John Lyons speaks about returning to the stage after Covid lockdown

John Lyons, best known for playing George Toolan in A Touch of Frost, will return to the stage at the Haymarket as he reprises the title role in 'Father Brown - The Murderer in the Mirror'.

It will be his first time acting since he finished the 2019-20 pantomime season after the Covid outbreak closed theatres and cancelled performances for over a year.

It was the longest break of his career, since he started in 1960.

But now, with the first socially distanced performance at the Haymarket scheduled for June 3, John is readying himself and says he is "just so happy" to be getting back on the stage again.

The 77-year-old told The Gazette: "I have been almost constantly working since acting school.

"This is the longest period I have had without work.

"I had three [talks on] P&Os cruise ships, we should have started Father Brown last year, but of course we didn't.

John Lyons will come to the Haymarket for Father Brown - The Murderer in the Mirror next month.

"Unfortunately for actors, I doubt if many of them got anything from furlough. Most young actors and actresses would work as waiters in restaurants and pubs in between jobs, that went as well.

"How some of these young actors survive, heaven only knows."

It has been a tough time for the industry, but John says things appear to be getting back to normal.

"That is how it seems from my end. Things do seem to be becoming more positive.

"You don't really know so fingers crossed that everything works out fine.

"Basingstoke will be my first night and we will go on until August and do about four or five venues up and down the country."

After that, it is certainly not time to put his feet up, as John then heads onto another two month-long tour, before pantomime and another touring of Father Brown in the new year.

"It is full on for me from the first night in Basingstoke, but that is simply because of Covid.

"Those that have been postponed have been put to other dates.

John Lyons will come to the Haymarket for Father Brown - The Murderer in the Mirror next month.

"For my age, I do like to get my breath, but I am not complaining. I am just so happy to have the work and be able to do it."

John, who also starred in Upstairs Downstairs and The Sweeney, said he felt for the front of house and backstage staff and all other people employed by the theatre industry that has been affected.

He spent his lockdown writing his autobiography 'Not Just George', which is released later this month.

He said that he didn't think he had the patience to write a book, but that once he got into it during lockdown, "I thought I am enjoying this".

"Lots of memories started coming back to me."

He will come to Basingstoke in a performance of 'Father Brown - The Murderer in the Mirror'.

John Lyons will come to the Haymarket for Father Brown - The Murderer in the Mirror next month.

It is being run by Rumpus Theatre Company, written by John Goodrum and based on classic mysteries by G K Chesterton.

The play will focus on mild-mannered priest Father Brown, who always seems to be in the right place at the right time, if you count always being around when a murder is committed as being in the right place.

When a famous actor is found dead just before the opening of his latest West End production, Father Brown - invited to watch the dress rehearsal - sees at once in the shattered dressing room mirror that all is not as it seems.

If all the possible suspects were on stage at the time, watched by Father Brown, who could possibly be the murderer?

You can buy tickets at anvilarts.org.uk, and you can find John's book here.