One of the biggest names in children's television is bringing a special singing and dancing show to Weymouth next weekend. Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer tells Joanna Davis about Dancing With Dani.

IF you happen to be on Weymouth seafront next weekend you may well see a children's TV icon tucking into the town's best known delicacy.

Dani Harmer, otherwise known as TV's Tracy Beaker, is bringing her Dancing With Dani show to Weymouth Pavilion on Sunday, October 28 and rates the fish and chips here.

The actress, 29, will be back on familiar territory - her partner Simon Brough used to live in Weymouth and she has performed on the pavilion stage in panto.

This will be the first show from Dani Harmer Productions, which Dani and Simon opened up in May 2018. It will feature students from the Dani Harmer Academy and local dance schools from Weymouth and Dorchester.

Dani said: "This is the first ever show we've done so it should be an interesting one. We chose Weymouth because I know the theatre, having come there every single year with our Easter panto and I know how lovely the audiences are there and they're always on your side, which is especially helpful for our first show. My partner Simon lived there for a long time and I love the theatre there."

The evening will be a great opportunity for local dance schools to get involved, Dani said.

"It's going to be really exciting to see other schools there and see what they are doing, I know that everyone's going to put on a good show and the students from different schools will get to know other students."

Dani says she has many happy memories of performing at the Pavilion and hopes to see more of Weymouth in the future.

"Although I tend to end up in the theatre when I'm in Weymouth if I get a bit of time I do love to walk along the seafront and I think I've stayed in every B&B there is down there! I've also had some wicked fish and chips there. I do need a bit more time off so I can explore some more."

Dani's Berkshire-based academy is for students to learn and explore the performing arts, from drama classes and singing lessons to dance workshops and more.

Dani said: "I'm going to be on stage performing with the Harmerettes from my academy. I've watched them growing up and this will be the first time I've performed with them, I think it's more exciting for me than it is for them!

"There's going to be a lot of variety in the show, from Latin and ballroom dancing to ballet, it's all very exciting."

The academy is not just for children who want to be on the stage, Dani says.

"It's not necessarily for students who want to have a future career in dancing and singing, it's a confidence boosting thing and it's awesome to see how some of the kids have progressed. We've had come of them who came in and were too shy to say 'hello' and now they're going up and singing solos."

The evening will be hosted by Joe Tracini of Hollyoaks and son of Joe Pasquale, who Dani describes as her 'best friend'.

"I've know him for 14 years now. I know his dad and we got talking and became best friends. He's such a fun person and he's the best person I could think of to host. Joe is very talented and is also a magician. He's the safest pair of hands and if anything goes wrong he will always save the day."

In 2013 Dani stepped out of the world of children's TV and into the Strictly Come Dancing studio. She reached the finals with her partner Vincent Simone.

As the competition heats up in this year's contest, has she been watching, I ask?

"I haven't been watching very much as I'm so knackered from the academy. I've been dropping in and out of it."

However, Dani, never one to shy way from offering her opinion, thinks the competition field is unfair this year.

"One of the Pussycat Dolls (Ashley Roberts) is on there and because she's a dancer by profession that's slightly unfair.

"I understand a lot of people in the dance industry have dance training, I used to do ballet and tap but I think it's wrong for a professional dancer to be on there. If I was there this year I'd be thinking 'that's really unfair, I've got no chance!'"

Although Berkshire-born Dani is best known for her work on the small screen, landing the role of Tracy Beaker aged 12, she started her acting career aged six in the Pete Townshend rock musical Tommy and went on to play July in the national tour of Annie.

Dani said: "At the moment I'm enjoying going back to my roots and having these great opportunities to do things like Shakespeare (earlier this year Dani played Viola in Twelfth Night at The Barnfield theatre Exeter) and I still absolutely love doing TV still so I'm really just trying to do as much as can while being a parent so it's certainly busy!"

As we talk, Dani's two and a half-year-old daughter Avarie-Belle is trying to pull on her mum's leg!

Dani said: "She's a lovely little girl, I can't believe how much energy she has. Her favourite film is Frozen and she always likes watching it with me."

I ask Dani what Avarie-Belle thinks of her mum's theatrical talents.

"She hasn't had the experience of watching me perform yet and she's still too young to see Tracy Beaker. This year will be her first go at watching me in panto. She might cry or she might be happy - we'll have to see!"

*Dancing With Dani, Weymouth Pavilion, Sunday October 28, 7.30pm. Calll the box office for tickets. Local schools participating include June Hornby’s Dance Studio, Quay Theatre Arts, First Class Dance School, Evolution Dance, Modern Dance Academy, Dorchester Ballet & Dance, Just Dance and Shine Academy.