A familiar voice is treading the Frinton Summer Theatre boards next week when Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit takes to the stage.

That’s Graham Seed, who for 27 years played the part of Nigel Pargetter in the Archers before producers of the show killed off in a stunt to mark the 60th anniversary.

The resulting backlash led to a swathe of complaints from listeners and even the programmes makers, years later, admitting they had made a mistake.

While it still annoys a little, Graham is rather enjoying himself at the moment by the seaside.

“It’s not a bad place to be in this weather,” he tells me. “We have a great young cast and a super director, so it’s looking rather good.

“I also know quite a few people here like Giles Watling who I toured with and of course Clive Brill who directed me in the Archers.”

And talking of the Archers?

“Well it’s been a while,” he adds, “but I’m still a little angry about it. I feel more sorry for the fans really who still come up to me and say what a shame it was Nigel had to go.”

Born and raised in Surrey, Graham, by his own admission, was a “painfully shy” child and it was only thanks to one of his teachers that he was drawn out of himself and into the world of acting.

After graduating from RADA, Graham, like many of his peers, learnt his craft doing the various fortnightly reps that were so prolific around the country at the time.

Eventually he got a few parts on television most notably as Britannicus, the adult son of the Emperor Claudius in the BBC adaptation of Robert Graves, I, Claudius, and Jorkins in the first episode of the smash hit ITV television adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited.

But now he’s looking forward to playing Dr Bradman in Blithe Spirit.

“It’s perhaps the only Coward I haven’t been in,” he says, “so it’s been good to tick it off my list. It’s such a quick turn around but that keeps you on your toes, which is always good at my age.”

Blithe Spirit runs at the McGrigor Hall in Frinton from July 31 to August 4 at 7.30pm with a Saturday show at 3.30pm. For tickets call 01255 676656.