There was a time when the menopause was either talked about in hushed tones, or not at all.

These days it’s not such a taboo – and if Lesley Joseph had her way women would shout about it from the rooftops.

“We should embrace it as the next chapter of life, rather than mourn it as a loss,” she says. “The menopause can be a very hard time for women, but it’s far better to be alive and going through it than not be here at all!

“What this show does so brilliantly is get everyone screaming with laughter, having such a good evening that they go out on a high. We’ve spent our lifetime getting here – why not grow old disgracefully and enjoy it?”

The show is Hot Flush!, delving into the friendships, secrets, ups and downs of four women who meet up every Tuesday night to cry on each others’ shoulders and share gossip about the men in their lives. All 15 men are played by actor Matt Slack, who is also the ‘Hot Flush Club’ bartender.

Lesley plays Myra, a barrister whose menopause coincides with her husband leaving her for a younger woman. “She’s wisecracking, but vulnerable. She wants revenge, but really she wants him back,” says Lesley.

“She’s in this gang of four women going through everything together. By the end, you see them singing and dancing together. The show is vignettes of their lives.”

She adds: “Vagina Monologues started a trend of getting incredibly moving, sad and funny women’s stories out there and now there are several female-oriented shows that say ‘come on, get a gang of friends together and have a good time’.

Lesley is best known as Chigwell’s designer-clad maneater Dorien Green, the gloriously flashy neighbour of sisters Sharon and Tracy, played by Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson, in sitcom Birds Of A Feather.

Over nine years they recorded more than 100 episodes and at its peak the show pulled in 20 million viewers. Earlier this year the trio returned in an updated Birds Of A Feather which was an ITV hit. Another series has been commissioned.

Lesley puts its success down to a combination of good writing, by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, and chemistry between the three actresses. “We know exactly how we work. People say, ‘Oh, three women working together, I bet you don’t get on’, but we do. I love them,” she says. “It was a gamble, bringing Birds back, but the format stayed the same, it was just brought up to date. We had storylines to catch up on, but hopefully in the next series we can take these characters further.”

Lesley’s extensive theatrical career has included drama, musicals and panto. “I once did Harold Pinter’s Home directed by Sir Peter Hall. The original production starred Sir John Gielgud and Sir Ralph Richardson, I worshipped the ground they walked on. To do that then shows such as Hot Flush! or The Gingerbread Lady about a recovering alcoholic or Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is wonderful,” she says. “I’ve entertained thousands of people in the theatre and put smiles on their faces, and that’s a great feeling.

“I first trod the boards at seven, I took elocution classes, joined an amateur group, won a poetry competition. I’ve worked in theatre all my life, but I love TV too, particularly live TV.

“The success of Birds has made me realise how incredibly lucky we are in this business, in which only ten per cent of actors earn a living. But we’ve all worked very very hard to get here.”

Hot Flush! is on at St George’s Hall on Monday at 7.30pm. For tickets, call (01274) 432000.