ITS main characters may all be animals, but The Wind in the Willows contains some of the most instantly identifiable characters in the whole of literature.

The classic children's story by Kenneth Grahame, loved by generations of young readers and their parents, succeeded at least in part because the three main protagonists - including the slow and sensible Badger and the pompous Mr Toad - were all such familiar types to start with.

This stage adaptation by Alan Bennett kicks off the New Theatre Royal's Christmas season in joyful style, offering a fun, and far less tacky, alternative to the usual round of pantomimes.

December 4 - 7, New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth. Performance: 7.45pm (Saturday matinee at 3pm).