Stuart Wade had to withdraw from his last York pantomime after a first-half injury. But now he’s back as Buttons and feeling fighting fit, he tells CHARLES HUTCHINSON.

STUART Wade is back in the Grand Opera House pantomime for the first time since his painful exit from Cinderella in December 2010.

Ironically, the former Emmerdale soap star is playing Buttons once more: a constant reminder of the torn muscle injury that befell him in a Monday matinee early in the run.

On the advice of physiotherapist Alan Jordan, who happened to work in Opera House box office and tech department, Stuart was replaced at five minutes' notice for the second half by Andrew Fitch in a switch from the straight-laced Dandini to the daft Buttons.

Stuart is determined to shine as Buttons once more. "I feel better these days for doing regular physical maintenance," he says. "I do quite a lot of swimming, a little bit of cycling and some gym work – though I'm not Arnold Schwarzenegger – and I play golf too. I'm an outdoor kind of person."

It feels rotten to ask Stuart to recall his back injury, but hey, no pain, no gain. "If memory serves, it was my opening scene and all I did was turn to make a move and I just felt it go and I didn't even make it to the second half," he says, although he stayed on hand backstage to oversee the press show in his role as director.

"It's kind of easier to look back on it romantically and think 'the show must go on', but at the time it was excruciating and a bit embarrassing as well. I'd torn the glute [the gluteus maximus muscle] and I then spent a good deal of time laid up. It took six months to get back to normal and that's when regular exercise came into play ever since then."

The Halifax actor, who played Biff Fowler in Emmerdale as a series regular from 1994 to 1999, is 45 now and he is throwing himself into pantomime as enthusiastically as ever, both in his Buttons role and at the helm of rehearsals until the arrival of New Pantomime Productions panto overlord Simon Barry in tech week.

At the same time, Stuart is not throwing caution to the wind. "Time is getting quicker as the years go by, and it would be terribly remiss of me to think that I'm infallible, but I make sure I'm looking after myself and being looked after," he says.

"It's become very much the norm for me now, both directing and performing, and thankfully I know this show so well I don't have to worry about playing Buttons while wearing my director's cap and making sure everyone gets the most out of it."

He does know Buttons inside out.

"I think this is panto number 15 for me and panto number 14 for New Cinderella Pantomimes and I've probably done about half a dozen Cinderella shows," says Stuart. "For my money, Cinderella is still the best one, primarily because it's the best known and, as far as my character is concerned, I can have the most fun with the audience."

Stuart had to begin rehearsals for his first pantomime the day after his son Lorcan was born. "He's just turned 15 now and he's more into his football," he says. "He's seen the light ; he won't be following me into acting, but daughter, Syndey, who's 12, is interested.

"But from my own personal experience, the real time that pantomime made sense to me was when Lorcan was three and as I was directing a dress rehearsal, he was stood there watching with me, and I remember looking at him and his eyes were so wide, because he was so enjoying it, taken in by it all."

Just as Lorcan was wide-eyed at that moment, Stuart has been enjoying a first encounter of his own. "I'm working with Anita Harris for the first time and it's great for me as I grew up as part of the generation who watched Anita's shows," he says. "She's everything I expected and more. She's so elegant and charming and she's put everything into where she is today.

"Anita's a real charmer and has such warmth about her and yet she's playing someone who's the complete opposite of her [the evil stepmother, Baroness Hardup] and she's relishing it."

Stuart loves playing the Grand Opera House. "As a northerner, I know what kind of audience we're going to get: they're loud and excited and without them we wouldn't have a show. They're half the show for us," he says.

Cinderella is now under way and Stuart is leading from the front as Buttons. "There's a sense of unfinished business because I do have a conscience – contrary to popular belief in the cast! – and I do feel I short-changed the York audience last time, because if you can't do your job, you're bound to feel guilty, but that was then, this is now and now I can make up for 2010 and just attack it."

Cinderella runs at the Grand Opera House, York, until January 4. Box office: 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york