Graduate cover-up

As the butt of many an Essex joke the people of Southend could never be mistaken as shy and retiring. So there was understandably much excitement that a West End play featuring full-frontal nudity was coming to the town's Cliff 's Pavilion Theatre.

But anticipation turned to outrage when it was discovered that the star of The Graduate was refusing to disrobe fully for her appearance in the resort.

To the consternation of the theatre management, actress Glynis Barber is refusing to take off all her clothes.

Audiences flocked to see the play in the West End, with a number of seductresses - including model Jerry Hall and actress Kathleen Turner - baring all. In a two-year run, it raked in £10 million.

And in the view of the Southend theatre's general manager, Charles Mumford, what was good enough for London-was good enough for Southend. Now, faced with Ms Barber's sudden attack of modesty, he is threatening to cancel the production, which had been set to run for a week next month.

Mr Mumford told the Daily Telegraph: "Clearly if she is not doing it in the nude then she is not doing it, but that's how it was sold. This was a famous scene in London."

Producer Sacha Brooks claims, however, that nobody was misled about how much flesh would be on show. "We never said to anybody that there would be nudity and we would never dream of saying what will and won't happen on the stage six months ahead when we are booking a tour.

"We have never insisted on nudity and every actress playing it in London played it slightly differently."

He said Ms Barber goes topless in the key scene. But the "towel stays around her waist. It doesn't hit the deck.

"I can assure you that the scene is just as sensuous and luscious as it was in London."