Why should I strip?

Glynis Barber is standing in the foyer of Manchester's Lowry theatre, her eyes masked by dark glasses. Her body, encased in leather jeans and black cardigan, is enviable for a woman even half her 47 years.

It is worth mentioning at this stage that both Glynis's figure and age are significant, bearing in mind the press coverage given to both in recent weeks.

Glynis, best known as one of the stars of 1980s cop series Dempsey and Makepeace, is the latest celebrity in the stage version of The Graduate, taking on the role of middle-aged temptress Mrs Robinson for the show's four-month nationwide tour.

The play has received much press coverage, not only due to the calibre of the actresses in the lead role (Kathleen Turner, Linda Gray, Amanda Donohoe and Jerry Hall), but also because of the more pertinent fact that in the scene where Mrs Robinson seduces Benjamin Braddock, all of the actresses have disrobed entirely.

But when Glynis performed the scene in the tour's opening venue last month she kept her clothes on. The move prompted such outrage that when she appeared in Southend last week, only 350 people turned up at the 1,600-seat theatre. It must have been the first time in history that an actress has caused such a stir by keeping her clothes on.

"To be honest," says Glynis, "I'm staggered and bemused by all this publicity." This is the first time that Glynis has talked at length about the furore and it is clear from her aggressive tone that she is not best pleased with it.

The tour is still going on, and despite Glynis's efforts to alleviate fears about the show's popularity, one can't help but conclude that if she had performed that 20-second nude scene, they'd have been hanging from the rafters.

"I don't think it made a blind bit of difference," says Glynis. "I've had nothing but respect and warmth from the audiences."

She smiles serenely. "Saying me keeping my clothes on has been responsible for dwindling numbers is ridiculous. Focusing on my nudity could only happen in this country. There's something dreadfully puerile about people's interest in seeing nudity on stage. I blame that sniggering boarding-school mentality."

She goes on to admit she has "never before done nude scenes as there has never been a part I've wanted to do them for" (she used a body double for nude scenes in Michael Winner's film Wicked Lady) and concedes that "to a certain extent I was shy of being naked on stage".