GARETH Gates returns to Bradford this summer, starring in Footloose: The Musical.

Based on the 1984 movie starring Kevin Bacon, the show is the story of city boy Ren McCormack, who moves to a rural backwater in middle America where dancing is banned. When Ren breaks loose, all hell breaks out and soon the whole town is up on its feet.

Featuring 80s hits including Holding Out for a Hero, Let’s Hear it for the Boy and the title track, the lively show also stars Maureen Nolan and Luke Barker, as Ren. Footloose the Musical first opened on Broadway in 1998, with a London production following in 2009.

Gareth plays Ren’s best friend, Willard. It's the latest in a series of musical theatre roles the singer has landed in recent years.

“I've been lucky to perform in some of the greatest musicals over the years, and I'm so excited about Footloose," says Gareth. "We’re going to blow the roof off the Alhambra; it’s always a treat performing in my home town."

Gareth, from East Bowling, shot to fame as a teenager when he captured the nation's hearts on Pop Idol in 2002. He went on to sell more than five million records worldwide, including his version of Unchained Melody which topped the charts, making him the youngest ever male solo artist to debut at Number 1, sold over a million copies in the UK and is the third best-selling single of the Noughties.

More recently Gareth has enjoyed a successful stage career, with credits including Les Misérables, Legally Blonde and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. In 2014 he appeared in the final series of ITV's Dancing on Ice, and joined boyband 5th Story as part of The Big Reunion, touring arenas with bands including Blue and Five.

"I’ve always been a fan of musical theatre, and I love being part of a production," he says. "It’s like a family, which is totally different to being a solo star. Musically, performing is what I love to do and we get to do it every day to different audiences and create something new."

Gareth sang with Bradford Cathedral and as a pupil at what was Dixons City Technology College, before auditioning for Simon Cowell's new search-for-a-star TV show. Struggling with his stammer, he seemed to come alive when he sang and the nation took him to their hearts.

Now he's 31 and a father. Does Pop Idol now seem like a world away?

"It was a fantastic time," says Gareth. "I loved it - apart from having to speak, but I didn’t let it stop me. It was crazy in those days as it was new to the public. No one had ever seen anything like it."

The shy schoolboy has come a long way - his role in Footloose sees him tackling comedy for the first time.

"I actively went after this role, it really appealed to me," he says. "I’m playing a type of character that I’ve never played before; I’m the comedy guy and it’s great. It’s different for me and I have lots of fun doing it. I’ve worked with comedians in the past and I’ve watched them and their role evolve once they have an audience. I’m quite looking forward to that, actually; seeing where the laughs work, where to soak up that laughter and where not to. It’s a completely new thing for me."

* Footloose the Musical runs at the Alhambra from June 28 to July 2. For tickets ring (01274) 432000.