It's not every day people get to befriend their favourite Australian TV idol - but one North Staffordshire man has achieved just that.

After writing a letter to actress Maggie Kirkpatrick, theatre worker Rob Cope has toured the UK with her and even put her up in his house.

Maggie played fierce, lesbian prison officer Joan Ferguson in the 1980s cult late-night drama Prisoner Cell Block H.

Her character was dubbed 'The Freak' by Wentworth Detention Centre jailbirds in the series.

Now 35-year-old Rob, of Barlaston Park, is planning to meet up with his favourite soap-star once again, when he takes a trip to Australia this summer.

Rob said: "It started when I decided to write to Maggie in the early 1990s because  I was a big fan of hers. I absolutely loved watching the show.

"I talked about different shows at the Theatre Royal, where I was working, because I know she acts in stage shows.

"She wrote back saying it was the most interesting letter she had received from a fan and it just went from there."

The pals kept in touch and Mr Cope invited 61-year-old Maggie, now a grandmother, to England.

He lined up a host of personal appearances for her around the country.

Rob, who now works at the Regent Theatre box office, said: "She was very popular in England at that time because it was when Prisoner Cell Block H was at its peak.

"She loved it here in Stoke-on-Trent, I showed her all around the place and I have been over to Australia since meeting Maggie."

Rob said he had worked in theatre, on and off, all of his life, and both he and Maggie had a real passion for the stage, which gave them a special bond.

He said: "In one way it is strange thinking that I am friends with my favourite TV star.

"It would be a dream come true for most people.

"But since knowing her, meeting her friends and being aware of her other roles, her character as 'The Freak' fades more and more into the background.

"Of course, Maggie is nothing like Joan Ferguson. She is well known for partying and having a laugh - she works hard and plays hard.

"For the last 10 years we have kept in touch constantly and always swap stories about concerts and shows - our phone calls and letters are always a constant flurry of what we have and haven't seen.

The Stoke Sentinel - 2002