LOCAL singer and actress Caroline Fields has been chosen to re-create Joyce Grenfell in a one-woman show which begins touring this month.

Caroline, from Arthington, has been chosen by Producers Derek Grant and Michael Jones to star in the "The Best of Joyce Grenfell" which will feature all of Joyce's best-known monologues and songs in a two hour show.

Caroline said that although it has been daunting learning all Joyce's songs and over 70 pages of script she is looking forward to it immensely.

Caroline will be accompanied at the piano throughout the tour - which extends to November 2005 - by David Carter who has just completed a sell-out tour with Danny La Rue.

The tour starts in Worcester on October 30 and also takes in East Grinstead, Gainsborough, Haywards Heath, Lichfield, Ebbw Vale, Margate, Yeovil, Redhill, Shrewsbury, St Anne's, Bedford, Potters Bar, Wimbourne, Pershore and Hartlepool.

Caroline has previously appeared in shows all over the country treading the boards at Leeds City Varieties on a number of occasions.

She studied at the Leeds College of Music and went on to gain a degree in Drama and the Performing Arts at Bradford University.

As a performer she tours extensively throughout the UK making concert, cabaret and summer season appearances. She is a seasoned pantomime performer having taken the principal role in over 20 productions.

She made numerous appearances in the famous "Good Old Days" at Leeds City Varieties.

She also frequently appears in Paris at The Theatre de Paris and at many of the larger hotels.

She has appeared with such stars as Michael Ball, Danny La Rue, John Inman,Roy Hudd, Ronnie Hilton and Frankie Vaughan.

As an actress she has appeared in most major theatres in productions ranging from operetta to classical and modern drama.

Her first principal role as a 15 year-old came as Grete in Ivor Novello's "The Dancing Years" at Leeds Grand Theatre and that remains one of her favourites to this day.

Caroline says that one of her greatest honours was being chosen to represent Great Britain in the Gibraltar Song Festival singing a song penned by South-African Henry Ross in Italian!

She has starred in television programmes such as "Stay Lucky" with Dennis Waterman and "Dark Angel" with Peter O'Toole. She has appeared in two 'fly on the wall' documentaries called "Landladies" and her film credits include ""Wall of Tyranny" for Columbia Pictures and "Stiff Upper Lips" with Peter Ustinov and Prunella Scales.

For six years Caroline played Mrs Tibbit in the BBC 1 Drama series "All Creatures Great and Small".

Although she has a preference for live music and performance Caroline has a very successful recording career on the Scorpus label.

Caroline has found time to fit in gaining a BA (hons) degree with the Open University and when time allows enjoys growing the family veggies in the garden for husband John and daughter Nina.