Best known as feisty ward sister Chrissie Williams from Holby City, mother-of-three Tina Hobley is returning to the theatre. She spoke to Dan Wright.

As a child Tina Hobley only went to drama classes to overcome her shyness.

Little did she know then that now, at 43, she would have starred in Coronation Street, The Bill and Holby City, becoming best known for her long-running role in the hit BBC medical drama.

But after leaving her life as the feisty Chrissie Williams behind in 2013, the mum-of-three has been in search of a new challenge – and now she has found one.

This week at Dartford’s Orchard Theatre, she will appear alongside former Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas in Dead Simple, the stage production of crime author Peter James’ most popular book to date. Tina will be playing Ashley Harper in the dark thriller, which follows last year’s success of Peter’s The Perfect Murder.

“The stage work is variety – it’s as far away from what I’ve been doing for 12 years as I could possibly get,” Tina said. “That’s the reason I left Holby City. As much as I loved that show you get to a point where you just want to try something else”

Dead Simple will be a return to stage work for you – are you looking forward to returning?

“I can’t wait. It’s completely different when you’ve been doing television for a long time – it’s always a passion for most actors. I was looking for the right project and Peter’s brilliant play came up and I couldn’t really say no.”

It will be the Dead Simple premiere in Dartford – how will you feel when you get the first night finished?

“I can’t wait to get the first night out of the way. It seems such a short rehearsal period, we’ve only got three weeks which seems nothing; I’d like three months! But it is what it is and Dartford will have the honour of all the cobwebs on opening night so bear with us a little bit!”

You are a mother-of-three – how do you balance it all?

“Loads of us do it. I don’t feel I’m on my own there and I have a privileged job that I love to do. I feel that I’ve got a great support around me – this was a joint decision to do this play, it wasn’t just mine. It’s quite a lot when you take mummy out of the equation. I’m very lucky that I’ve got great support.”

Was it difficult to leave Holby City after more than a decade on the show?

“No, it wasn’t difficult. It felt the right time for me to go off and explore new territories. I’m delighted they didn’t kill off the character, you spend so much time being her, and they gave her a really good, positive exit. I’d done it for a while and I felt like I was playing the same stories again and again. I still love watching it and it was a real honour to be a part of it.”

After your work with Dead Simple finishes, have you got any future plans?

“I’m looking at good quality TV, but I want to make sure it’s the right project. I’d love to do some 9 o’clock gritty drama, so I’m going to hold out for that.”

Extra time

Tina first found fame in Coronation Street as the leather clad biker Samantha Failsworth, who was a bit of a maneater and strung Des Barnes along. She played the character for two years between 1996 and 1998 and enjoyed the Corrie experience.

She said: “To be part of a huge British institution at quite a young age was a huge learning curve. I learnt a lot there, you have to do that on those soaps and you learn it very fast. I don’t think I’ve ever worked harder.”

After Corrie, Tina went on to feature in Harbour Lights as WPC Melanie Rush and The Bill as Sue Booker.

Her best known role came in Holby City, before leaving in 2013 and appearing in Celebrity MasterChef last year.

She now presents a show on Smooth Radio every Sunday morning.

TALE OF TERROR

Author Peter James, below, who wrote the novel Dead Simple, is riding the crest of a wave.
“This play, together with the news that my books are to be adapted for television and the success of my latest novel, Want You Dead, made 2014 a wonderful year,” said Peter, 66.

“Dead Simple seems to touch a nerve in everyone who reads it. It begins with a wedding prank that goes horribly wrong, leaving the groom-to-be buried alive in a coffin in remote woodlands, running out of air and everyone who knows his whereabouts dead. Everyone except for one person and Detective Roy Grace has to discover who that one person is before it’s too late.

"I had myself locked in a coffin for 30 minutes as part of my research. It’s so many people’s worst nightmare to be buried alive and I’m recreating some of that terror in the theatre.”

Dead Simple has its world premiere at Dartford’s Orchard Theatre on Wednesday, January 14 and runs until Saturday, January 17. Tickets cost from £15. Visit www.orchardtheatre.co.uk or call 01322 220000.

The production then goes on tour around the UK and returns to Kent at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre from Monday, July 6, to Saturday, July 11. Tickets cost from £17.50. Visit www.marlowetheatre.com or call 01227 787787.