It's called circumcised celebrities dot com and there are loads of big film stars on it and then there's me," says James Carlton of his latest internet discovery.

"There's nothing bad on it, just a history of my career, but it's very odd."

The rest of us are lucky to get even one mention when we "Google" ourselves online but James has pages.

He even appears in some holiday snaps posted on the net by an elderly couple (with the caption "A car in Whitby drives up a cliff past James Carlton").

That's the knock-on effect of appearing in some of our most popular TV shows, including Heartbeat, Casualty and Merseybeat, and of becoming a bit of a gay soap icon, thanks to a four-year stint in Emmerdale as good guy Jason.

"I'm still well liked by the gay community," he says. "There have been lots of other characters I've enjoyed playing but the response to Jason was amazing."

His latest role in thriller Wait Until Dark could not be more different. James plays bad bloke Mike, "a real womanising conman, a bit of a cheeky chappy".

Written by Frederick Knott, the original 1966 production of Wait Until Dark went on to become a huge film hit starring Audrey Hepburn.

The drama tells the tale of a blind woman who is targetted by a team of con men in her basement flat.

"Mike's a verbal conman but he's also got a heart. He'll do something bad but doesn't necessarily like doing it. It's always nice to play a character with different sides and the audience really seem to pick up on it. It's fun playing a bad guy, too, you have a bit more to do."

James stars alongside fellow TV bods Susie Amy (Footballers' Wives), Michael Melia (EastEnders) and Derren Nesbitt (Special Branch) in the stage drama.

He says: "The response has been good, especially from the older crowd. You get lots of 'ooohs'. I recommend people sit back and be prepared to be scared.

It's definitely a rollercoaster ride for the audience."

Readers of this is Brighton can take advantage of a two-for-one ticket offer for Wait Until Dark. This offer applies to Mon-Thurs evening performances, all ticket prices. If booking over the phone, please quote the this is Brighton offer. If booking in person, take a copy of this article with you to the box office.

Starts 7.45pm, Thurs and Sat matinees, 2.30pm. Tickets cost £13-£22. Call 08700 606650.