SO This Is Christmas! Well, no it isn't, not yet anyway, but this will not stop Nineties' northern pop star Kavana and Hollyoaks soap actress Gemma Merna from filling York with festive party cheer on Thursday.

The two Mancunians are leading the cast of eight singers and dancers and a band in a night of Yuletide glitter, magic, sparkle and all your favourite Christmas songs at the Grand Opera House at 7.30pm, with tickets on sale on 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york

Opening in York, the 16-date tour of So This Is Christmas! will feature two hours of winter warmers, such as White Christmas, Let It Snow, The Christmas Song, Jingle Bell Rock, Last Christmas, Merry Xmas Everybody, All I Want For Christmas Is You and Fairytale Of New York.

"I love Christmas! I adore it, so this show is perfect for me. My favourite Christmas song has to be Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland," says Manchester-born Gemma, who last seen exiting Hollyoaks in explosive circumstances after eight years as the humorous Carmel McQueen.

"When I was in Hollyoaks, we always had two weeks off from filming over Christmas and New Year, so my husband Ian and I went away, usually to America, Vegas or New York.

"My favourite place at Christmas has to be New York: the trees, the lights, they really go to town. Just like in the movies! We're now doing major renovations on our Liverpool home, so we won’t be dressing the house but last year I splashed out and had two trees professionally decorated. One was upstairs, where there's a window to the street, and it looked amazing.

"This year I’m looking forward to touring all over with this show, and it's a good schedule for me as I'll have four days off over Christmas!"

So This Is Christmas! is a "brand new show and a brand new concept," says Gemma. "It's a Christmas feelgood concert, where the audience can sing along with all the songs, so it's suitable for all ages. I just love Christmas songs in that they're such fun, they put you in the Christmas spirit and everyone loves singing them."

York Press:

Gemma Merna and Kavana in the mood for Christmas. Picture: Eric Richmond

She looks forward to the opening night in York. "It's nice for me to get back on stage; I had eight years in Hollyoaks, so it's been a while, though I did do a London show, Sing If You Can, where I got to sing I Need A Hero with Bonnie Tyler, who was Carmel's guardian angel in her dreams. She was a lovely lady."

Carmel McQueen's reign on Hollyoaks ended suitably dramatically. "She died in a train explosion a year ago. It was a fantastic way to go; a great way to end a fantastic character, who I started playing when I was 22," says Gemma. "I do miss her slightly but I'm ready to play someone else. It's about finding the right job."

Meanwhile, Gemma is branching out into another discipline. "I've just trained as a yoga tutor, doing the training in London," she reveals. "It was a tough couple of months as it's difficult to qualify, though I had two great weeks of yoga in Morocco, and hopefully it will now pay off because it's been a great life experience.

"I love yoga and I love teaching it, which I'm now doing in Liverpool."

Did you know?

The cast of So This Is Christmas! also features Daniel Conway from York