The House On Cold Hill’s Joe McFadden plays latest role Strictly for scares

Joe McFadden is one of only two Scotsmen to have had me leap out of my seat shouting “Yes!” when they won something.

The newly-knighted Sir Andy Murray was the other.

“That’s good company to keep!” laughs Joe, who won the Strictly Glitterball trophy in 2017 with Katya Jones.

“No one had me down as the winner, everyone thought it’d be Debbie McGee, and that was one of the great things about that show – I was absolutely under the radar.

“That meant the papers left me alone and it taught me that most of the stuff written about that show is absolutely bonkers.

“It’s crazy the press attention you get on that show but I was ignored by them for quite a long time, which was the best-case scenario, as you can concentrate on the dancing and not get distracted by them telling lies about who you hate or being a diva!”

Mrs S picked Joe as the winner, on the basis people would vote for the chap with no dance experience.

“People like to see that you’ve made improvements week on week, that you’re completely different to the beginning, but the other people are there because they’re massively entertaining – Debbie every week was a revelation and turned out some amazing routines, as did Alexandra Burke.

“Gemma Atkinson didn’t have much training either, if any, but when you’re in the middle of it you’re not thinking about winning.

“I thought I had no chance and was just thrilled that I got to do all the dances, so I felt like I’d already won it.”

I have to admit, I was voting for Susan Calman, and Joe says: “She did me the biggest favour when she left, all of a sudden I was getting all of the Scottish vote!”

Joe is currently touring in the seriously scary play The House On Cold Hill.

British theatre audiences do like a scare. Just look at the success of something like The Woman In Black.

“Yes. Funnily enough, I saw that about a fortnight ago. Everyone on the show thought I was mad on my one night off to go along to the theatre and see another ghost story.

“But I was fascinated because it’s a classic and brilliant, and most ghost stories will borrow stuff from that play like the ticking clock – the loud noises that are designed to scare the bejesus out of you.

“And I absolutely love a scare, I love a horror film and scary TV shows – it’s a genre I enjoy.

“The House On Cold Hill is in that classic ghost story mould but it’s a modern classic. It’s got all the classic elements – the big scary house, things appearing, noises, someone seeing something that no one else did.

“That’s what happens with my character which drives a wedge between him and his wife because they won’t admit what they’ve seen.

“He’s a real sceptic. He doesn’t believe in ghosts or God, he finds the whole thing ridiculous when these odd characters from the village try to get us out of the house but he doesn’t really know why – if it’s an actual ghost or simply them trying to drive us out.

“But it’s based on the author Peter James’ real-life experiences – he based his book on this house he bought, in which he thought he was seeing all these weird things, and his wife was seeing them but they weren’t telling each other.

“They ended up selling the house because of it, and if someone that worldly-wise believes in it that much, it sort of convinces me there must be something in it.

“I’ve not experienced anything like that myself but enough sensible people I know have.

“And the great thing about the audience is they absolutely buy that supernatural element.”

It is a classic set-up – a couple buy what appears to be their dream house, not giving two hoots as to why it’s lain empty for 40 years.

“Yeah! Their life is charmed at the beginning and they’re kind of smug and annoying, so when things do start happening to them, I think the audience secretly quite enjoys it!”

It’s perhaps not what an audience will expect from Peter James, who’s more famous for his detective tales featuring Roy Grace.

“Definitely but The House On Cold Hill is loved by so many people – he’s written a sequel which is out in a few weeks’ time.

“I can’t say whether we’ll be in that… what happens to our characters in the end might make that quite difficult!”

This is the first tour of the play, so Joe says: “I’m originating the role, as we say in the theatre, which is exciting as it’s changed a lot since the first shows we did.

“The people on that first night saw scenes that no one will ever see again, which is interesting but also frustrating, as you’ve learned all these pages of dialogue and then the director comes in and says, ‘We need to cut half an hour off the show!’

“So that was the last month of my life down the Swanee, but it’s brilliant originating a part, getting to come up with it yourself for the first time.”

I’ve talked to actors taking on a classic role who insist they don’t go back and see how so and so did it previously, but Joe reveals: “Which you know is always lies!

“Everyone goes back and looks at the original source material – it’s the same with people who say they don’t read their reviews.”

The House On Cold Hill is at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal until June 1. For tickets visit atgtickets.com