Tom Chambers talks ahead of Crazy For You at Birmingham theatre

So he recorded a video of himself tap dancing, showing off skills that few possess. And he sent it to 1,000 people – yes, 1,000. Two of them responded.

“I was lucky, one of those responses led to a TV audition.”

The audition was for Holby City and that, in turn, led to an appearance on Strictly Come Dancing. For Tom, at least, the rest is history and he is now one of the biggest stars of the West End. Musical theatre adores the man who won the sixth series of Strictly with partner Camilla Dallerup.

“In this industry, you either have to have a screw loose or be slightly mad. Not giving up for that long and having that never-ending belief that you’ll get there requires something a little different. Even now, I still can’t quite believe what I’m doing.

“I tried for six years after drama school, I was a barman, pizza delivery, HGV driver . . . You name it. Then I did a tap dance and sent it out to 1,000 people and I got two responses. Everyone was telling me to quit. They were telling me to find another agent. At one point, I even signed up to be a fireman. But then the phone rang offering me a proper TV audition for six years. I took it and things have gone alright since that. But that’s the thing, you’re so lucky to get work in this industry. You only have to watch X Factor to realise what talents people have.”

Tom is lining up with another Strictly winner, Caroline Flack, who is making her stage debut as ‘Irene’ in the national tour of Crazy For You. Tom plays her love interest, Bobby, and the show reaches Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday to October 28.

Best known to TV audiences for her star-turn on the popular BBC TV series Strictly Come Dancing, Flack won the 12th season of Strictly in 2014. She currently presents ITV’s Love Island and her previous presenting credits include I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here NOW! and The Xtra Factor. She has also presented The X Factor. Prior to presenting, Caroline trained in musical theatre.

Tom created the role of Jerry Travers in the West End musical Top Hat, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He can currently be seen in the hit BBC drama Casualty and his other TV credits include Holby City and Waterloo Road. His recent stage credits include Private Lives and White Christmas in the West End.

They will be joined by Charlotte Wakefield in the role of Polly. Charlotte made her West End debut as Wendla in Spring Awakening, for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award. She played Maria in the critically acclaimed production of The Sound of Music at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre receiving nominations for Best Actress in a Musical at both the Evening Standard and Olivier Awards. Her other theatre credits include Sophie in Mamma Mia! in the West End, Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Laurey in Oklahoma!, both on national tour.

Tom says the production is enormous fun. “It’s great to be working with Caroline again. I judged her on the Strictly tour after she won it in 2014. I didn’t have to wag my finger at her and give her instructions, she was step perfect.

“This is her first musical. She’s really purposeful. She didn’t want the lead because it’s her first one and she didn’t want to jump in the deep end. But she’s like a box of fireworks. You never what what colour it’s going to be next.”

Crazy For You is directed by The Watermill’s Artistic Director, Paul Hart, with musical arrangements by Catherine Jayes (The Color Purple, Broadway). It is choreographed by Nathan M. Wright (High Society, Old Vic) and is designed by Diego Pitarch (The Addams Family).

It has music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin and a book by Ken Ludwig. It was inspired by material by Guy Bolton and John McGowan and was originally produced on Broadway by Roger Horchow and Elizabeth Williams.

Tom says: “Everything is about the casting, get that right and it’s half done. In this show, you almost don’t know where to look. There’s something unique about this show compared to the originals. There’s no orchestra or pit, the music’s been learnt – imagine that, a whole Gershwin. I have to play the trumpet for four bars but the rest are brilliant. The cast have learned singing, dancing, acting and playing an instrument at the same time. There’s tap dancing, spinning and playing clean notes. How you do play a violin cleanly when you’re jumping around on the stage?

“Everything you see played on stage is live and real. It makes it very, very exciting. It’s pure enjoyment, pure escapism, a big bundle of fun. It’s like medicine for the soul.”

Tom was drawn to the stage by Crazy For You, which he saw when he was 15 with Ruthie Henshall. “If there was one role in my entire life at the top of my bucket list, it was Bobby. With loads of musicals, the scripts are neither here nor there. But this was written in the 1990s – when the Die Hards and When Harry Met Sally were coming out. The dialogue at that time was great with loads of one-liners. So the audience smile from start to finish. It’s a classic boy meets girl, but it’s the lengths Bobby goes to that makes it funny, there’s a farcical element to it.”

Tom is also looking forward to being back in Birmingham, where he played in Top Hat.

“I’ve done Top Hat and Private Lives too. It’s lovely to be back. I’d say the Birmingham and Black Country crowd have a brilliant sense of humour, they’re always very warm. Some parts of the country, I can’t name them, they’re a little bit cooler and reserved, whereas with Birmingham the audience is ready to have a good time from the moment the curtain goes up.”