When my colleague saw the Ministry of Burlesque was coming to Croydon he was immediately up in arms and expected groups to be out in force condemning the risque art form - but such has been the success of its recent revival he had no such luck.

Barely an eyebrow was raised at the coming of acts like Kitty Klaw, Gipsy Charms and Vicky Butterfly to the Clocktower and if anything it caused more excitement than outrage.

“People should have a go as they get a sense of freedom and fun from it,” said Klaw, who is more commonly known as founder of the company Kirsty Allan.

“It is unlike anything you would ever have done before and you can be anything you want to be, a man playing a woman or a woman playing a man, you can even be an animal, anything at all.”

Allan, who started the company back in 2002, admits that the word burlesque can invoke a quiet tut and a shake of the head from some, but feels it is important to keep some sort of distance between the Victorian form and the American striptease.

“There is the classical burlesque and the American burlesque,” she said.

“The classical is the one from Victorian Britain based on satire and musical comedy and had nothing to do with striptease, it was only when the Americans adapted the term in the early 20th century that it got associated with striptease.

“The act of burlesquing should bring about a reaction from everyone who watches, perhaps in different ways as burlesque is a form of spectacular satire.

“However, striptease is an art form in its own right and relies on sex appeal, therefore, it demands exceptional skill and experience for it to be done well.

“If someone does not perform a striptease exceedingly well it is difficult for an audience to find a way to engage with that performer.”

“Thankfully most people these days realise that when people perform striptease and burlesque they are doing a non-nude and often kitsch or ‘vintage’ style of performance and often with no garment removal at all.”

The Ministry’s Gypsy Charms, the UK's foremost expert in Striptease, will be hosting a workshop next Wednesday teaching budding burlesquers about the two different types before the company combine their sell-out High Tease Revue show with bits from their Victorian Diaries in a celebration of the traditional variety show.

Among the acts will be Vicky Butterfly, who starred in the Verve’s video for their single Love is Noise last year - she was the one at the end who undoes her corset to release a bunch of butterflies - as well as show tunes singer Delores and a piece with Allan starring as Klaw in Piccadilly Prowler.

“It’s a little bit of Victorian intrigue,” she said.

“A young lady is trying to seduce a young man in a park and cannot understand that her attentions are wasted as he is a homosexual. The explanation of which is, of course, given through bawdy song and dance.

“Each act is a spectacle and offers a sense of fun – whether that’s coquettish sass, sultry sex appeal, musical comedy or bawdy satire.”

Ministry of Burlesque, Croydon Clocktower, Katharine Street, High Tease Workshop, February 25, 7pm, £6, High Tease Revue, February 26, 8pm, £10 (or both for £15). Call 020 8253 1030 or visit croydonclocktower.org.uk.