He took time out to talk about the play, the proudest moment of his career so far – and finding femininity within.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder – and in Tim Healy's case, that certainly seems to be true.

Benwell-born Healy, 57, has returned to Newcastle's Live Theatre after 16 years, to star in Looking for Buddy, and has achieved great critical acclaim in doing so.

"It's fantastic to be back at The Live," said Tim. "I began my career here in 1973, so to perform here again, especially in an Alan Plater play, is just such a delight."

Tim plays Phil, an under-employed architect who becomes a Geordie private eye and embarks on a search for a jazz maestro's missing recordings.

"It's almost like an old Raymond Chandler film, but you've got to remember it's a spoof, and I'm playing the juvenile lead!" he said.

"Usually, I play the clowns or the bad guys, so how could I turn a part like Phil down?"

Before becoming an actor, Tim served as an apprentice welder at Caterpillar tractor company in Birtley.

"I hated every minute of it," he said. "When I was 21 I decided it wasn't for me, and one day I just threw the gear down, walked out and enrolled on a two-year drama and music course at Durham Technical College."

After working as a jobbing actor, Tim got his big break as Dennis Patterson in the classic comedy-drama series – Auf Wiedersehen, Pet – and has been a firm favourite ever since.

"I'm proud of that character and the series, and was lucky to get the part," said Tim. "People still call me Dennis in the street even now, which is flattering.

"Also, it made a great statement about Newcastle during Thatcher's Britain. There were 30,000 Britons working in Germany then – all with dreams of making enough money to return, buy a house and sort their lives out, which, of course, didn't happen," he explained.

His most recent television work, as security guard Dave Miller in BBC's Waterloo Road, saw him playing opposite his real-life wife, Denise Welch.

"That was great," he said. "I did six episodes with her, which was just the right length of time, and I think if it had been any longer we'd have driven each other up the wall.

"I really can't see us following in the footsteps of Richard and Judy and working together permanently."

The celebrity couple, who have been married since 1988, were presented with the Variety Club Silver Heart Award, last February, in recognition of their charity work and services to the entertainment industry.

"That was one of the proudest moments of my career," admitted Tim.

"It was like a cross between This Is Your Life and getting married, and it was a very humbling experience."

Tim's 35-year career has included appearances in many popular television programmes, including Murder In Mind, Heartbeat, The Grand, Phoenix Nights and two different roles in Coronation Street.

"Although most people think of me as Brian, Sean Tully's dad, I actually played the part of a bingo caller way back in 1976," said Tim.

"The difference between then and now is amazing, and the workload put upon these people is exhausting.

"You used to get rehearsal time in the early days, because they only produced two episodes a week, but these days you start work at seven in the morning, finish at seven in the evening and go home to learn your lines for the following day.

"Being in a soap is the hardest job for an actor in this country."

However, Tim remains totally committed to the acting profession.

"What I love about my job is the fact that I don't know what I'm doing next – that's the great thing about being an actor. After this play finishes I may never work again, who knows?"

But viewers can look forward to seeing Tim in the third series of the ITV1 comedy Benidorm, which will be screened this summer.

"I play a character called Leslie, who walks along the beach during the week with a metal detector, looking for watches and rings to flog on the front at Benidorm, and is a transvestite at the weekend – so, I've had to get in touch with my feminine side," he laughed.

In the meantime, Tim is thrilled to be performing in Looking For Buddy.

He said: "What's brilliant about this piece is that it is written by a Tyneside playwright and it deals with Tyneside issues.

"It's about the people of Newcastle, so it's almost like doing a Willy Russell play in Liverpool.

"Although it premiered in Bolton, I'm doing this play for the Tyneside audiences in particular, because it's about them and it's about what's happened to Tyneside.

"We make them laugh, make them cry and, above all, make them proud to be Geordies."

Because Looking For Buddy is a jazz musical, Tim also has the chance to indulge in one of his favourite elements of performing.

He said: "I love singing, I always have done and I've performed in three musicals: Andy Capp at the Newcastle Playhouse in 1985, then Billy Elliott in the West End, which was a great experience, and now this."

Tim was one of the founding members of Live Theatre back in 1973 and has maintained close links with the venue ever since.

"We started off rehearsing on the 13th floor of a block of flats in Gateshead, before getting a little rehearsal room by the High Level Bridge in Newcastle. It had no heating and was a bit like a squat," Tim explained.

"So now, when I come back and walk into this magnificent building, I'm so proud.

"The last time I played here was in Tom Hadaway's play The Seafarers, in 1993, but the building was almost derelict back then.

"When you think of where we started from, it's like something from Jim'll Fix It," he said.

"In fact, my involvement with Live was the best thing that could have happened to me."

* Looking For Buddy is at Live Theatre until Saturday, playing at 7.30pm. Tickets cost from £12 to £18. To book, call 232 1232.