"IF YOU want to know what makes me angry, it's packaging," rages the normally mild mannered, heart of gold, former Coronation Street star Shobna Gulati.

"It makes me mad.

"I'd rather not have it.

"And I think companies should start charging for carrier bags.

"It would be a small start.

"I don't remember so many being around when I was a kid.

"Sometimes clothing stores give you a massive bag for these tiny items and I think, what's the point?

"A lot of people use holdalls and rucksacks these days.

"Say no to a plastic bag!"

A nature lover and big on recycling, Shobna is having a ball performing in the laugh-out-loud, comedy musical Girls Night, which has hits such as Young Hearts Run Free, It's Raining Men and We Are Family, among its lively repertoire.

"Its fast, funny and great fun," chips in Shobna, who takes time out following opening night for a quick chat.

Penned by Louise Roche, who wrote Where the Heart Is, the anthem-packed production follows five female friends as they relive their past on a hilarious karaoke night and also stars Shana Swash, the feisty teenage mum Demi Miller, from Eastenders.

Shobna played Sunita in Coronation Street, a loveable character, who became a Corrie favourite.

She carried a torch for her knight in shining armour, shopkeeper Dev Alahan, during most of her years on the show, even married him, before she discovered - while she was pregnant - that he'd fathered other children in his retail past and hadn't let on.

For me, Dev's never been quite the same without his soul mate Sunita, and I often think she'll suddenly turn up with the Alahan twins in tow while he's serving in his corner shop: "One day maybe - a long way off," she considers.

"I didn't exactly go out of Corrie with a bang, did I!

"I just got in a car with my brother and went off to Swindon," she laughs.

"I miss the people though. They're a great team."

A trained dancer as well as gifted thespian and singer, Shobna is a single parent and brought up 12-year-old son Akshay with the help of her mum.

Her first professional job was at Theatre Royal Stratford East in London, in Moti Roti Puttli Chunni, billed as Britain's first Bollywood musical, a seminal work with lavish sets, spectacular costumes - and Shobna as a wet sari dancer.

"Acting in theatre is more immediate than television.

"You feel an audience, whether it's laughing or crying, which gives you a big buzz.

"You can't tell that with TV. They might be watching or making a cup of tea."

She loves acting, but sees it very much as a job and not as glamorous as it looks in the glossy pages of celebrity magazines.

Her sortie into the world of soaps in 2001 could have gone either way: south to Walford and Eastenders or staying north with Corrie in Weatherfield. She auditioned for both shows.

"My agent rang and said are you sitting down?' Well you got both jobs.' "It was a choice between a social worker for six episodes in Eastenders or running away from an arranged marriage in Coronation Street."

The rest is history as they say.

Shobna joined the cast of the Street and became a household name.

She has boundless creative talent and is a tireless fund-raiser for the Five Star scanner appeal at Manchester Royal Infirmary, and the Kirsty Appeal, which raises money to help secure the future of Didsbury's Francis House Childrens Hospice.

The Oldham-born actor has a degree in Arabic and Middle Eastern politics from Manchester University, can speak several languages and also endeared herself to millions as Anita in the BBC sitcom Dinnerladies, alongside such luminaries as Victoria Wood, Thelma Barlow, Anne Reid and Julie Walters.

She also writes and has a script in the pipeline: "Possibly radio," she hints. But that's all she'll say, for now, anyway!

Girls Night runs at The Lowry at Salford from April 2-7 (0870-787-5790).