STARS CATCH MONTY MANIA

THE red carpet was out and the crowd were in good cheer as the stars turned out for Sheffield biggest showbiz party.

City movie hit The Full Monty was due to go on sale at midnight - Woolworths, HMV and Virgin were all doing special late-night opening sessions to meet demand. But down at the new £32.5 million Players Cafe the fun started several hours earlier, as 700 guests celebrated the astonishing success of the most successful British movie ever made.

And with it being that film, there was even the obligatory appearance by male strippers the Dreamboys, strutting their stuff on the bar - even if they didn't go The Full Monty! The £340,000 party was organised by Def Leppard tour manager Malvin Mortimer - lead singer Joe Elliott, a part owner of the Players Cafe venture, was one of the biggest names rubbing shoulders with the familiar Sheffield party crowd, along with fellow band member Rick Savage.

And the throng outside had plenty to cheer about as Coronation Street favourites Kevin Kennedy, Simon Gregson and Bruce Jones - better known as Curly watts, Steve McDonald and Les Battersby - all showed up. Brookside was represented by Pete Jonson, pizza deliveryman Ron Dixon, Sue Jenkins and Dean Sullivan, who play Jackie and Jimmy Corkhill, and Louis Emerick, who plays Mick Johnson.

And there was even an Emmerdale name on the guest list, courtesy of Sheffield's own Bobby Knutt, accompanied by wife Donna Hartley. Of the full Monty crowd, only Steve Huison and William Snape - the Sheffield schoolboy who plays Robert Carlyle's son - turned up for the fun. Sheffield's own contingent of sporting stars and celebrities arrived in force to help the party go with a swing.

Among them was Brendan Ingle and his wife Alma, who brought with him a bevy of boxers from his stable, including Ryan Rhodes. The champion trainer had just flown back from Ireland where he was filming a movie, The Sparrow Trap, about an Irish boxer who goes to fight in Spain. It saw him in the ring but not as a fighter.

"I play the MC. It was fun to do. The opening night will be in Toronto in September," said Brendan.

Other sporting celebrities included Nottingham Forest manager Dave Bassett, present players from both Owls and Blades, including John Newsome, Andy Booth, Kevin Pressman, Guy Whittingham, David Hirst. Michael Vonk and Southampton's Carlton Palmer, as well as football legends Derek Dooley, Tony Currie and Frank Worthington.

Chris Kamara, manager of Stoke, top referee Uriah Rennie and snooker ace Willie Thorne also joined the fun. Familar Sheffield celebrities included The Bill star Ray Ashcroft, artist Joe Scarborough, Sky TV presenter Anna Walker and '60s pop star Dave Berry. Several of the big names who had been promised by organisers, however, did fail to materialise as the limousines started to pull up at about 7.30pm.

Among the party poopers was Sheffield's very own Sean Bean, in town at the weekend, but who had to be back in London for a meeting. Rangers and England star Paul Gascoigne also cried off. "He got an injury on Saturday and is having treatment," said his mate Chris Waddle, the former Owls footballer, now manager of Burnley.

There were no-shows too from Marti Pellow, of Wet Wet Wet and world boxing champion Prince Naseem Hamed. And Irish boy band Boyzone, whose Michael Graham is cousin to Sheffield music shop boss Kevin Mooney, also couldn't make it.

Joe Elliott, who had worked hard to get them, tried not to sound too disappointed. "They were coming up until Friday but they have got problems with a video and recording session. It was completely out of our hands."