THEY say great comedy is timeless and that is certainly true of One Man, Two Guvnors.

The play has been hugely acclaimed since hitting the National Theatre and West End in 2011, when it starred James Corden.

But Richard Bean's comedy is actually an English adaptation of an 18th century Italian script called Servant of Two Masters.

All the magic formula required was updating the setting to Brighton in 1963 and injecting the dialogue with British humour.

The wonderfully ludicrous plot sees easily confused Francis Henshall become minder to gangster Roscoe Crabbe.

But Roscoe is really Rachel, posing as her own dead brother – who has been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers.

Francis spots the chance for an extra meal ticket and takes a job with Stanley – but to prevent discovery, he must keep his two 'guvnors' apart. Simple.

Former Eastenders actor Emma Barton, who plays northerner Dolly, said: "There are so many different styles of comedy we use in the piece.

"Slapstick, satire, one-liners, double entendre and all this musical stuff. It’s British humour and I think we do it brilliantly."

But for Emma, who played Billy Mitchell's wife Honey in the Albert Square soap, bagging a role in One Man, Two Guvnors was more of an ambition than a job role.

She added: "I never got to see it with James Corden as the tickets were like gold dust but I did manage to see the performance at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

"I remember sitting in the auditorium and thinking I’m so jealous. After seeing the play I wanted to see it again the following night as I loved it that much. I just didn’t stop laughing."

Emma finally joined the cast in May last year for the third UK tour.

The 37-year-old said: "I put so much pressure on myself but I’m absolutely over the moon to be a part of it. It’s one of the best pieces of theatre I’ve seen, let alone worked on. It’s been an honour."

Emma plays Dolly, a curious mix of man-eater and feminist bookkeeper.

Dolly also provides the audience with its link to the 21st century with her wry predictions of the 'future'. ('One day there will be a liberal woman prime minister...')

Emma added: "She is quite strong and feisty and has some great one-liners so she is quite different to characters I’ve played before.

"The writing is so clear and enjoyable that it just felt really natural and I seem to have adopted the character. In fact my nickname is now Dolly. I don’t get called Emma anymore. I’m referred to now as Dolly Barton after Dolly Parton!"

In the current leg of the tour, Emma joins Gavin Spokes in the lead role of Francis, Norman Pace, fellow former EastEnder Jasmyn Banks, Alicia Davies, Michael Dylan, Derek Elroy, Edward Hancock and Patrick Warner.

The team are on the road until the end of March so do they have any tricks or in-jokes for keeping it fresh?

"That would be telling," said Emma.

"But the audience is really the final member of our cast because there is a lot of interaction.

"So no show is quite the same. It sounds like a long time but it’s actually flown by because it’s such a great piece of theatre and so enjoyable to do."

Emma is still best known for EastEnders and played Honey Mitchell from November 2005 to September 2008. She also returned to the soap briefly in May last year.

The former Spooks actor added: "It was the best learning experience but really surreal as I’ve watched the soap since it started in 1985.

"I used to call the actors by their characters’ names and walked around the set thinking everything looks a lot smaller than it did on screen.

"My family found it weird watching me for a while and couldn’t get their heads around me playing a character as they watched EastEnders religiously as well.

"Even now when I talk to people about it I think: ‘Was that me? Did I do that?’ It’s such a massive British institution.

"And Even today I was taking my grandmother out and I got stopped by a woman who said she loved my character in EastEnders. It makes me smile.

"I absolutely adored my time there, especially working with Perry Fenwick (her on-screen husband Billy Mitchell) and sharing a screen with people like Barbara Windsor, June Brown and Steve McFadden.

"You’re just constantly learning and it was lovely to go back last year. I loved it and I’d go back tomorrow as it is a great show to work on."

One of Honey's toughest storylines in the soap was when she gave birth to her daughter Petal, who has Down's syndrome.

Emma said: "It was quite daunting but then we had a meeting with a real couple that went through those experiences.

"The producers did their homework and that is what EastEnders do brilliantly if they’re tackling any sort of serious storyline.

"It wasn’t easy. It was very sad at times and I had to take a longer break than usual off set to get my head around things.

"I think it educated a lot of people and now I’m the patron of the Down’s Syndrome Association. What a lovely honour to have after a storyline."

Emma had a taste for the theatrical even when she was four. She used to make up songs and dances in her bedroom.

"Then I did a Nicholas Nickleby play at school when I was seven and I just loved it," she added.

"That’s when my teacher said to my parents that they should take me to a drama club.

"They did and I’ve never stopped. I’m so lucky because I get paid for what I thought could have been a hobby."

- One Man, Two Guvnors is at The Lowry in Salford Quays from Tuesday to Saturday. Visit thelowry.com or call 0843 208 6000.

DAVID MORGAN