BARBARA Nice, the opinionated Stockport housewife creation of Janice Connolly – who rose to fame on Peter Kay s sitcom, Phoenix Nights – comperes a night of stand-up comedy at Stratford Circus on Friday. Barbara is your average, middle-aged northern house

BARBARA Nice, the opinionated Stockport housewife creation of Janice Connolly - who rose to fame on Peter Kay's sitcom, Phoenix Nights - comperes a night of stand-up comedy at Stratford Circus on Friday.

Barbara is your average, middle-aged northern housewife who's given up the domestic bliss of Tupperware and Poundstretcher shops for the unpredictabilty of the comedy world.

No audience is too rowdy for her to handle - she's already raised five teenagers.

Having recently supported both Johnny Vegas and Peter Kay, Barbara is now a circuit headline act in her own right.

She is the comedy creation of Janice Connolly, who was performing as Barbara when she was spotted by Peter Kay at the finals of The Manchester Evening News New Act of The Year in 1998.

She played Mrs Bamforth in That Peter Kay Thing and Holy Mary in both Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere.

Her other television work includes playing Carole in Dave Spikey's Dead Man Weds and appearing in Coronation Street as Dolly Gartside.

She will be joined by former Spitting Image impressionist Steve Nallon at Stratford Circus, Theatre Square, Stratford.

Steve was one of the original members of the ground-breaking satirical TV show, providing the voices for Margaret Thatcher, the Queen Mum, Sir David Attenborough, Alan Bennett, Roy Hattersley, and many others.

The line-up is completed by Nina Conti, an award-winning ventriloquist with her Monkey and Carrie Quinlan, who has featured on BBC Radio Four's The News Quiz.

The fun starts at 8pm.