James Burton is delighted to be playing the naughty Mr Toad, reports Charles Hutchinson.

READING The Wind In The Willows, there was only one role that James Burton wanted to bag.

"As a child Mr Toad was always the most fascinating character.

"For me, it was his naughtiness, though there's also a certain charm about him," says James, who will be hopping about the Grand Opera House stage in York next week.

"He's a bit of a rogue, a dreadful braggart, and conspicuous consumption is his thing, but he's good at heart.

"We love him for the way he steals cars and runs around the countryside calling policemen 'Fat Face', but then we strongly feature his redemption in the second half."

Kenneth Grahame's riparian adventure story of a Mole, a Rat, a Badger, some wicked weasels and an extravagant Toad has been adapted for the stage by Steve Richards, whose production with live music and animation ran at London's Bloomsbury Theatre over the Christmas season.

James Burton joined the Splats Theatre Company cast for the show's tour in 2005.

"The director Richards had seen me in a show in London, The News Revue at the Canal Theatre in Notting Hill.

"It's a topical sketch show with a cast of four and a pianist, and in fact it is London's longest-running comedy show.

"It was a great experience for me," says James.

"I was doing impressions of Tony Blair, John Kerry during the American election, Rolf Harris, Prince Charles and...Osama Bin Laden. We took a few liberties with him, presenting him as this Frank Spencer figure, a hapless terrorist - all in bad taste!"

James completed his run in The News Revue in December, joined the Globe Players for a schools tour of A Christmas Carol and then "walked straight into" the role of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows, much to his delight.

"I'm very fond of the book and I remember seeing the Cosgrove Hall animated film with David Jason, Ian Carmichael and Sir Michael Hordern doing the voices.

"I'm 29 now and that was a strong childhood memory," he says.

"Reading the book again as an adult, there's the element of nostalgia, harking back to an old England where everything seemed to be more gentle and calmer, and there's still that fascination with animals with human characteristics, which goes back to reading Aesop's Fables and Beatrix Potter."

The Splats production is traditional but with a couple of modern flourishes: live animation that utilises EH Shephard's original drawings and, secondly, half-masks made by the creators of Spitting Image.

"You get used to the masks," James says.

"They're not the most comfortable thing to wear - and I have a fat suit for Mr Toad's big belly - but the great advantage is that hopefully the masks are wonderfully expressive and do a lot of work for you."

Kenneth Grahame's The Wind In The Willows, Grand Opera House, York, March 1 to 5. Performances: 7pm, except Wednesday; 10.30am, Wednesday, Friday; 2.30pm, Wednesday, Saturday. Tickets: £7.50 to £13.50 on 0870 606 3590.

Updated: 16:29 Thursday, February 24, 2005