Lisa and her life of Riley!

LITTLE GIRLS swarm around Lisa Riley, thrusting ball-points at her as if she were about to write them all cheques.

"Autograph, darling? Who's it to, darling? Here's your pen back, darling."

If it wasn't said with such sincerity, you'd swear she was sending them up.

She is in the Gods bar at the Alhambra Theatre, at one of those 'do's' actors are required to attend now and then to keep their producers happy. The place is awash with group bookers - people who will organise coach parties to this year's pantomime. They have brought their children along.

"I don't mind signing autographs on days like this. I'm here to work, after all" says Lisa, at her usual conversational rate of what sounds like 900 words to the minute. "In other places, people know when to respect your privacy."

These are good times for the larger-than-life lassie from Lancashire. Her alter ego Mandy Dingle may be in jail, but the prison walls of the Emmerdale production schedule have come tumbling down. Suddenly, she finds herself free to shoot other programmes, make personal appearances and, of course, put on the Alhambra's pantomime fairy costume.

Next weekend, she returns to front a new series of You've Been Framed, the much-loved compilation of clips of people falling downstairs, off bikes and otherwise hurting themselves.

She is also hosting Birthrace 2000, ITV's less-than-tasteful coverage of the "race" to produce the first baby of the new Millennium.

And YTV, producers of Emmerdale, are looking at other new shows to which her name might be attached.

"I'd always wanted to present TV shows. I wanted people to say, 'That's Lisa Riley - there's a person behind that character, and she wants to be seen'," says Lisa, who has a disconcerting habit of talking about herself as if she were someone else.

"I'm not pretending to be anything I'm not, you see. I haven't got my nose in the air, and that's why people seem to like Lisa Riley."

The job of replacing Jeremy Beadle on You've Been Framed did not, however, fall into her lap. She had to audition alongside the best of 'em.

"There were loads of big names up for it. Loads," she says. She believes it was her 'girl next door' quality which saw her through, and proceeds to describe the sort of typical British family she might live next door to. See if this sounds familiar.

"You've been to church, you've had your big Sunday dinner, you switch on your TV and there's Lisa Riley, who basically would be sat in your lounge anyway."

She loves watching the You've Been Framed clips (except the ones where animals get hurt) and continues to be amazed at the volume the programme receives. She was especially surprised at the arrival of one featuring herself, shot by an old school friend.

"It was a video of our school leavers' do and I'm doing this really stupid dance. I didn't even know they'd got it until it was broadcast. None of the studio crew would tell me what was going to be shown."

Lisa's professional success, at just 23, is another source of amazement to her. "I ask myself, why am I succeeding? Why is this going from strength to strength? I've been expecting a dip in my career and it hasn't come - it's been wonderful."

On the promise of more work to come, she has bought a brand-new house in Bury, near Manchester, and just around the corner from her mum and dad. "I'm still a Mancunian at heart," she says. "Lisa Riley's from there. Always will be."

Nevertheless, she maintains a share in the Dales cottage she co-occupies during Emmerdale filming with co-stars Robert Beck, Mark Charnock and Dominic Brunt.

Her contract with YTV allows her to reappear as Mandy Dingle as plot and other commitments dictate (she'll be back in the part this Tuesday). The opportunity to slow down was taken gratefully.

"It was hard to switch off. It was never ending, to the point where some weeks I spent more time as Mandy Dingle than I did as Lisa Riley. That's very weird. But I love it. And I love her.

"She shows emotion and she's real. We've all lost boyfriends, we've all been where she's been. So people want her to succeed.

"Plus, it's the only job where you go to work looking like a tart and go home looking more classy."

Her engagement at the Alhambra this Christmas - her biggest panto to date - will dovetail with the requirements of Birthrace 2000, for which she will be interviewing the expectant parents. (Hopefully the camera crew will have the good taste to wait until they're at least out of the delivery room, but don't bank on it.)

"I love pantos, love 'em," Lisa says. "I was trained in musical theatre, and to hear the laughter and the applause - you can't buy that. You just get such a buzz.

"They asked me which one I wanted to do this year and I said, Bradford. I come to loads of shows here, anyway."

Given that she is not in the mould of traditional pantomime fairies, hers will be a funny one, she says.

"I've always been big like my dad. I think people assume I spend my time eating chocolate every few minutes to be this size. But that's not true and I watch my diet like everyone else. It's just the way I am - I suppose it must be in my genes.

"My weight used to bother me when I was younger. At 14 my two best friends were really beautiful and slim and I was the one who made everybody laugh.

"When I got to 16 I decided I wanted a boyfriend so I started trying to slim, but it made me feel ill so I stopped.

"These days I'm not desperate to lose weight. I think that not looking like every other actress might have something to do with my success, anyway. To be honest I'm happier just being the way I am."

As another scrum of ball-points heads in her direction, it's fairly clear that her fans like her that way, too.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.