Soap From The Box podcast set for live tour to Leeds City Varieties Music Hall

EastEnders, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Hollyoaks actors past and present will be chatting all things soap with podcast director Lee Salisbury.

The stars, including Tom Lister, Danniella Westbrook and Kelli Hollis will spill the gossip and reveal soap secrets, play games with and against each other and have a good old catch up.

Lee gave the YEP the low down on why he has turned his podcast success into a live tour.

He said: "People around the country don't really get to meet their favourite celebrities very often and soap is huge so I just thought, even as a nostalgic thing for people who were in the soaps ages ago, here's a chance.

"People can actually interact with them and meet with them themselves in a theatre and the idea of getting people from loads of different soaps together is quite unusual as well.

"Audiences would probably never be able to get that anywhere else."

It's Lee's previous experience of directing soaps, namely Emmerdale, that fueled his love for the television genre and in turn the launch of his podcast.

He added: "I just love soap so much so I started the podcast because the soap stars never really get the chance to be properly interviewed apart from when they've got new story lines coming out.

"There's so much more to know about these people and I'm friends with some of them so you get that behind the scenes aspect in the interviews as well.

"My favourite thing is getting everyone else to know them like I do."

Lee moved to Leeds from down south for Emmerdale around 17 years ago and it his love for the city that has kept him here.

He said: "I just thought if we're going to start it anywhere, the City Varieties theatre is where I'd love to do it.

"It's great, Emmerdale is here and that was my first job so it makes sense to start in the city and in that theatre because it's so great.

"It's a new venture and you never quite know what can happen but people in Leeds love their soaps and the northern audience is just brilliant.

"They're so friendly up north so I'm hoping we will get some die hard soap fans."

Ex Emmerdale star Tom Lister is looking forward to seeing his old friends and having a "right good catch up".

He said: "The podcast has exploded because there's nothing else like it out there and because of Lee's friendships with us he's got that direct access.

"It's like chatting to an old friend which is quite often when these things happen at their best.

"I can't wait to have a laugh. It's going to be like a chat show on the sofa with a chance for some questions and answers and then some crazy game ideas.

"I'm sure we'll dig out some backstage stories that people aren't aware of."

Soap From The Box live in Leeds details

The Soap From The Box podcast is coming live to Leeds on June 27 and June 28.

There will be showings at 2pm and at 7.30pm on both days.

Tickets went on general sale on Friday, June 11 and are priced between around £25 and £60.

The shows will run for around 90 minutes and are appropriate for those aged 14 plus.

The podcast has reached number four in the Apple charts and is now 2,500 out of 850,000 podcasts in the world.