WHILE he may be a familiar face to members of Pendle Hippodrome Theatre Company, ‘Uncle’ Joe Winkley will not be so well recognised by audiences at the Colne theatre.

Yet, he has notched up plenty of appearances with the Colne-based society and its youth company – as musical director and band member.

Pianist Joe will this week be stepping in front of the footlights and out of the musicians’ pitt to join the cast of ‘Allo ‘Allo as Madame Edith’s accompanist.

The BBC TV classic sitcom will be recreated at the New Market Street theatre from tomorrow until Saturday.

A hippodrome spokesman said: “Joe is beginning to wonder if he might have been better staying in the pit as Madame Edith is known to have shattered glass with her singing.

“Her café-owning husband René has been heard to remark that his wife ‘cannot carry a tune in a bucket’. “However Joe is thoroughly enjoying his venture into the spotlight and like the rest of the cast can always stuff cheese in his ears when Edith sings!”

The stage adaptation, like the TV show, is set in Nazi-occupied France, in and around Café-René and features all the well-loved characters seen on screen.

The spokesman added: “There won’t be a dull moment as everyone tries to lay there hands on the famous and valuable stolen painting The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies by Van Klomp. “Amid all the dropped trousers, compromising positions, and flashes of suspenders – on male and female legs, come such old and unsubtle lines as ‘I shall disappear up your back passage’ and ‘do you want a cockatoo?’ “This adaptation by the original script writers Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, is simply side-splittingly funny.”

n ‘Allo ‘Allo, Pendle Hippodrome Theatre Company, Pendle Hippodrome, Colne, tomorrow until Saturday, 7.30pm. Tickets cost £7 from Discover Pendle at Boundary Mill Stores, on 01282 856186, or at www. phtheatre.co.uk.