Buffy The Vampire Slayer

ALEXIS Denisof is in Williamson Square outside the Playhouse, relaxed in T-shirt and jeans and smiling as he looks around.

He remarks that the city is changing all the time and for the better: "There’s so many cranes on the skyline ... it’s booming and revitalised. I just hope the people benefit from all this growth." The star, who has appeared in such global TV hits as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, was so pleased to get the call to come to Liverpool and appear in the Playhouse’s opening play for the new season, All My Sons.

Alexis knows and loves the city well.

"I came to London as a teenager and studied at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA)," he explains.

"But I have a few strong Liverpool connections, too.

"One was my video appearance in the pop film for George Harrison’s song I Got My Mind Set On You in the late 80s.

"We filmed two videos which were a boy-meets-girl type mini-film and to this day I couldn’t tell you which one they actually used.

"I only wanted to be in it because of George Harrison.

"I do know it was a cold studio session in London and we were all hoping George would pop in any minute.

"Then we found out that he and his band had already recorded their bits."

He shakes his head and laughs. Alexis laughs a lot.

"Ah, well, there went my chance to meet a Beatle ..." he shrugs.

His other connection was travelling to Liverpool to film the 1994 drama Faith - Colin McKeown’s

award-winning TV film in which he played a politician’s "bit on the side - it was one of those scandals in Westminster."

"I remember it was ironic because Liverpool doubled up for London for the location shots. I was back and forth on the train. Leaving London to go to ... London which was really Liverpool!

"We had the screening premiere at the Everyman I recall."

Alexis, born in Maryland, USA, is actually of Russian descent thus his very distinctive name. He grew up in Seattle but found London in the 80s.

After Lamda, he worked in the capital during the 90s. And while there he met and had a relationship with writer and actress Caroline Aherne. The couple were ’an item’ he says when she was working on a pilot for The Royle Family.

Alexis had also fallen in love with British humour.

He says: "Caroline would ask me during the creative process what I thought of this and that and then, when the show actually went out, there I was in the credits with ’special thanks’ from Caroline. I was honoured - it was very generous of her, after all it was her idea."

After an amicable split with Caroline, he met his wife Alyson Hannigan while on the set of Buffy where she played Willow Rosenberg. They married in 2003.

There were all a lot of people dressed as me looking just LIKE me as Wesley, that is.

"I also worked on three series of Sharpe and on Soldier Soldier."

Alexis now has a recurring role as Sandy Rivers in his wife Alyson Hannigan’s show How I Met Your Mother, currently on BBC2.

Alexis says that his actress wife will come and see him during the run.

"I guess she really just wants to come and see Liverpool and all the Beatle spots. Maybe she will catch the play in between."

* All My Sons, Liverpool Playhouse, September 15 to October 7, at 7.30pm. Call 0151-709 4776 or visit www.everymanplayhouse.com