'There is not really anywhere like that' - Michaela Strachan speaks on the Mr Smith's fire

The 49-year-old hosted late night music show The Hit Man and Her with Pete Waterman in her 20s at the venue, which ultimately led to the programme receiving national recognition.

Michaela admits having her 'office' in Mr Smith's was more like a dream, rather than a place of work, but her time in the venue is set to stay with her.

"It was the first place where we carried out the show and it became synonymous with The Hit Man and Her," she said.

"We started a show which we thought was going to go on for six weeks but it went on longer and longer.

"I was going to work in a club - in my 20s that was great."

Having been broadcast on Granada Television from 1988-1992, a period during which various other clubs were also used for filming, the programme captured a large segment of the nation.

But despite the countless broadcasts, there is one memory which Michaela recalls from the town's historic venue.

"We did a series of sketches during the show - once me and Pete dressed as cleaning ladies," she said.

"It was a fun show and I really enjoyed it but it is also a real memory of that time for the music, fashion and nightclubs.

"There is not really anywhere like that now - it is quite sad."

Now living in Cape Town but regularly returning to the country for work, as she did on Tuesday, Michaela admits there is a shortage of such venues in the current era.

However, with the preferred choice of today's younger population, she is unsure whether the country will see an imminent return to the music scene of yesteryear.

"I do not think there is anywhere like that now as trends change but it still brings really fond memories for me," she added.

"I would not want to do it now but in my 20s it was a good laugh - we would joke a lot."

Each Hit Man and Her Show lasted around two hours, but along with generations across the town, the memories for Michaela will live on for eternity.