Sara makes herself at gnome on return to the King's stage

SHE has come a long way since she dressed up as a gnome and danced around the stage in awe of actor Stanley Baxter.

But after 35 years, Sara Stewart is returning to the theatre where she had her "first professional gig" at the tender age of nine.

The Edinburgh-born actress, who has appeared in a string of TV shows, is returning to the Capital to star in Enron at the King's Theatre, a production inspired by the real-life collapse of the American energy company of the same name.

She said she can't wait to get backstage at the Leven Street theatre so that "all the old memories come flooding back".

Stewart was part of the chorus of the 1975 King's Christmas panto, Jack and the Beanstalk.

She played several parts, including a village child and a gnome, and has fond memories of her first appearance on a professional stage.

She said: "I was one of the village children and I remember having to skip around wearing that cap I've got on in the picture.

"They also had us dressed up as gnomes and in various other costumes and we danced and sang. It was so exciting for me.

"It was a proper theatre with proper actors. I was in awe of Stanley Baxter, I thought he was amazing."

She added: "I remember one of the girls went off sick once and we had a gnome dance to do, so I re-choreographed the whole thing so it was symmetrical. It was the new and improved Sara Stewart variation! I got a bit of a ticking off for that."

Stewart, a former pupil of Flora Stevenson Primary and Broughton High, has appeared in a number of TV shows including the role of production assistant Jenny in the first series of Drop the Dead Donkey, Taggart, Wire In The Blood, Monarch of the Glen, Rebus, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Men Behaving Badly and A Touch of Frost.

She also appeared in the Batman Begins movie as Batman's mother.

Stewart left Edinburgh when she was 17 to move to the United States with her American parents and is looking forward to coming back to her home city tomorrow.

Her father, Scott Griffith, a former English teacher at Liberton High, is flying in from his home in the south of France especially to watch his daughter's performance at the King's.

Stewart said: "To be in Edinburgh with my dad again will be amazing. I can't remember the last time that happened.

"I'm really looking forward to coming back.

"I'm half expecting to walk through the stage door at the King's and nothing has changed.

"I'm really hoping that's the case so that all the old memories come flooding back."

A spokesman for the King's Theatre said: "It's fantastic that Sara is back at the King's in a starring role and we hope she has a great week back in Edinburgh."

• Enron opens tomorrow and runs until Saturday.