Though he claims to be “more of a dog person”, in real life actor Dean Maynard, will be climbing happily into a catsuit for most of next year.

He is playing Old Deuteronomy’s son Munkustrap (pictured below) in a national tour of the legendary musical Cats, at Oxford’s New Theatre for a Christmas season.

He told me: “It’s amazing how feline you feel when you have all the gear and make-up on”.

He recently finished a European tour of The Rocky Horror Show, and says he finds a catsuit quite a relief after the outrageous costumes he wore as Frank ‘N’ Furter.

Dean has played Captain Tempest in Return To The Forbidden Planet, and had a spell in the West End in the musical Peggy Sue Got Married.

He toured in The Full Monty and played Pharoah in a tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Phantom Of The Opera is top of his wish list.

The major tour of Cats marks the 25th anniversary of the show’s opening in the West End in 1981.

Inspired by the poems of T S Eliot it has been a worldwide success and boosted the careers of Elaine Paige, Paul Nicholas and Bonnie Langford, who were in the original cast.

It’s at Oxford until Saturday, December 30.

For tickets call 0870 606 3500.