Wet Wet Wet star Marti Pellow brings his devilish charm to Birmingham as Daryl Van Horne in The Witches of Eastwick. He talks to Cathy Spencer.

With his smouldering good looks it is no wonder Marti Pellow has been picked to play the devil in his latest show.

The Witches of Eastwick arrives at Birmingham’s Hippodrome Theatre on April 6, with Marti taking on the role of the devilish Daryl Van Horne.

But the Wet Wet Wet singer insists that having good looks only holds people’s interest for a few minutes.

“I can’t complain if ladies find me aesthetically pleasing but I have to take it with a pinch of salt,” says Marti in his strong Glaswegian accent.

“You have to bring more to the table than just your looks otherwise people lose interest in you very quickly. I’m lucky that I have a good fan base that support me whatever I do – that is a very inspiring thing to have in your life.”

The 43-year-old heartthrob was hand-picked by Sir Cameron Mackintosh to reprise the role immortalised by Jack Nicholson in the 1987 film version of The Witches of Eastwick, which also starred Michelle Pfeiffer, Cher and Susan Sarandon.

The musical is set in a small town in America where three desperate housewives wish for the man of their dreams and get a lot more than they bargained for.

“It’s a dark play,” says Marti, “But I enjoy that kind of humour, and it is beautifully written with some great songs and wonderful choreography. I wanted to make the part my own and had seen Ian McShane do it and, of course, Jack Nicholson.

“Portraying the Devil is a real challenge but I think even Jack Nicholson would agree that I’m the better singer out of the two of us.”

Clydebank-born Marti says his love of stage musicals comes from his late mother Margaret – who died in 2003.

He says: “I’d watch old movie musicals with her every Saturday afternoon on BBC2. It was great escapism – for two hours you got to dip into a different, magical world.”

Marti says he loves coming to Birmingham to perform as he has had some great successes in the city.

“I have been coming to Birmingham since the early 80s and we had our first biggest show here supporting Lionel Richie at the NEC,” he says.

“People ask me if I understand the Brummie accent but I worry that they can’t understand me with my dulcet Glaswegian tones.”

* The Witches Of Eastwick is at the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre from April 6 to 11. For more information call 0870 730 1234.