SOUTHAMPTON panto star Jim Davidson called police after being threatened by the soap star hardman boyfriend of his co-star.

The comic infuriated Steve McFadden, who plays EastEnders' Phil Mitchell, by making a crude gag about his partner Lucy Benjamin during a charity concert in the city.

Steve is alleged to have told Jim he would "rip his head off" in an angry phone call when he heard about the joke.

Shocked Jim, currently starring with Lucy in Aladdin at The Mayflower Theatre, made a formal complaint to police about the threat.

Jim, 50, told the gag during his special performance at the venue this month to raise cash for the widow of a policeman gunned down on Boxing Day in Leeds.

It was reported that afterwards he and Lucy, who was in the audience, went on to a restaurant in Southampton where Lucy told Steve about the tirade on her mobile.

Steve is then said to have demanded to speak to Jim on the phone and fired off the angry tirade.

He has since apologised to the comic, who has now decided not to take any further action.

Steve is currently playing Captain Hook in pantomime in Woking and also presents a series on Britain's hardest men on Sky TV.

Aladdin, which runs until Saturday, has been The Mayflower's most successful pantomime to date, taking more than £1.3m at the box office - despite a series of backstage disasters which almost led to its cancellation.

Jim returns to the Mayflower in April with his adult pantomime Sinderella.

He said: "I have said this joke thousands of times in the past about a number of friends and it's obviously brought a laugh.

"The next thing I know this man is on the phone telling me he wants to rip my head off."

Jim added: "He was going berserk and using all kinds of language threatening my life."

Steve was unavailable for comment.