Best known as Private Pike in cult BBC sitcom Dad's Army, Ian Lavender has faced more than his share of confrontation.

Earlier this year, it was the red terror on Celebrity Weakest Link alongside Jean Boht (Nellie Boswell in Bread).

In June, he will be returning to EastEnders as Derek, Pauline Fowler's panto partner and love interest who turned out to be gay.

Poor Derek finds himself in the unfortunate position of refereeing a five-a-side football match between Albert Square's longest-running enemies: The Mitchells and the Fowlers.

As if that wasn't enough, he also faces a supernatural challenge in The Ghost Train at the Theatre Royal this month.

The play, written by his Dad's Army co-star Arnold Ridley (Private Godfrey), dates back to 1925 and was first performed in Brighton.

It tells the tale of a group of passengers stranded overnight at a haunted train station in rural Cornwall.

Despite the station master's warnings, the gang decides to stay and face spectres, chills and even death as the night unfolds.

It is Lavender's Bertie Wooster-style character, Teddy Deakin, who causes the night's events. He pulls an emergency cord when his hat flies out the window leaving the passengers stranded.

This is Lavender's fourth time playing Teddy but this time, sadly, without his old pal Ridley.

But whereas Lavender misses Ridley, he doubts whether the author would miss be involved in the play: "He wasn't terribly fond of many of the productions of Ghost Train or the film."

Lavender still has great affection for Dad's Army and is proud to be remembered as Private Pike. "It's nice people still like something you did 34 years ago."

Unfortunately, he's not as enthusiastic about his theatrical career: "I'm getting too old for all this trailing around.

I like my own bed, my own garden and touring is really rather tiring.

"It's too much hard work nowadays, it's like getting blood out of a stone and I don't want to be that stone anymore."

Reputedly one of the most haunted buildings in Brighton, the Theatre Royal is the perfect venue for this spooky show.

But the ghouls won't necessarily go away when the curtain goes down because on Tuesday and Wednesday evening, there is a ghost tour after the show.

Tickets for the show cost from £11.50 to £20.50 and the ghost tour costs £5. Both are available from the box office on 01273 764409.

Preview by Kate Forbes, features@theargus.co.uk