VICTORIA Elliott grew up in the Wester Hope area of Newcastle and has recently returned to the place she’s proud to call home to play Mae in Northern Stage’s upcoming production of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

As a girl, Elliott didn’t have a clue what she wanted out of life, “I think I was always a bit of a show off when I was young and acting seemed to me to be the best work for putting in the least effort,” she explains in her lyrical Geordie accent. Little did she know then, that climbing up the success ladder would be as physically and emotionally difficult. “It’s definitely hard work now,” she giggles “but I’m dead happy.”

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a brand new production of Tennessee Williams’ deep south classic created by Northern Stage, Northampton’s Royal & Derngate and the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. The production is set in the stifling heat of the Mississippi Delta in the wealthy plantation home of Big Daddy Pollitt, a wealthy cotton tycoon. “The two most recognisable characters, because they were played originally by Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor, in 1958, are Brick Pollitt and his wife, Maggie,” says Elliott.

The production revolves around Brick and Maggie’s relationship and turns into Big Daddy’s 65th tense birthday. Big Daddy has just been diagnosed, unbeknown to him, with terminal cancer and the whole family is plotting and manipulating to make sure they get their share of his money.

“My character, Mae, is married to the eldest brother of the family, described in the text as ‘a monster of fertility’, she’s already got five children and in our production she’s seven months pregnant with her sixth. Mae was a southern bell, a cotton carnival queen when she was younger and is from a wealthy family herself. She’s the perfect wife and mother but really underneath it all she’s pulling strings and is manipulative and very driven. She’s hilarious and a fabulous character to play, but at times she’s really grotesque.”

Vicky is perhaps best known to TV audiences for her part in the BBC series Hebburn, which starred Vic Reeves and Gina McKee and was created by comedian Jason Cook and inspired by the town in which he was raised. “I played a Geordie character called Denise, who’s a tart with a heart. A woman of simple pleasures, she’s your archetypal fast-loving, boozing sort of girl.” says Elliott, “so most people have only seen me working in the Geordie twang.

“I’ve never had to do a ‘deep south’ accent so it’s a challenge for me, but very useful on this production that we have such a talented dialect coach, Rick Lipton. I thought they all spoke slowly from the south in a sort of drawl, but Rick said ‘No baby, throw it all away’. He’s American, such a little character, but fantastic at knowing just how to hold your mouth to get the correct inflection. I’ve got quite a deep voice and Rick explained that the southern accent has a range of two octaves, rising and falling at the beginning and end of their speeches.”

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is directed by Royal and Derngate’s artistic director James Dacre. “He’s brilliant, acutely intelligent in a way that would be intimidating if it wasn’t for his generosity. He’s absolutely lovely to work with, incredibly patient and I feel like I’m in very safe hands and I think it’s going be a fabulous production,” says Elliott.

I couldn’t leave without asking her about X-Factor Spoof, I Can’t Sing, written by Harry Hill of TV Burp fame and rumoured to have cost £8m and taken two years to produce, before bombing spectacularly.

Elliott was disappointed when it closed, “I thought it was an absolutely brilliant show,” she says, “audiences loved it and the critics seemed to like it too, but in the end it just didn’t sell enough tickets. All the real characters of X-Factor were broadly annihilated in a fond sort of way – I played Jody, a heavily-medicated and heavily made up nymphomaniac, who was one fifth of a girl band called Loud Girl Noise. My character was very loosely based on Cheryl, but I must tell you, I’m certainly not a look-a-like.” she laughs. “Simon came and Louis too and we spent some time with them. I think Cheryl gave it a body swerve to be honest and I don’t blame her, and of course she is very busy being the most successful woman on the planet.”

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is set to open at Newcastle's Northern Stage tomorrow. Elliott has a couple of exciting projects in the wings that she can’t talk about, yet. “I feel really privileged to be in such a competitive industry, and I’m so enjoying working with everyone on this production. I think it’s going to great fun.”

n Runs from tomorrow until Saturday, September 27. Box Office: 0191-230-5151 and northernstage.co.uk