The Wind in the Willows

''Believe me, my young friend, there is absolutely nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. In them or out of them, it doesn''t matter. Whether you get away or you don''t, whether you arrive at your destination or whether you never get anywhere at all, you''re always busy.''

Ever since the publication of Kenneth Grahame''s novel in 1908, the characters of Ratty, Mole, Toad and Badger have delighted generations of readers. Now Alan Bennett has written an adaptation for the stage, a version which is both true to the original and yet carries that distinctive Bennett hallmark.

Alan Bennett introduces this edition, writing about the history of the project and the staging of the production.

''Bennett is even able to inject the odd sly joke for the adult without bewildering the tots... the result is a delightful evening, a treat for anyone.'' The Times