'Allo, 'Allo, what's happened here? Sexy Helga Geerhart from the massively popular TV sitcom looks a helluva lot different from the glamour puss that used to get Herr Flick all hot under the collar.

The undies are still there, but she's a far cry from the blonde German who never wasted a second to strip out of her uniform down to her stockings and suspenders.

For actress Kim Hartman, who plays Helga, however, it's been a 55-year dream come true.

Kim, pictured left, was best known for her role as Helga in 'Allo 'Allo (
Image:
mirrorpix)
But she's completely transformed for her latest role (
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RSC)

Since she was 10, Kim used to go with her mum to see plays put on by the Royal Shakespeare Company – and longed to be up there in the stage lights as one of the actors.

Well, now she is – and how!

With her penchant for stripping off, it probably comes as no surprise to learn Kim has been playing a racy role as a 60-year-old lady of the night called Climax in Vice Versa.

"It's very bawdy – and I'm definitely very bawdy in it," said Kim, 65.

One of her funniest self-mocking lines is "You don't make the earth move for 50 years without a little bit of subsidence".

And the dream is set to continue as Kim has another role in the RSC's autumn production of Christopher Marlowe's classic Dido, Queen of Carthage (from September 15 and running until October 28).

She plays lady of the night, Climax (
Image:
RSC)

But fear not, 'Allo 'Allo fans, because even 25 years on, Helga is still alive and kicking and performing with Herr Flick in all kinds of places – even up the Amazon River.

"Oh yes, Flick and Helga still live!" said Kim, with a big grin.

"A couple of bulldog clips around the hair, put the wig and lipstick on and, of course, the German uniform and it's amazing how she reappears!

"At first, I didn't realise just how popular Helga was, but there is a massive fan base for the show.

"We still meet up and we've done a few cruises, including Herr Flick and Helga sailing on a cruise ship 400 miles up the Amazon!

"It's astonishing how long 'Allo 'Allo has lasted – it's been much longer than the actual war – and I didn't really know if it was going to happen. I mean Helga had just one scene, saying 'Yes, Herr Flick' and adjusting her stockings, but then she became quite an important character."

Helga was Herr Otto Flick's right-hand chick (
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bbc)
Performing for the RSC is a dream come true (
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RSC)

And memorable for taking her clothes off at Herr Flick's command.

"Yes, I would only take my kit off about four times a series, but that's all people ever seem to remember!" she said, laughing.

"I loved it. I loved getting dressed up, it's such fun."

And she is in no doubts about her co-star Richard Gibson, who plays Herr Flick.

"He's as nutty as a fruitcake!," she laughed.

"He's just very funny, he's got a very droll sense of humour. We had a terrible time doing scenes in rehearsals because there wasn't time to get the giggles, we just had to get on with it.

"I think there was one whole series where we just had to direct lines to each other's shoulders because if our eyes met, that would be it.

She looks back on her 'Allo 'Allo days fondly (
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RSC)

"There was just something about his seriousness that just used to make me laugh... and I think my seriousness used to make him laugh, so it became a terrible thing when you were delivering these ridiculous lines in a completely humourless way."

As for their romance, Kim said: "I could never tell whether Helga fancies Herr Flick madly or if she was just trying to get a bit more status. I always had this idea that Helga had really set her sights on Hitler and was having to make do with Herr Flick."

Sadly, the show's main star Gorden Kaye died earlier this year, at the age of 75, on January 23.

Kim and many of the cast, including Vicky Michelle, attended his funeral.

"We all still keep in touch. Vicky gets in touch with me and we'll have long gossips about things," added Kim.

"When you've worked that closely with people for that length of time, they really are a major part of your life. And what's so funny is that when we meet up we go back all those years in our relationships, back to the relationships we had in the 80s, and it's fun being stupid kids again, so it's lovely to meet up again just for that."

Kim says she loved dressing up for the show (
Image:
RSC)

And she is still getting masses of fan mail who loved her in the show.

"People sometimes write pages and pages of stuff, sometimes poems... and I still get a lot now," said the star who appeared in all 84 episodes of the hugely successful comedy.

"And new generations are coming along who are still enjoying, which is quite extraordinary.

"It's still big in Australia and New Zealand and it's been dubbed into loads of languages... even into Mandarin for audiences in China!

"Certainly because of the letters I get, people say they've been watching it in Switzerland or Scandinavia and it's very popular in Holland.. and Bulgaria! At the moment it's being shown in Bulgaria and it's very popular there.

"It's interesting the countries that really like it... most of them are countries that got really whacked in the war. Maybe it's cathartic."

Explaining how her latest role is the realisation of a dream that started when she was just 10, she added: "I grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and my mum was always very keen on the theatre. But my dad wasn't, so she used to drag me along as a companion to go to the theatre.

"So I got to see lots of things that most 10-year-olds don't get to see. And when I was older and got a holiday job, I would come and paint scenery here, too.

"Then I did the whole drama school thing down in London, but I always wanted to come back to the RSC.

"My life just went off in a completely different direction when I did 'Allo 'Allo. So I went miles away from the RSC and in later years I got my agent to put me up for things, but I seemed to reach a brick wall – a very nice friendly brick wall, but you know...

"But the current RSC artistic director Greg Doran's policy is to involve new people within the company, so suddenly it seemed that the door was open or at least there was a chink.

"So I'm absolutely delighted because now I've done what was my original ambition.

"Audition was terribly nerve-racking because I hadn't had to do an audition since 'Allo 'Allo, people just offered me work... but it's a world-class theatre and they've got to make sure people can do the job.

"I can now relax... I seem to have spent my life being driven to getting towards this place. So whatever else happens now is going to be a bonus."

RSC production Dido, Queen of Carthage starts on Friday, September 15 and runs until October 28.