The only Toad in the village

13 April 2012

There is no need for green make-up. With his bald head and rotund figure, Matt Lucas requires only a flamboyant tweed suit to turn him into a convincing Mr Toad.

The Little Britain comedian has just finished filming a spectacular £5million star-studded production of The Wind In The Willows, to be screened on the BBC on Boxing Day.

In it Lucas, pictured here for the first time in the role, swaps the latex leotards he wears as Dafydd, The Only Gay In The Village, for some equally bizarre Victorian outfits.

They include a green-checked three-piece suit with extraordinary blue piping, a red tartan outfit with plus-four breeches and a set of pink and green striped overalls.

In one scene, Toad is even reminiscent of Lucas's other outrageously camp character, Florence the moustachioed transvestite.

Bucolic

The arrogant amphibian escapes from jail disguised as a washerwoman in a long dress, shawl and floral bonnet that distinctly resemble those worn by his 'laydee' in Little Britain.

Bob Hoskins, who plays Badger, sports equally outrageous costumes - and even has white stripes dyed into his hair. The film also stars Anna Maxwell Martin and Imelda Staunton.

The screenplay, adapted from Kenneth Grahame's book, was written by Lee Hall, best known for Billy Elliot. But purists may be upset that this most bucolic of English tales was in fact filmed in the ancient forests of Romania.

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