KEITH Chegwin is in his element.

“This is my time of year,” grins the man known to millions of TV viewers as Cheggers.

From Sunday he will be playing Idle Jack in the Big Bolton Panto, Dick Whittington and His Pirate Adventure at the Premier Suite at the Macron Stadium.

“I’ve done about 35 pantos over the years and I love them,” said Keith. “A panto is just such a great introduction to theatre for youngsters. When I was a kid I went to see Cilla Black in one and from that I got a real interest in showbusiness.

“So if I’ve ever annoyed you on TV, you can blame Cilla,” he laughed.

A youthful looking 59, Keith still exudes that boyish charm which made him a TV favourite through the Saturday morning children’s show Multicoloured Swap Shop in the mid Seventies.

He’s spent the past 40 years entertaining us through a series of programmes including Cheggers Plays Pop, Saturday Superstore, breakfast TV, and reality shows Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing on Ice.

“I always wonder when someone about 80 sees me in the street and goes ‘Hello Cheggers’,” he said. “But then I remember they would have been in their 40s watching Saturday morning TV with their kids.

“It’s also odd when a 16-year-old comes up and asks ‘are you Keith Chegwin?’ Who would have thought it?”

Keith was destined for a career in showbiz from an early age.

“The first ever job I had was dancing with Ginger Rogers in the musical Mame,” he says matter-of-factly. “Then I went into the West End and and did Tom Brown’s Schooldays with Russell Grant and Simon le Bon, we were all kids together

“I did seven films and worked with Peter Sellers. All those things set you up for live performances.”

With Noel Edmonds, Keith was part of the Saturday morning TV revolution.

“A live inter-active TV show with kids had never been done before,” he said, “certainly not one lasting over three and a half hours. It was a bit suck and see for all of us but we managed to ad lib our way through it.”

For a certain generation Cheggers Plays Pop will remain a particularly fond memory. It was a chaotic game show with rules Keith admits he never really understood with musical interludes provided by the biggest bands of the day.

“It’s a Knockout with pop music was probably the best description. of it,” he said. “We had some huge artists on who’d drive up from London to Manchester to be on a kids teatime quiz show.”

The show ran for nine years but it almost didn’t survive the first episode.

“The first show featured Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols,” said Keith. “It went out and the head of children’s programmes hated it. He basically said said there’s no way I’m having children running round playing with inflatables and stupid bands singing naughty words.

“Then they got the viewing figures back it was immediately reinstated. We used to get four million viewers on a Monday afternoon.”

Ever-cheerful Cheggers has had some bleak times. He famously admitted he had a drink problem live on TV with Richard and Judy but he has been on the wagon for 23 years now.

“I’m great now,” he said. “That’s all in the past now.”

For the next few weeks he’s committed to putting on a great show for panto audiences.

“ I love it,” he said. “I never ever get nervous. What’s the worst that can possibly go wrong?”

Dick Whittington and his Pirate Adventure, Premier Suite, Bolton Whites Hotel, Macron Stadium, Bolton, Sunday until January 1. For performance times and tickets visitbigboltonpanto.co.uk