But actress Alison Steadman, who plays the lead role of Connie Craven (Mam), said it was playing to packed houses every night in Bath.

"It has come into its own – audiences are loving it," she said. "It has been trimmed a bit by the director, with Alan Bennett's permission.

"I think people are now used to heritage sites and what he was saying has now come to be."

Set in 1980 in Leeds, Enjoy is based in a terraced house about to be demolished.

Mam and Dad are due to be moved to a modern maisonette on the outskirts of town and Mam doesn't want to go and have the community broken up. Dad, meanwhile, sees it as a great opportunity for a fresh start.

"Mam calls herself old fashioned," said Alison. "She wants to keep up with the traditional values of life and community."

The couple are also at odds over their two children. Their son left home at 16 and hasn't been seen since.

"He has broken Mam's heart but his father says good riddance," said Alison. "The daughter says she is a personal secretary and father thinks she's wonderful but her job is a bit dodgy."

Then an observer turns up from the council as someone has decided it's not a good idea to break up communities and they should move the house lock, stock and barrel to a heritage site.

"We've had rave reviews, which is wonderful. We're hoping for a West End run but it depends on whether a theatre is available and if Alan Bennett gives permission but, with those reviews, if we don't, it will be amazing," Alison said.

I caught up with her when she was tired and preparing for two shows in one day. "There's only one scene in the whole show I'm not in," she said. "There's a lot of comedy but it's also quite dramatic."

The 13-week tour includes Brighton Theatre Royal from September 22 to 27 and Chichester Festival Theatre in October.

Alison is taking a couple of weeks out in October to film the Christmas special of Gavin and Stacey in Cardiff.

"That's great fun and it will be nice to see all the crowd again," she said, but there were no plans at the moment for a new series.

Alison grew up in Liverpool and always wanted to be an actress. "When I left school, my dad asked me to do a secretarial course, as if I was going to be an actress, I would need something to fall back on."

She worked in a probation office before enrolling in the East 15 Acting School in her 20s. "I've never had to use the secretarial work since I left home to go to drama school," she said.

"At 17, I was too young to go to drama school, so I was in a youth theatre. I worked for a couple of years and applied for drama school at 19."

There she met husband-to-be Mike Leigh (since divorced) and it was his play, Abigail's Party, which made her name.

She worked with Mike to create the monstrous character of Beverly in his improvisational style. "It took us eight weeks to put the play together and we performed it for three weeks at Hampstead. Then we were asked to do it for TV. Abigail's Party got me known on TV."

In an award-winning stage, TV and film career, Alison has appeared on stage in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Entertaining Mr Sloane and Hotel Paradiso.

Her film work includes Shirley Valentine, Clockwise, Wilt and A Private Function, as well as Mike Leigh's work such as Life is Sweet and Topsy Turvy.

As well as playing proud mum Pam in Gavin and Stacey, she has been in Fat Friends, The Singing Detective, Pride and Prejudice, Nuts in May and Fanny Hill on TV. She also provides a voice over on Bob the Builder.

She was made an OBE in 1999 and has received BAFTA nominations, as well as being awarded best actress by the US National Society of Film Critics for Life is Sweet and the Olivier for best actress for The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.

Enjoy also stars David Troughton, whose numerous credits for the RSC and National Theatre range from Henry IV to Hook in Peter Pan.

His face is well known on television being seen in New Tricks, Dr Who, Midsomer Murders, A Very Peculiar Practice and Born and Bred, to name but a few.

Enjoy is at Theatre Royal Brighton from September 22 to 27, at 7.45pm and also at 2.30pm on Saturday.

Tickets are £17 to £27 from the box office on 08700 606 650, groups hotline 08700 606 617, access bookings 0871 297 5477 or wqww.theambassadors.com/theatreroyal

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