‘I’VE done 46 years on stage and screen... I think I deserve a medal for just for being here,” jokes veteran actor David Troughton, who is about to bring the classic adaptation of Goodnight Mister Tom to Newcastle Theatre Royal.

Troughton, who recently made headlines for taking over the role of Tony Archer in BBC Radio 4’s TheArchers, says he’s always wanted to play the role of Tom Oakley ever since he read Michelle Magorian’s book to his three sons in the 1980s.

“Michelle writes characters so well and David Wood has done a brilliant adaptation for the stage with filmic, very short screens which rolls along and it makes people cry... and laugh, of course. But it is a very harsh story,” says Troughton.

The novel is celebrating its 35th year and follows the evacuation of young William Beech (Alex Taylor-McDowall) from London to Dorsetshire in the run-up to the Second World War. Oakley is a short-tempered village recluse who becomes the unlikely saviour for Tom.

“You’ve got to remember that this man was born around 1880 and he’s a man with an old Dorsetshire accent and he’s chosen to life a life alone ever since his wife and newborn baby died. He lives in a different world. I know that 1939 isn’t modern, but it was then and he’s still of an earlier period. The war coming is quite a shock. Even before any bombs had dropped the Government decided to get the evacuation going and, then, with nothing happening, a lot of them went back. But not in this case,” he explains.

There is a slight difference between working with children and animals because Birmingham Stage Company have cast puppeteer Elisa de Grey to play the role of Sammy, Tom’s dog.

“Well, we do have an animal, which is a puppet and we’ve got children, so I still consider it a double whammy. Elisa who works Sammy is just brilliant and it’s like having a real dog on stage. It’s a life-size collie and we’ve formed a very close relationship the dog and me as I have done with the three sets of children. Every pair is slightly different in their interpretation and it really keeps me on my toes. We’re playing a week at a time, while in the West End it was just three performances, so it’s easier to get used to all the quirks... and that’s including my own,” Troughton jokes.

He’s particularly looking forward to a week in Tyneside having appeared on numerous occasions with the Royal Shakespeare Company seasons at Newcastle Theatre Royal, including one of the best Richard III’s ever portrayed by the world famous company.

“This is one of my favourite theatres, apart from The Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. The renovations have been done so sympathetically, but the most important thing is the plaster, brick and wood. That’s what makes the resonance possible, while the modern concrete and plastic is just hopeless,” he says.

Troughton sums up the challenges taken in his career as coming under the heading of three Ps.

“When you’re young it’s the part, when you’re middle-aged with a mortgage it’s the pay and when you’re my age it’s the parking. As long as I can park somewhere safely, I’ll take the job. I remember when the RSC came up to Newcastle in the 1980s, out of a company of 70, about 20 of them had cars stolen. I think the vehicles were shipped out via Sweden to Europe. So, I’m coming up by train,” he says.

Troughton mentions his father Patrick, the second Doctor Who, when it came to replacing Colin Skipp as Tony Archer in 2014.

“Like my father, I took on a well-known role. Colin Skipp had played the role for 40 years wanted to retire and the programme didn’t want to kill him off. I was honoured to be asked and I listened to a lot of his recordings because I wasn’t a great Archers listener and got the rhythms of his speech and make the part your own,” says the actor who hasn’t dare look at the web forums dedicated to the world’s oldest soap opera.

Troughton is aware that Archers’ fans aren’t slow in offering an opinion, as seen in the recent wife abuse storyline, and found that the decision to cast his son William as Tony’s son Tom produced an unexpected reaction.

“William didn’t tell me for two weeks after he went up for the role and was told not to mention it to me. The producer phoned me up and said, ‘How would you feel about your son playing your son?’ I thought it would be great. It’s rare these things happen and a lot of people accused the show of nepotism, but I think this decision adds to it. In front of the microphone Will and I try to have a laugh at whatever we’re doing. There’s no point in taking anything seriously. You’d go mad if you did,” says Troughton, who has two other sons – actor Sam and Warwickshire cricketer Jim.

The actor’s next role is in King Lear, in June, with the RSC, where he is an associate actor.

“Lear is a play which you mustn’t take too seriously or you will go mad. Sir Antony Sher is playing Lear and I’m Gloucester. I’m not quite old enough for Lear yet. It’s one of those roles where you have to be young enough to do it, but old enough to play the part,” he says.

On TV, in popular series like New Tricks and Grantchester, Troughton has played characters who have the ability to frighten others.

“I’ve got a very dark side, but it’s all part of acting and you have got to find yourself as a horrible character. It’s like being a king. You can act a king, but it takes the other people to make you the king. And it takes the other people to be frightened of you as well. It’s not about being frightening, but being calm and collected about it because that can be as frightening as scaring the bejabbers out of people,” he says.

n Goodnight Mr Tom, Newcastle Theatre Royal, May 17 to May 21. Box Office: 0844-811-2121 or theatreroyal.co.uk