East is East star Jane Horrocks says it is 'ridiculous' that she has never been in the minority while acting

Jane Horrocks said it was a great part that lured her back to the stage after a five-year absence – and it was interesting to be the rare white face on stage in the first London revival of the hit play East is East since its premiere 18 years ago.

The Lancashire-born star of Little Voice and Absolutely Fabulous plays Ella, the wife of Pakistan-born George in the award-winning play about a large mixed race family set in Seventies Salford, Manchester.

And she said it was particularly fascinating to her because she grew up in the north but not in a multi-cultural community.

“I didn’t know any mixed race families growing up and I didn’t really think about it. For me, it’s very nostalgic. It’s what I should have known but didn’t know. I just like that. It’s a gap that has been filled in.”

And it was interesting in the light of complaints from black actors about a lack of opportunities to be one of just two white actors in an Asian cast also including Ashley Kumar from EastEnders and Amit Shah who is in the new film The Hundred Foot Journey with Helen Mirren.

“It is interesting that you’re in a minority in a play. You kind of think, why have I not been in this situation before? Why has it always been the other way round? It seems ridiculous.”

Ayub Khan Din, the writer, is starring in his own play for the first time as George which was inspired by his own father who – like George - came to Britain from Pakistan and then tried to stop his children from being influenced by the culture they were living in.

It remained a problem, he said: “Things haven’t changed. The great thing about multiculturalism is it allowed a British Asian community to become a very successful and confident community but the flip side of that was it allowed certain elements of the community to excuse themselves from taking part in society and transport the lives they led in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh into England and expect their children to follow exactly the same mores.”

He said the play had not been re-written but many people thought it seemed more political now. “The themes resonate in a much stronger way.”

Stars including Rupert Everett, Blenda Blethyn and Prunella Scales attended last night’s gala opening at the Trafalgar Studios.