A star in our eyes

IS MATTHEW KELLY the most excitable man in the world? Even after ten years presenting TV talent show Stars in Their Eyes, he still greets each pop star soundalike as if he's a devout Catholic meeting the Pope for the first time.

It's an impressive display. But is that all it is - a display? Can the jolly bearded giant really be as happy as all that?

Well, unless he's a better actor than I take him for, the answer must be 'yes'.

In real life, Kelly - who will be compring Wessex Heartbeat's Royal Gala at The Mayflower tomorrow night - is as full-on as his TV persona, breathless with excitement and camper than a flight attendants' Christmas party. He's the sort of person you can imagine getting an electric shock off. He's not especially gushing or luvvie-ish - he speaks his mind and will quickly pick you up on anything he disagrees with - just that enthusiasm comes as naturally to him as sprouting facial hair.

For someone who seems tailor-made for light entertainment, it comes as a shock to many people to discover that Kelly trained as an actor, and still regularly takes on serious theatre roles.

When I spoke to him, he was just about to finish a special children's series of Stars in Their Eyes before going into Peter Pan - the play, not the pantomime, he points out. He will be following that up next February playing Lenny in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Can you imagine Philip Schofield doing that?

"I have to go back to the theatre for my own sanity," admits Kelly.

"I couldn't do telly all the year round. TV is wallpaper, cinema is dreams and theatre is life.

"Stars in Their Eyes is vacuous, but it's the most fabulous vacuousness that you've ever seen, because it has marvellous production values."

Kelly couldn't care less that most Stars in Their Eyes fans haven't got a clue about his theatre work. And why should they?

You could accuse him of any amount of things, but being precious certainly isn't one of them.

"I thoroughly enjoy my work on TV, but in the end it cannot ever be as satisfying as any other medium," he says.

"I think there was a point at which I had to make up my mind about whether I wanted to be an actor or a star and I decided I wanted both.

"If I played The Mayflower every night, I could only be seen by about 9,000 people every week. In half an hour on Saturday night on TV, I can be seen by nine million people. It's all about the power of numbers."

As well as Stars in Their Eyes, Kelly is currently part of the presenting team on the BBC daytime docusoap, City Hospital.

"I'm a big fan of hospitals. City Hospital is all about talking to people and getting them to be themselves. It's very hard interviewing people in hospital - their first priority is getting better."

Although he comes across as everyone's best mate on TV, the 52-year-old northern performer admits he now shuns the endless round of parties and socialising that go with the territory.

"It wears you out. Rather than going out, I like to stay at home, sit on my sofa and watch TV, because socialising is what I do for a living.

"Fame has no actual function, really, and I find it slightly degrading. You have to justify everything, including the enormous amounts they pay you.

"I'm not going to turn them down, but you've got to know that you're worth it. It's important to me that I'm good at my job."

Obviously he is, otherwise a quarter of the population wouldn't bother tuning in whenever he's on.

But the familiarity created by being beamed into people's living rooms every Saturday night brings its own difficulties.

"I'm six inches high on TV. People have a control and they turn me up or down.

"But it's embarrassing for people when they finally meet you. After saying 'hello', you have nothing in common, so you have to spend hours putting them at their ease.

"People also feel they can abuse you because you're so familiar. I suppose that's why famous people from other media, like cinema and theatre, have a great deal more respect.

"People are really nice to me, but groups of lads and girls have a distinct lack of respect. But I'm never nasty back to them. It's not a problem."

Despite keeping a sense of proportion about his work and fame, Kelly hotly denies accusations of being 'down to earth'.

"I've never had my feet on the ground - ever!" he laughs.

Kelly will be joined in the gala show by his son, 32-year-old Matthew Rixon, a member of the supporting cast of the West End show Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

His family is very important to Kelly. Whenever he's recording Stars in Their Eyes, he stays with his mum and dad at their house in Manchester.

"I've been doing that for the last ten years. I get all the home comforts, and they love having me there. They're nice people. I had a very, very happy childhood."

So what does the future hold for Kelly? Does he see himself presenting Stars in Their Eyes in ten years' time?

"I'm committed to it to the end of the run. Whenever it has to go, I hope I will be gracious enough to let it go."

And end up playing Hamlet at the National, probably. But one thing's for sure - Saturday nights would never be the same again.