DOUBTS last night surrounded whether veteran actor Brian Blessed would be appearing in a major theatrical production in the region.

The 67-year-old film and TV favourite was forced to pull out of this week's run of The Haunted Hotel, at the Mercury Theatre, in Colchester, Essex, after suffering chest pains.

He was diagnosed as having a chest infection, but the scare has left officials at Darlington Civic Theatre sweating over whether the star will appear there next week.

The Haunted Hotel is due to open to a sell-out audience at the venue on Monday, and run until Saturday, September 25.

But a spokeswoman for the theatre said there were doubts over whether Blessed would appear or be replaced by an understudy.

"We don't have any news on whether he will be appearing at the moment," she said.

"We hope to hear from the producers either midweek or towards the end of the week, and we will let our audiences know what is happening as soon as we can."

The production is a supernatural murder drama, written by Wilkie Collins.

Culminating in a dramatic scene in the haunted apartment of a grand hotel in Venice, it has kept theatre-goers on the edge of their seats throughout the tour.

The production would bring Blessed back to a region he knows well through his work as president of the Council for National Parks.

He has been a regular visitor to the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors national parks in recent years, often launching environmental campaigns.

Blessed is one of the country's favourite actors, having appeared in numerous hit films, including Star Wars, Flash Gordon and Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves

His television credits include The Avengers, Doctor Who and I, Claudius.

He has taken part in climbs on Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro, and was the oldest man to reach the North Pole on foot.

Last year, the Civic Theatre was forced to close its doors when disaster struck three leading ladies in a matter of weeks.

Hi De Hi star Ruth Madoc had to withdraw from Sailor Beware! after feeling unwell, then her co-star, Katharine Monaghan, was involved in a car crash on the M1.

A week later, actress Beatie Edney was forced to drop out of My Cousin Rachel at the last minute when she was in a car accident on her way to Darlington.

Published: 14/09/2004