From gay romance in Emmerdale and teaching in Grange Hill, Edward Baker-Duly becomes a controversial lover in a tour of September Tide.

HE might be a growing star of stage and screen and caused a stir with Emmerdale's first gay romance but Edward Baker Duly admits that his friends have been most impressed when he joined BBC TV's long-running children's series Grange Hill.

The Swedish-born actor, who spent his early life in South Africa, says: "I did five series between 2001-2005 and I joined when the programme left Elstree and moved up to Liverpool. I played teacher Mr Malachay by drawing on some of the authoritarian types I'd met at school.

"Do you know what, I remember getting a part in Emmerdale, having come back to England in 1995, and rang up friends to say I'd got the part and they said 'okay, that's good'. But when I became Mr Malachay they screamed 'Grange Hill fantastic' because they'd grown up with the series and loved it," he recalls.

But Edward remains grateful to Yorkshire Television for giving him his big career break as Australian Joe Fisher for six months in 2000.

"I had a relationship with Jason (played by James Carlton who moved on to Heartbeat) but ended up having to marry Tricia to remain in the UK. Emmerdale had had a lesbian encounter before but as a result of this I go tremendous fanmail about the storyline. However, it was decided they'd explored the gay storyline enough so Joe went from being the golden boy next-door to a sleazebag and causing heartache.

"I did guest on a couple of episodes a year later when Tricia needed to get a divorce to marry Marlon. I can't thank Yorkshire TV enough because soaps like Emmerdale, EastEnders and Corrie do wonders for you as an actor. I certainly got quite a few opportunities off the back of that," he says.

Edward is certainly Mr Versatile having managed a cv including TV, 2004 Cole Porter film celebration De-Lovely, lead roles in stage musical South Pacific and The Full Monty and an as-yet unreleased comedy-horror movie called Botched in which he'll star as a "psychotic killer, called Ivan, running around chopping people's heads off with a sword".

"I like to be as diverse as I can with things that's the best way, not the safest way normally,but it certainly keeps me on my toes," he jokes.

HIS latest project, which comes to Darlington's Civic Theatre next week, is September Tide and an Ian Dicken's producer/director revival of the controversial 1948 play, which features Edward's Evan falling under the spell of his beautiful mother-in-law Stella, played by stage and screen favourite Kate O'Mara.

New revelations claim that playwright Daphne Du Maurier based some of the events on her own life and Edward reckons that the storyline still has the power to shock today.

"I'm married to Stella's daughter Cherry, played by Kim Tiddy who was recently killed off in The Bill, and this is an exploration of love across the generations as well as the moral impact of this incestuous situation. It was shocking in 1948 when written and, although today we accept more in life when certain things happen, in the piece it's very interesting to hear an audience sucking air through their teeth or vocalising 'oh no' during a scene," he says.

Edward was offered the role in September Tide last year having just come back from Ireland where he'd made a film with Stephen Dorff which started out with the working title 13 but is now awaiting released as Botched.

"The title comes from a heist that goes wrong and the robbers become the victims of a much bigger and more powerful thing... me, where I look like a cross between Highlander and Mad Max," he laughs. "I think Ian had actually heard about me after I appeared in pantomime at Horsham the year before and I'd obviously made a good impact with the theatre director. That's what it's all about in this business. Fifty per cent has got something to do with talent and the rest is down to who you know and who knows somebody else," Edward says.

The actor is married to actress Caroline Trowbridge and the couple have a 14-month-old son called Miles who is already a TV star having appeared with his mum in an episode of Midsomer Murders last year.

"I went along as chaperone so my fee and Miles' fee has gone towards his future... but I'm hoping he's going to be a lawyer or an accountant so he can keep his parents in their old age."