Karen Drury talks about swapping her posh-on-the-street role in a TV soap to playing a repressed housewife in a touring theatre production.

She’s lived in a close that’s seen street sieges and patricide; coped with the death of both her children; and was sent to her death down a flight of stairs.

Karen Drury spent four-and-a-half eventful years as Susannah Farnham on Merseyside’s most infamous street, Brookside.

Since cutting her ties with the soon-to-be-axed Scouse soap more than two years ago when her ex TV husband Max gave her a gentle nudge down the carpeted stairs, she has returned to her theatrical roots.

Coming from a soap street famed for its bubble perms and emotional explosions, Karen has tried hard to corset her feelings for her latest role as the repressed housewife Laura in the war-time weepy Brief Encounter.

Appearing alongside Richard Walsh, who plays Alec and is best known as ‘Sicknote’ from TV’s London’s Burning, the woman who brought bourgeois to Brookie said she was enjoying her time on the road.

“It’s a wonderful part. We watched the original film to get the atmosphere right. It’s a play that’s very much set in its time. It’s so English, full of repressed emotion. A man and a woman who sacrifice everything for the sake of other people.

“I even took a trip to Carnforth Station where the original was filmed – it’s a lovely station.” Going straight from school to RADA, where she won the Shakespeare prize, the Yorkshire girl who grew up in Wetherby said she had always dreamed of treading the boards for a living.

“I suppose I always wanted to be an actress from a young age. I did all the plays at school and I loved English. So as soon as I was old enough I went to drama school.” Musing that the cut-throat career had “been kind” to her, she said she managed to avoid the strange jobs that are the preserve of the ‘resting’ actor.

“Acting has its ups and downs for everybody. But I suppose I’ve been quite lucky really.” Inevitably the conversation turns to the beleaguered Brookside. Although cagey when talking about her days on Merseyside’s most famous close, the blonde-haired actress said she believed the soap had felt the heat as its rivals cranked up their airtime.

“Brookside has a lot of loyal fans, so it’s hard to believe this could be the end. But I suppose the problem is there are so many other soaps to compete with.” With no plans in the pipeline after her stint in Brief Encounter, the actress said she was looking forward to spending some time with her husband, fellow actor Andrew Casdall, whom she married at a “glamorous” ceremony in Italy two years ago.

“As far as work goes I’m footloose and fancy free, which is quite exciting really. I’ve been on the road for some time and it’s hard being away so I’m looking forward to finishing and spending some time at home painting and gardening.” l Middle Ground Theatre Company’s production of Brief Encounter is at the Lowry, Salford, from June 24-28. Box office 0870-111 -2000.