Think classic British comedy, think Last Of The Summer Wine.

Actress Sarah Thomas, who plays the character of Glenda in the gentle sitcom, admits that knowing she is part of the legendary comedy alongside the likes of Nora Batty and Compo fills her with pride.

But at the same time, she admits it's not the most trendy of work she has ever been involved in.

"I wouldn't say it's the coolest programme to be in but its longevity speaks for itself and it's been a fantastic part of my career," she said.

"We are filming another series in June - it's been running for something like 35 years now. I love it to bits, though. The cast is great, it's well written and it's filmed in the countryside, so there's every reason to enjoy. It's like a holiday.

"We don't get to see a lot of each other outside of Last Of The Summer Wine so it's always nice to see everyone again when we are filming.

"We have some fantastic guest actors on there so it's great fun."

And Sarah revealed that she got the gig as Glenda purely by chance: "I got the job when I was doing a play in Leatherhead which the director of the programme happened to be watching. I was in the right place at the right time.

"He wanted me for the part of Glenda and thankfully I got it. To say I was ecstatic is an understatement - I was over the moon."

Sarah is currently touring the UK starring as Ellen Creed in Edward Percy and Reginald Denham's Victorian thriller, Ladies in Retirement.

She is bringing the production to the Fairfield Halls at the end of March, but it is not Sarah's first visit to the borough.

She said: "Last year I was at the Warehouse Theatre doing a play called Being Olivia and it's a great little venue.

"That was the first time I had worked in Croydon and I enjoyed it so it will be nice to go back.

"The Warehouse is a fantastic little venue, it's go so much character. I have heard the news about the possibility of it being knocked down and I hope it does not come to that.

"It's so sad, I spoke to Ted Craig (Warehouse Theatre chief executive) recently, he has done so much work to keep it open - it will be a great shame if it goes."

Sarah says she finds it difficult to choose between whether she prefers TV or theatre work, but admits that both have their plus and minus points.

"I have been in the business for a long time now - but I am not one for counting my years," she said.

"I still love it as much as I did. I am lucky to have been able to do theatre work and TV work and love having variety in what I do.

"I started in the theatre and I will always love doing that but, at the same time, I love doing TV work.

"Being able to do both disciplines lets me keep things fresh. When you are doing TV you can go home at the end of the night and relax but theatre is the opposite.

After a long time working in the industry, Sarah insists she has no plans to call it a day just yet: "Retire? I'll be doing this forever."

  • Ladies in Retirement; Fairfield Halls, Tuesday, March 27, to Saturday, March 31; call 020 8688 9291, visit fairfield.co.uk.