Adrian Edmondson will lend his voice to the character of Mr Toad in a new animated series based on The Wind In The Willows.
The actor will head a cast of contemporary UK talent to bring the riverbank adventures of Mole, Toad, Ratty and Badger to life for a new generation of viewers.
The series, titled Toad And Friends, is due to launch on Warner Bros Discovery’s primary-school brand Cartoonito in 2023.
It is based on Kenneth Grahame’s classic British novel which was first published in 1908.
Alongside Edmondson, the cast includes Reuben Joseph as Ratty, Rish Shah as Mole and Seanna Kerslake as Hedge.
Other actors to appear in the series include Ryan Sampson as Smudge/Kingfisher, Amalia Vitale as Tinker/Heron/Adder and Simon Paisley Day as Badger and Chief Weasel.
Edmondson described his character as “big-headed” but “very enthusiastic” and said he “plays a version of him in my own life”.
“I read The Wind In The Willows as a child and also to my children as a bedtime story – it’s a delightful book to read, especially out loud,” he said.
“I thought at the time that my Toad was rather brilliant – which is rather big-headed, in the same way that Toad is rather big-headed.
“Toad is a very enthusiastic person, which I am too. His enthusiasm is real, it’s never faked.
“You want people like that in the world, who really like stuff and who want to go for it, so I’ve always loved him and I love playing him.
“I play a version of him in my own life, and always have. My best friend Troy and I send emails to each other as if they are written by Toad – an enthusiast who doesn’t have much regard for the rules and likes to have a good time.”
