Tara Lofthouse, now 53, was a dancer on ITV's late-night club show The Hitman and Her from 1988 to 1992. She appeared in over 50 episodes and has now written a semi-autobiographical play about the era, which she performed at the Manchester Fringe in July.
From Bolton college to TV dancer
Lofthouse studied a BTEC in Performing Arts at Bolton College at 16, alongside comedian Peter Kay. She later trained at Marianne Jepson's College of Dance and Drama in Oldham, where her talents were spotted by the show's producers.
"I was there for 18 months, and it's while I was there that I got onto The Hitman and Her, which I had to keep secret from the dance college, until my anatomy teacher saw me on the show and said he would keep it quiet if I got my homework in," said Tara.
She first became fascinated by the show as a 15-year-old, watching on her mother's black and white portable TV. At 17, she tagged along to Park Hall in Charnock Richard, where the show was filming, and won a dance competition.
Dancing with Take That's Jason Orange
Around age 18, Lofthouse became a dancer for the show's 10-week residency at Discotheque Royale in Manchester. It was there she met Jason Orange, who had just joined Take That.
"Jason Orange had just joined Take That when I joined, so that's the sort of standard of dance they had. I'm nothing like that, I'm like an excitable puppy dancing in the background when you see me on that show. But it was more about being able to learn and fit in," she said.
One memorable moment came when a producer pushed her forward to dance with Orange. "I jumped into the splits, but then I didn't know how to get back up out of the splits! I looked up and Jason Orange was just looking down at me, perplexed. But he was really lovely, he helped me up."
Take That members would often attend shows. Once at Burnley Ritzy, Gary Barlow was waved in by Lofthouse after being unrecognised at the door.
Career after the show
After The Hitman and Her ended in 1992, Lofthouse toured as a dancer with Jason Donovan. She later worked on cruise ships, studied at the Manchester School of Acting, and appeared in small parts in Coronation Street and Hollyoaks. She now works as a script editor and communication skills trainer for medical students.
Her play, 'Licking Your Feet, Feeding You Grapes', challenges the dominant 1991 'Madchester' narrative of bucket hats and The Hacienda. Through teenager Mich, it explores nightlife at Discotheque Royale. Lofthouse said she wanted to offer a "female voice" on the era, noting that many narratives focus on Oasis or the Hacienda, but "there were a lot of us that weren't in the Hacienda... We were at Discotheque Royale giving it hands in the air."
She now hopes to adapt the script into a six-part comedy-drama for TV. Reflecting on her time on the show, she said: "It's extremely fond memories... I'm very thankful for the show; it opened so many doors and changed my life." Though she once avoided discussing it while training as an actor, she now says: "I want to tell people what a great story and opportunity it was. I'm really chuffed that I did it."
