ACTRESS Gwen Taylor has a soft spot for our part of the country – to be more precise, the riverside town of Wivenhoe.

That’s because back in 1996, she spent many happy weeks filming the short-lived sitcom A Perfect State. Running for just seven episodes, Gwen played the deputy mayor of Flatby, a fictional town on the East Coast of England (filmed mostly in Wivenhoe), which, by a quirk of historical fate, declared itself an independent state.

She says: “Oh, that is years and miles ago. Yes, I very fondly remember filming in Wivenhoe . “Such a beautiful place and the people were so kind and friendly to us. It’s a shame we didn’t do more episodes, but I’m pretty sure I will be paying Wivenhoe a visit when I come back.”

The reason for her return, this time to the Mercury Theatre, in Colchester, is a starring role in Michael Morpurgo’s the Butterfly Lion. The new production is a revival of a previous show the Mercury’s artistic director, Daniel Buckroyd, did at the Curve Theatre, in Leicester.

As well as adapting Morpurgo’s tale of friendship which spreads across the South African veld to the battlefields of northern France, Daniel is back directing, and has re-cast Gwen. She says: “Apart from one other, I’m the only one left from the original and I was delighted when Daniel told me he was bringing it back and asked me to be in it.

“I play a 70-year-old, a ten- year-old and a 21-year-old in the play, something I have never done before.

“It really is an intriguing piece and like a lot of his other works is a charming, delightful story, but with dark areas, like War Horse set in the First World War.”

Gwen started her career on the stage but is now best known for her many roles on television, from Duty Free to Heartbeat, and most recently as the mother of Frank Foster in Coronation Street.

She adds: “The most recent thing I’ve done was Casualty and it was brilliant fun.”

The Butterfly Lion is at the Mercury Theatre, Balkerne Gate, Colchester, from Friday,  August 30, until September 14. Call 01206 573948.