THE current, excellent production at Manchester Opera House is a lesson in both how talent will out and making a career away from TV.

The musical version of “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” runs there until Saturday and if you get the chance to see it, please do because it’s brilliant.

It’s faithful to the 1988 film starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin, with Michael Praed in the role of the suave fraudster and Noel Sullivan as Freddy. Mark Benson is the French chief of police, turning in his usual engaging performance.

Praed played Robin Hood in the BAFTA-winning 1984 version and Noel Sullivan rose to fame in 2001 in ill-fated pop group Hear’Say.

Both have scarcely been visible on TV since then, instead making first-class careers in stage shows. In fact, Carley Stenson, the main female interest in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, also came out of “Hollyoaks” to carve out an impressive stage career.

It’s not a popular point of view, but TV really isn’t everything when it comes to successful lives.