Take a b-ouch!

He had come to the rescue of his two budding starlets, six-year-old son Alex and daughter Jennifer, five, when the man originally lined up for the part had pulled out of a charity show being staged by their dance school.

But Martin, of Staining Road, Blackpool, had to abandon his theatrical ambitions when he painfully snapped his Achilles' tendon while doing the can-can to the South Pacific hit There Is Nothing Like A Dame.

Now the pain has subsided and he is able to laugh about it, he joked: "Unfortunately for me, there was nothing quite like the lame dame I turned out to be."

He described the whole incident as a Monty Python-like sketch - at one point he hopped around the stage on one leg, eventually falling to the floor - with other dads thinking he was fooling around as Martin is well known for his pranks.

The 37-year-old was rushed to Victoria Hospital where his leg was operated on and then set in plaster.

Martin mocked: "I then knew my acting career was over, along with my work as a builder for at least three months."

And asked whether he would tread the boards again, he replied: "Yes, but maybe I'll try something just a little less strenuous next time."

Alex and Jennifer are only upset that they won't get the chance to see their macho dad all dressed up and wearing fishnets.

His wife Alison is perhaps slightly more relieved.

Luckily, his misfortune didn't put off fellow dad Steven Siddall from stepping into the part.

Steven and other dads and children from Staining's Windmill School of Dance will sing and dance their way through Showtime '97 at Thornton Lecture Hall from 7.30pm on December 5 and 6.

Admission is £3.50 for adults and £2 for children, with proceeds going to Trinity Hospice and the children's charity, Childflight.

Tickets from Sara Mercer on 822959.

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