ANITA Vettesse is bemoaning the fact she’s had to give up her part-time cleaning job. Seriously.

She misses dragging the Dyson out of the cupboard, taking the Toilet Duck to crusty rims.

Now those who don’t know the Edinburgh-born actress may think her head is full of house dust.

But those who do know Vettesse will realise this is a natural worrier speaking. “When I was cleaning I could forget about everything else,” she offers.

By “everything else” what Vettesse refers to is the writing work on her very full plate at the moment.

In the past three years since coming up with her first play Ring Road, (which is being re-staged at Oran Mor this week) Vettesse has gone on to become one of the most in-demand playwrights in the country.

Last year, she and Johnny McKnight came up with hit comedy musical Bingo!

And this Autumn they plan to follow up the success.

But the demands on her time extend to television.

Vettesse is now a regular writer with BBC Scotland’s River City, with each episode taking 6-10 weeks to complete.

And there are a range of radio commissions. Vettesse has been contracted to write three episodes of a new crime drama for Radio Four.

“I don’t have a family so I can work nights at weekends,” she explains.

“It’s about being really strict, although at some point you realise you’re working seven days a week and you haven’t had a break.”

Anita Vettesse’s natural nervousness, and fear of failure don’t allow her to relax into work.

Even though the writing work floods in that has to be balanced with a fear the acting world will forget about her.

“I’m trying to keep on acting as well,” says the former RSAMD graduate, “but because writing takes up so much time I’m scared to say yes to a touring production.”

She commits instead to episodic roles in the likes of Coronation Street, in which she plays an obstetrician.

“In my last appearance I was supposed to test a baby’s lungs – but forgot to connect my stethoscope to my ears.”

She adds, grinning; “That’s what happens when you’ve only got O’ Grade Biology.

“But I’ll be going down again soon for a few days filming and it’s lovely. What the (short-term) jobs do bring is human contact.”

Vettesse has also been able to squeeze in radio acting.

“I did a play recently which was a love story set on Mars, and I had to do a lot of the recording with a bin lid on my head to try and make it sound like a space helmet.”

The actress may be writing seven days a week but she couldn’t say no to appearing in her own play.

“I’m nervous about it,” she says of stage fright. “I’m getting worse. I still have the fear I can make an a*** of myself and I might embarrass other people.

“And I’ve not been on the stage for a year and a half. God of Carnage was the last thing I did at the Tron.

“But at the same time I feel if I stop acting I’m afraid I’ll be looking over the abyss. And I’m scared because I really love theatre.”

At least Vettesse knows Road Rage to be tried and tested.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to appear in it back then. I was a stressed-out wreck and couldn’t have had to deal with the worry of learning the lines as well.”

It meant actress Angela Darcy was able to prove it all worked wonderfully well.

“That’s true. I got to step back and see if it worked as a comedy,” she says, smiling.

Ring Road tells the story of Lisa, a teacher who is unable to have a child with infertile husband Paul.

In desperation she turns to plumber Mark, who happens to be her brother-in-law (Gavin Jon Wright) in order to get herself pregnant. Lisa sets up a seduction scene in motel, but things go wrong when Mark confesses real feelings for her.

“I was always worried the audience might not like Lisa too much, given what she’s trying to get her brother-in-law to do,” says the writer.

“But hopefully, they grasp onto her desperation. And hopefully forgive her.

“It’s all about trying to find that balance.”

In work and life, Anita.

“That’s so true,” she says, smiling.

“That’s why I really do miss the cleaning, or going to the chapel where I can just sit there for an hour and think.”

A mock horror realisation dawns; “I didn’t even get my ashes this week. I totally forgot. “My head’s too full of playing shops!”

Ring Road, Oran Mor, Glasgow, until Saturday.