April 30, 2001 16:59: Deciding which fast car to buy, where to go for exotic holidays and whether to opt for a fashionable flat overlooking Regent's Park or a country mansion is a common fantasy conversation, usually started by someone saying "When I win the Lottery"

But would becoming an instant millionaire really be the answer to all your dreams or would it be the start of an awful nightmare?

Spend, Spend, Spend tells the story of the original overnight celebrity Viv Nicholson, who won the equivalent of £3m on the Pools in 1961.

She famously told the tabloids she'd spend, spend, spend the cash but her dream-come-true soon turned into her worst nightmare.

Barbara Dickson recreates her West End role of the "old" Viv in the rags-to-riches-and-back-to-rags story which is now touring regional theatres.

She said: "I've got a big soft spot for this character. She was one of the first people to become famous for being famous.

"There are hundreds of people around like that today, but at the time it was unusual."

She added: "When Viv won the money she was very young. She was seduced by fame and glamour and gave herself to the press.

"When it went wrong for her she turned to drink and drugs and she naively sought solace in the press."

After their big win, Viv and husband Keith suddenly find themselves out of place in their hometown of Castleford, Yorkshire, so they move to a snooty neighbourhood where they are equally unwelcome.

Their marriage begins to flounder under the pressure of enormous wealth and just when things can't get any worse for Viv, Keith is killed in a car crash leaving her in financial trouble and at the mercy of the bank manager, the tax-man and her grasping relatives.

Down to her last £10,000 Viv invests everything in a clothes shop but bad business decisions leave her penniless.

Dickson said: "Keith and Viv didn't have a clue how to deal with it. They were very naive. At the time Viv's dad said to her you'll need two rooms'. He saw the money in pound notes and didn't think it would be in a bank. It was a different culture in those days.

"But it's a fantastic show and it's nice that audiences get to see the original cast from the West End production."

Dickson is no stranger to fame and fortune but is not sure what to say to people who suddenly find themselves in the spotlight.

She said: "I don't know what advice to give them. If you work for your money or do it gradually through the sweat of your brow you go through a process of maturing in the job and public eye.

"I remember speaking to some Lottery winners and they said they didn't really know who their friends were any more."

Spend, Spend, Spend is at the Churchill Theatre, High Street, Bromley, from Friday, May 4, to Saturday, May 19. Shows start at 7.45pm with matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays at 2.30pm. Tickets priced from £16 to £25 are available from the box office on 020 8460 6677.

Tracey Wye