ACTOR Ken Morley has certainly been working up a sweat as the baddie in Blackpool Grand's seasonal panto Jack and the Beanstalk.

But the man best known as Coronation Street's Reg Holdsworth will be working even harder for his next role -- losing weight for charity on television's Celebrity Fit Club.

The third series of this dieting challenge begins on ITV1 on Tuesday, when famous faces such as ex-Street star Julie Goodyear -- a close friend of Ken's -- and darts champion Andy Fordham will take part in a live weigh-in.

Tuesday, however, is the last day of Jack and the Beanstalk, when Ken will be making his 44th and 45th appearances on stage as the giant's evil henchman and the man the audience love to boo.

So, if he can't make it to the weigh-in, ITV is planning to bring the weigh-in to Blackpool, in the shape of Fit Club's trainer, American marine Harvey Walden IV.

He is set to make a guest appearance at the finale of this Sunday's pantomime performance and put Ken through his paces in front of the cast, audience and cameras. Harvey is flying up from London by helicopter for the weigh-in and Ken commented: "That 'monster', as Julie already calls him, is apparently going to appear on stage with me.

"He is coming to see me in Blackpool, because I am having to miss the first programme of the series, as I am still here for the last shows."

Ken, who started out in adverts and has never been out of work since, thanks to TV work and pantomimes, reckons Celebrity Fit Club will be the biggest challenge of his career yet. He said: "I have no idea what the colossal weight will be when Harvey arrives with his scales, but I am determined to lose some weight. That is the aim of the game."

Ken has paid a return visit to the Blackpool Grand this year by popular demand from the audiences -- two years after he played Widow Twanky in Aladdin.

He added: "The theatre audiences were asked to look back over the past few years and vote who they wanted back and they asked for me, which was nice."