JOHN Gordon Sinclair is best known to a generation as the would-be romantic lead of the 1980 Scottish coming-of-age movie Gregory’s Girl.

But over 30 years on he’s almost unrecognisable from that floppy-haired, gangly, teenage dreamer who lusted over the girl striker on the school football team.

What’s more, the 52-year-old admits to preferring a career as a crime writer and life as a dad to acting these days.

Fortunately for us, he has been tempted away from the writing desk and family to step back on stage as part of an iconic double act in Southampton this week.

Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense opens at the Mayflower Theatre tomorrow after a great run in the West End and winning an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy.

He is joined by James Lance, best known for his TV work including I’m Alan Partridge and Teachers, playing the effervescent, aristocratic fool Bertie Wooster. Sinclair is his dutiful valet Jeeves.

The story takes place at a country house weekend when Bertie Wooster is unwittingly called on to play matchmaker and steal a silver cow creamer from Totleigh Towers, with Jeeves there to prevent him from making a fool of himself in front of a cast of PG Wodehouse’s finest characters.

Sinclair worked with the director Sean Foley on The Ladykillers, who proved a major draw.

He said: “He’s a great director. If there’s comedy involved you need it to work and it’s really because of him that I’m doing it.

“It’s sort of PG Wodehouse meets Monty Python; it’s anarchic and farcical. It’s quite full on. There are 12 characters and only three of us. There’s lots of quick changes too – I’ve got 15!”

He said he likes to do a mixture of stage and screen and has appeared in ten different shows in the West End, but after 30 years of acting Sinclair spends most of his time writing now.

“When my first kid was born stuff I was being offered was taking me away from him all the time. I had an idea for a film script and decided to start writing then though it might be better as a book.”

His first book came out in 2012, the second earlier this year and he has now started the third.

“I like being home and writing, I’m much more suited to that. But certain things come along that tempt me back. This is a bit of a challenge – I play five different characters, and it’s very funny. It’s great to get to work with Sean again, it’s not often you get the chance to work with really good directors more than once.

“It’s very clever and inventive, that’s what Sean brings to it – attention to detail and all the little moments are very well realised. That’s what makes it worthwhile and fun to play.”

Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense is at the Mayflower from Tuesday, November 18 to Saturday, November 22. To book tickets go to mayflower.org.uk or call the box office on 023 8071 1811.