Hi-De-Hi actress and author Linda Regan on her first ever car

“I was a touring actress so I would never be without a car. It was vital that I could get back home. I loved the car and I love driving. I still do.

“I remember that the indicators didn’t work, so if you turned right you had to signal with your arm out of the window. If you turned left, you had to hope for the best.

Linda, who now lives in Kent with husband Brian Murphy, of George and Mildred fame, now has a Mini.

“It is a lovely car and it’s pink,” she said. “There is a theme here! It’s a Barbie-style car.

“I had Minis years ago but I love this one even more. I think I am a Mini fan now.

“I drive a lot and I love Yorkshire. I was in rep at the York Theatre Royal many years ago and I had a flat near the Archbishop, so I had to behave myself!

“I remember we used to get paid every Thursday with money in a brown envelope and we treated ourselves to a visit to Bettys, which was lovely. It was something we looked forward to every week.

“One of my best friends lives in Yorkshire and I have spent a lot of time there. Brian was in Last of the Summer Wine, so I came up to Holmfirth to see him when he was filming.”

Linda is still an actress but combines it with writing. She had her first novel published in 2004 and says it is a perfect mixture of careers.

“If I’m not acting, I use the time to write,” she added. “It all fits together nicely.”

She remains best known for playing Yellowcoat April in Hi-de-Hi. “I still love acting but I also very much enjoy writing too,” she said.

Her latest book is The Burning Question, a crime thriller.