theatre role.”

Jason you're also well known from our TV screens so what would you say is the biggest difference when you do something like that to a play like this?

Jason: “As Ellie has just said, the disciplines are so different. Whether you're doing television or film, you get the option to, should anything go wrong, do it again. Whereas in theater, you don't. You've got to be on point right from the get go. I think that's the challenge but that's the exciting part. Some people have got it and some people don't and believe you me, it's Ellie's first theatre job, but she's got it. There are some people who are just innately talented and it's just a joy to work with Ellie and so many of the rest of the cast.

“The difference really is that you've got to live in the moment, and things might go wrong on stage but you've got to roll with that and enjoy it, have fun. If things go wrong, it's also very funny for the audience and it's that immediate response from the audience that is the overriding thing that you always take with you. You know if you're having a good show, because the audience- and especially in Cluedo 2, if anybody gets killed, they gasp in horror- we hear them. As much as they can hear us on stage, we also hear them talking and booing and ahring, and it's hilarious. I wish they could see themselves because it's just as entertaining for us as it is them watching us. So yeah, that live aspect is the real joy.”

You’ve both mentioned how well the cast get on so will you find any time for any socials in Blackpool?

Jason: “Oh, for sure, we'll have some socials. We're all pretty good like that, aren't we El?”

Ellie: “Yeah, we like to at least get a day where we all get together and do something as a full team, because we love being in each other's company. Although we work together every single night, it's really, really nice to be able to get out and do things outside of the theatre. So we'll definitely be planning a day out to do something fun in Blackpool.”

Jason: “If you've got any good recommendations, please tell us!”

A walk down the promenade, some chips, ice cream, Blackpool Pleasure Beach - would you both brave a roller coaster?

Ellie: “I really, really want to sort out a day at the Pleasure Beach! I love it so much. I grew up going there all the time. So yeah, Blackpool has a lot of fond memories for me, and I'm very, very excited to be back.”

Jason: “I think we can definitely say Ellie is our entertainment officer for Blackpool.”

Ellie, the last time you were in Blackpool, you were chasing the glitterball trophy so will it feel different coming back as a reigning champion of Strictly?

Ellie: “Like I say, I've grown up going to Blackpool, and it's always held special memories for me. Now, to be able to say that I've danced in the Tower Ballroom, and gone back as the Strictly champ feels incredible, and it will just continue to add special memories for me. Now the next thing in my career is Cluedo and to go back to Blackpool and perform in this is really, really exciting, and something that I can kind of tick off my list and be like, ‘Okay, I've been back and I've done the theatre now so what else is there to do?’”

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For people that haven't got tickets yet for Cluedo, why should they pick up some of those remaining ones?

Jason: “Well, it's just a fantastic show, it’s a lot of fun, come and see it. And you know, in the sort of world that we live in at the moment, which can be slightly challenging at times, I think this is a really, really great evening’s entertainment, pure entertainment. You'll laugh a lot. There's sort of physical humour, there's slapstick, it's a gag a minute, and you will walk out of the theatre with a smile on your face. And that's never a bad thing.”

Ellie: “What he said!”