HE’S been in epic movies, West End shows and small screen favourites such as Torchwood and Hornblower.

But ask actor Paul Copley how he feels about coming home, working for the first time on stage in the Lawrence Batley Theatre and you might be surprised at the answer.

“I’m really looking forward to being in Huddersfield and spending some time with friends and relatives – and with some trepidation to the challenge of this thoughtful and witty play and hope that I can do it justice,” he said.

Paul was brought up in Denby Dale and still has sisters living in Yorkshire though work has long meant that he and his actress wife Natasha Pyne live in London.

What has brought him back to make his LBT debut is a world premiere production of The Last Cuckoo by Julie Amanda Bokowiec, a writer not short on Huddersfield connections either.

Julie still lives in the town and worked closely with Ron McAllister, the LBT’s first artistic director, on some of the theatre’s early shows.

She feels the cultural climate is right to bring her work back to the theatre and there is much excitement about the world premiere of The Last Cuckoo, which promises to be a lyrical, poignant and darkly comic piece with the potential of a virtuoso performance from Paul as Ethan.

The play is directed by the BAFTA nominated David Tucker, perhaps best known for his work on TV’s Lark Rise to Candleford.

“David was aware of some of my work in the theatre and, happily for me, was favourably impressed,” said Paul.

“I think he’d seen Ghosts at the Gate Theatre (2007) and Breathing Corpses at the Royal Court Upstairs (2005).

“He and Julie felt that I have some of the credentials necessary for this production based in Huddersfield and to play Ethan Page in The Last Cuckoo.

“I hope I can prove them right,” he said.

“David sent me the play-script in July via my agent,” said Paul.

“The play grabbed me from the very start.

“It’s clever, thoughtful, witty and wise, hugely entertaining, and opportunities to play complex characters like Ethan don’t come along very often.

“I spoke to David about the project which really interested me. It’s a huge challenge for any actor to endeavour to hold the stage and the audience’s attention for the span of a whole play and meeting such a challenge appeals to me.

As for coming home to Huddersfield, Paul can’t wait.

“It’ll be terrific to work in the town of my youth and at LBT,” he said.

“The theatre will be new to me but lots of friends and colleagues have described it as a great space to work in.

“It was certainly Julie’s wish and my good fortune that the play should be produced at LBT before moving to Bracknell.

“I didn’t know of Julie’s work previously – when I started reading the play I was reminded of Beckett, Bond, perhaps Enda Walsh, but soon realised that Julie has her own unique voice full of insight and humanity – she uses humour and irony to great effect as her work unfolds.”

Before rehearsals started in London just last week, Paul and Julie had only exchanged emails.

There was a small matter of If So, Then Yes, a new production in which Paul has been playing to great acclaim at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London’s West End.

It’s been described as “funny, beguiling, utterly original,” and was written by the great English writer N F Simpson.

Asked how it was going, Paul responds in his usual low-key way.

“Yep – we’re playing to appreciative audiences and bookings are good throughout the run,” he said.

“I was involved in a rehearsed reading of an early draft at the Royal Court in 2007 – our current director Simon Usher was in charge of that and he encouraged N F (known as Wally after Wallis Simpson!) Simpson, who was present at that reading, to persevere with it.

“So at the ripe young age of 91 he attended a rehearsal and then a couple of performances.

“He’s amazingly spry, full of fun, and in this production was reunited with the actor Roddy Maude-Roxby, himself 80, who appeared in premieres of N F Simpson plays at the Royal Court years ago when Wally was a huge influence on the Monty Python team.

“If So, Then Yes is mad, straight-faced absurdity providing much food for thought and great fun to be involved with.”

We move swiftly on to another, seemingly very different show that Paul has been involved in. Television’s hit series, Torchwood.

“Some of the best jobs land in your lap when you least expect them and Torchwood like The Last Cuckoo did just that.

“It was towards the end of the run of King Lear (I played Kent to David Calder’s Lear at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre 2008) that I was offered the part of Clem in Children of Earth out of the blue.

“I’ll be forever grateful to whomever thought I was right for that part as it’s among the happiest jobs I've ever done on the telly.

“Our director, Euros Lyn, made time to rehearse and get things just right, production values are high, the cast is welcoming and full of energy – great stuff altogether!”

Whenever we’ve met in the past, Paul has always been busy with what we’ve both called, other stuff.

He’s a much admired actor, hugely in demand for theatre and TV, but it is not just his voice that you may have heard on radio. For Paul is also an accomplished writer of plays for radio and theatre. So what has he been working on?

“I haven’t had a great deal of time for writing in the past year or two but have kept my hand in with contributions to various publications, biographies, theatre histories etc.

Paul and Natasha’s other great passion, work aside, is travel. They’ve travelled widely in Russia, Cambodia and the Far East, taking supplies for example to a hospital in Cambodia on a return visit.

“Natasha and I, subject to availability of funds of course, still try to make a long haul trip once a year, often to South East Asia – Singapore at the end of this year.”

Before that, he has the thrill of an LBT crowd backing him all the way in a major new production which will be seen first, here in Paul’s home town.

The Last Cuckoo is at the LBT from Thursday until Saturday. Box office on 01484 430528.

PAUL met his wife, actress Natasha Pyne when they were both working at Leeds Playhouse. They were married in the early Seventies.

Natasha made a big hit playing Patrick Cargill’s daughter in the TV comedy Father Dear Father just part of a successful film, TV, theatre and radio career.

She’s played at the Royal Shakespeare Company and in numerous TV and theatre shows.

She works extensively on radio particularly for Radio 4.