A true SHOWSTOPPER!

ELAINE PAIGE on taking a trip down memory lane to mark a special anniversary

-  CAREN CLARK

ELAINE PAIGE: 60 YEARS ON STAGE NEW SUNDAY, 7.50PM, BBC4 FACTUAL

With barnstorming performances in Evita, Cats, Chess and Sunset Boulevard on her CV, Elaine Paige has more than earned her title of the 'First Lady of British Musical Theatre'. However, she can't quite believe that she is celebrating her 60th year in show business!

'It's gone by in the blink of an eye. But I knew from my schooldays what I wanted to do and it has never felt like work,' reveals the star, with her trademark chuckle, as TV Times chats to her about BBC4's Elaine Paige: 60 Years on Stage. In the special, she joins Zoe Ball to share memories of her career, which began with 1964's touring production of The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd, before she made her West End debut in 1968 in rock musical Hair.

Here, Elaine, 77, who has hosted BBC Radio 2's theatreland celebration Elaine Paige on Sunday for over 20 years, tells us about marking this magical milestone...

Congratulations on 60 years of treading the boards! How did it feel to reflect on your achievements?

A pleasure, but overwhelming. It's as if I'm looking at somebody else. Who is that girl?!

My career has been so diverse. I've been involved in the renaissance of British musical theatre with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber [who composed the music for Evita, Cats and Sunset Boulevard