olan sisters are like buses. You don’t hear anything of them for ages, then two come along at once.

A couple of weeks ago I interviewed Linda Nolan, who is due at the Alhambra in early September starring in a two-week run of Willy Russell’s haunting musical Blood Brothers.

And this week I found myself chatting to Bernie Nolan, one of Linda’s younger sisters from the famous singing family.

Bernie is also part of Bradford Theatres’ autumn season line-up, starring in Flashdance The Musical. It’s the new stage version of the 1983 movie about 18-year-old Alex – ‘a welder by day and flashdancer by night’ – who dreams of being accepted by a prestigious dance academy. Anyone who grew up in the Eighties will recall Jennifer Beals pulling off her welding mask and racing to the dance studio where she hoofed around in a leotard and legwarmers to Irene Cara’s rousing title track Flashdance…What A Feeling.

The scene where Alex ‘flashdances’ on a floodlit stage beneath pouring water, to the line ‘Take your passion and make it happen!’ has become synonymous with Eighties pop culture. Teenage girls everwhere tried to copy that routine in front of their bedroom mirrors. As a youngster, I went through a brief phase of wanting to be Jennifer Beals – although the flashdancing held more appeal than the welding.

“I loved Flashdance – who didn’t, back then? – and now my daughter can’t get enough of it,” says Bernie. “You’ve only got to hear the opening of that title track and you want to dance around. This show has a lovely nostalgic appeal for anyone who remembers the film from the Eighties, but we’re also getting lots of little kids coming along, nine and ten-year-olds who love it.

“It’s a bigger story than the film – there’s more to it and to the characters – and the stage version is a musical, unlike the film, so that brings a whole new dimension too. There are ten original songs, as well as hits from the film like What A Feeling, Maniac and Gloria.”

With Fame and Footloose having been treading the boards for several years, a stage version of Flashdance was always on the cards. Bernie, 48, says it translates well to the stage. “There are nods to the Eighties, with big hair and the like, but the overall look is more ambiguous,” she says. “We haven’t gone overboard on the legwarmers. The dancing is fantastic. Arlene Phillips has done the choreography and it really brings the show up to date. We’ve got body-popping mixed with ballet and sexy pole-dancing – it’s great.” It’s all a far cry from beleagured Liverpool housewife Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers, a role Bernie has played as well as Linda and two other Nolan sisters, Denise and Maureen. Having said that, in a promotional photograph from Flashdance, Bernie is wearing what looks suspiciously like a pinnie, something you’d expect to see on Mrs Johnstone. “I play Hannah Owens, Alex’s mother,” says Linda. “She’s had a pretty hard life, bless her. Her husband left her and she never had much of a chance in life. She wants the best for Alex. She wants her to grab opportunities she never had, so she pushes her to apply for the dance academy.”

Bernie is clearly loving the show. “We’re a great team. It’s a fast-paced show so we’re all working hard but it’s lots of fun,” she smiles. “It’s full of energy and passion. You’ll leave the theatre with a big smile on your face – and you won’t be able to stop singing those songs.”

Born in Dublin, Bernie’s career began when, as a child, she sang in working men’s clubs with her family, The Singing Nolans. The family moved to Blackpool and became the Nolan Sisters.

In the 1970s and 1980s the Nolan Sisters, with Bernie on lead vocals, became one of the country’s biggest acts. They toured the world, performed with Frank Sinatra, and enjoyed a succession of hits including I’m In The Mood For Dancing, which remains a standard party floor-filler.

Bernie is refreshingly honest about the highs and lows of being part of a famous family act. “We supported each other and helped to keep each other grounded. We staved off diva tendencies!” she says. “We didn’t have the loneliness that can be part of this profession. But, while we got a lot of experience playing the clubs, I don’t look back with rose-tinted spectacles. It was hard work.

“When I watch shows like X Factor I think if they can get to that level without having to go through all the cr** that we did, then fair play to them. Don’t get me wrong, playing the clubs was good training and now nothing fazes me on stage, but some of my early experiences of performing and going around different venues were rubbish.

“What concerns me about TV talent shows is that they don’t seem to prepare young performers for the reality of this business. I was talking to Noel Sullivan, who’s in Flashdance with me, about it. He was in Hear’Say and he says he just wasn’t prepared for the hard knocks. These TV shows are all about the glory, but what happens to these young people afterwards?

“My daughter wants to go into the business but I really don’t want her to. It’s a tough life.”

Was there any sibling rivalry in the Nolan clan? “We always supported each other, and we still do,” says Bernie. “We’re still close; they all sent me bouquets when I got the role in Flashdance and they’re all coming to see me at different theatres. But it was difficult when we were young because there were so many of us and people were always getting us mixed up. Even now that still happens. And we all go for the same roles!

“I was the first one to do Blood Brothers and it was such a big deal at the time. It was a huge role and I was thrilled to get it. Now they’ve all done it! It took a bit of the shine off it for me.

“I was in a group for 21 years and there came a time when I needed to go it alone.”

In 1994, Bernie left the sister act to pursue a solo career and appeared in shows such as Seventies musical Oh! What A Night before Blood Brothers came along.

It was while playing Mrs Johnstone in that show that she caught the attention of the producers of Channel 4 soap Brookside, who offered Bernie the part of amiable Diane Murray. “I was stepmum to little Anthony who was a victim of bullies at school. He was played by Ray Quinn – when I watched him on X Factor a couple of years ago I felt as proud as if he was my own son!” smiles Bernie.

“He was such a little star in Brookside, a talented young actor. I was proud to be in Brookside, it was a brave, groundbreaking show and it shouldn’t have been axed. It was certainly of a higher quality than a lot of stuff you see on telly now.”

Bernie spent “two happy, award-winning years” in Brookie before landing the role of tough-talking Sergeant Shelagh Murphy in The Bill. Since leaving the series, Bernie has released her first solo album, All By Myself, and made a fitness DVD. On television she has appeared in shows such as Channel 4’s The Games, and she turned up playing the drums on The All Star Variety Show.

More recently, Bernie has returned to music, headlining her own show Soap Queens, with Debra Stephenson and she has toured the UK in the comedy Mum’s The Word.

“I’m lucky that I’ve done lots of different things. I love recording and I’ll always be a singer, but it’s fantastic to take on so many great roles too,” she says.

Looks like all those gruelling nights on the club circuit were worth it.

Flashdance The Musical runs at the Alhambra from September 29 to October 4. For tickets ring (01274) 432000.