Tall Stories help Mr Benn celebrate his anniversary at The Rose

The cartoon, created by David McKee and based on his own books, has charmed generations of youngsters over the years. One of those young viewers was Olivia Jacobs, now the artistic director of Tall Stories, who says this new theatrical version of Mr Benn, which will run at The Rose Theatre from May 18-21, marks the realisation of a long-held ambition for her.

“When I was little my best thing in the whole world was to be able to come home and eat my tea at a tray table in front of Mr Benn - the concept of a man who can open a door and have millions of adventures is just so great,” she explains.

“I always thought when we we created Tall Stories that Mr Benn would be a show I’d love to do and it has suddenly happened.”

Tall Stories was given plenty of freedom by David McKee to create their own magical and musical version of Mr Benn. Jacobs says one of the production team’s guiding principles was to create a show that could stand apart from the television version, while staying faithful to what people know and love about the character and the stories.

Jacobs adds: “I’m working with a cult hero and we have to make sure we don’t ruin it for those who adore Mr Benn, and there is a die-hard fanbase out there. It would be sad to miss the little moments in Mr Benn, like when he takes his hat off and when the shopkeeper appears, but we don’t just want to replicate the series because then people might as well just watch the DVD. It had to be theatrical and we had to bring new things to it, which I hope we have done.”

Tall Stories is one the country’s leading children’s theatre companies having previously produced the ecstatically received stage versions of Room on a Broom and The Gruffalo. They will also being be bringing their Gruffalo sequel, The Gruffalo’s Child, to The Rose from June 24 to 26. For more information and to book tickets for both of these shows, visit rosetheatrekingston.org