JOHN Inman is enthusiastic. "It's like nothing else, not an acting job, not a variety job.

"You walk in a different way, talk in a different way. It's a specialized art," says John Inman whose passion for pantomime remains as strong as ever.

Aladdin at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking will be his 43rd or 44th panto. He's not quite sure which. He describes his character Widow Wanda Twanky as "a widow who hasn't be neglected since".

It is clear that his sense of humour is not exclusively reserved for the stage and he radiates a buoyant, sprightly enthusiasm, which is probably essential when you are in a show with 12 costume changes, twice a day for six weeks:

"There's no point going to work if you don't have fun" he asserts, and you know he really means it. But he is quick to point out that his panto career involved a somewhat humbling debut.

"In my first panto at Sheffield, when I was stage manager, I used to go on with the custard pie, the lowest of the low, but it always comes in useful.

"I then progressed to chasing the squire around the table with a large trifle in a Mother Goose."

It's been a few years since his infamous catchphrase, "I'm free" rang around Grace Brothers' department store in the BBC hit comedy, Are You Being Served?.

As the camp Mr Humphries, his high-pitched tones were an integral part of the innuendo-ridden show which still enjoys phenomenal viewing figures everytime it's repeated.

Many stars of successful shows secretly hanker for a remake and the chance to relive their finest moment, but John expresses no such desires:

"They were the most wonderful, wonderful times, but I don't miss them because I'm too bloody old, you can't turn the clock back and do it again."

John and the rest of the cast never foresaw the show's subsequent popularity and were too busy having fun.

"It was a whirlwind time; none of us knew what was happening, we were just on a roll."

Such was the show's success, that John became a household name in dozens of countries including the USA, Australia, and New Zealand and he keeps a small part of the Grace Brothers' magic alive with the touring show in Australia.

He has retained a cult status in the States, but is always amused by the Americans' misconceptions of pantomime, which they tend to interpret a little too literally.

"When Americans come to see me in pantomime they are always surprised, because they think panto is like Marcel Marceau, just miming and that I don't speak."

In contrast to many comic actors, John has never had the urge to do a serious, straight role, and perhaps the ghost of Mr Humphries could be a burden in a scene of high drama and tension:

"I never wanted to do anything serious, I'm a laughter machine. I think you should do what you are best at. It is certainly the hardest job to make people laugh. That is what I do, it's what I Iike, and what I've always done."

Based in Little Venice, this is the first time in years that John as had the summer off, but it is clear he is now ready to get back to work.

Despite his advancing years, John positively thrives on the spontaneity of live shows and the challenge of making people laugh.

It could explain his contempt for the more mundane routine of rehearsals, which he describes as an "occupational hazard".

"I rehearse as little as possible. I like an audience to be there. I can't stand going over and over my lines in a dusty, old rehearsal room. That's my age, I suppose, I'm turning into Victor Meldrew."

Caroline Bullock