From footballer to drag queen to Victorian thug, Ben Richards is a chameleon of an actor who is keen never to play the same role twice.

A familiar face from television screens, Ben has starred in shows including Footballers’ Wives, Holby City and The Bill, but he also has an extensive background in theatre.

He is currently touring the UK with stage show cum rock concert Rock of Ages, in which he plays Stacee Jaxx, a bold and brash rock star at the top of his game.

Packed with classic rock anthems from the 1980s including Don’t Stop Believin’, We Built This City, and The Final Countdown, the show is based on a book by Chris D'Arienzo, and was a Broadway hit that came to the West End in 2011.

It has been touring the UK since May this year, with Ben in the starring role, and is coming to Brighton’s Theatre Royal next week.

“It is an ‘80s rock extravaganza loosely based on a love story: boy meets girl, boy doesn’t tell girl how much he loves her,” explains Ben. “It’s interwoven with big 1980s rock songs.”

Ben says there are no similarities between himself and his leather-clad character Stacee, though he says, much preparation has gone into the performance.

He is particularly enjoying the fact that he has been given a large amount of freedom with the character “I did a lot of research,” says Ben. “I watched YouTube footage of different rock stars, including some interviews with Jim Morrison.

“It’s great to play a role like Stacee as I listened to bands such as AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Def Leppard when I was growing up.”

There is even a song in the show by White Snake (Here I Go Again), a band which Ben went to see live in Brighton.

“I’m fortunate to sing great songs like Dead Or Alive, and I Want To Know What Love Is,” says Ben.

The story follows aspiring rock star Drew Boley (played by Noel Sullivan, formerly of Hear’Say) who works in Hollywood club The Bourbon Room and falls for an aspiring actress, though his plans are thwarted by Stacee Jaxx who comes to the bar to play a final gig with his band. Another thread of the story is that The Bourbon Room is under threat of closure thanks to a pair of German developers.

Here is an unconventional stage show that does not take itself too seriously, as the actors often break the “fourth wall” to interact directly with the audience, and a narrator helps to tell the story.

Rock of Ages opened in Manchester in May, and has so far been going down exceptionally well with the crowds, says Ben, it being the kind of show that welcomes audience participation.

“The audience are loving it. There are standing ovations every night, and they are rocking out, which is great.”

Packed with hits, Rock Of Ages is a show that does not take itself too seriously.

It is hard work for Ben and his fellow actors however with a hectic schedule of eight shows a week, six days a week.

Ben, who is originally from Sussex, trained as a dancer. The 42-year-old has had numerous leading roles in musical theatre in the West End and around the the UK in productions including Guys and Dolls, Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, and Oliver.

In 2004, he became known to a television audience as Bruno Milligan in Footballers’ Wives, and more recently he has played Justin in medical drama Holby City and PC Nate Roberts in police drama The Bill, as well as appearing in television series Doctors.

No stranger to film either, Ben co-starred in the musical film Julie And The Cadillacs in 1999 and appeared alongside Rik Mayall and Jane Horrocks in Bring Me The Head Of Mavis Davis in 1997.

Quite a range of characters then, from a footballer to a drag queen, police officer and rock star, but this is without doubt his intention.

“I always want to mix it up every time. That’s what makes me tick as an actor, different contrasting roles.”

Ben is a big fan of Theatre Royal, having performed there when he came to Brighton with the touring production of hit musical 9 to 5, in 2012.

“I love it; it’s a great theatre,” says Ben.

As to what the future holds, judging by his career to date, it is nigh on impossible to predict what the next step will be for Ben.

However, he says there is a possible television project in the pipeline, though he is cagey with the details.

“It is very unusual, and takes place between Europe and America,” he says.

  • Rock Of Ages is at Theatre Royal, Brighton, from August 11 to 16. Call 01273 764400.