Tony Robinson on aches and pains ahead of Richmond Theatre visit

Adapted for a contemporary audience by One Man, Two Guvnors’ Richard Bean, the play tells the story of penny-pinching Argan, played by Robinson, who is obsessed with a host of imaginary ailments, and desperate to marry his daughter off to a doctor.

Robinson, best known for his role as Baldrick in classic sitcom Blackadder, says on some levels he can relate to his character’s paranoid nature.

He said: “When my daughter heard I’d got the job she said it was the perfect role for me.

“Everybody can get themselves worked up about their health, especially in the age of Google where you can terrify yourself by looking up your symptoms. We are entering a new age of the hypochondriac.

“As any middle-aged person will tell you, your body starts to ache and creak and you can let your mind get carried away with itself.”

The 68-year-old Time Team presenter has always wanted to work with co-star Imogen Stubbs, who plays his younger wife, and the opportunity to share the stage with her is a great adventure.

He says: “Imogen is tremendously talented and there’s some great banter between us off-stage and on it.”

Robinson says that though the original material is centuries old, this adaptation is very modern and accessible.

He says: “It’s a bit rude and it’s very funny; the great thing about it from an audience point of view is how accessible and contemporary it is.

“A lot of people say it reminds them of a Monty Python show.”

• The Hypochondriac; Richmond Theatre, Little Green, Richmond; November 24 to 29, evenings 7.30pm, Wednesday and Saturday matinees 2.30pm; tickets £10-£40.40; for tickets and information, call 0844 8717651 or visit atgtickets.com/Richmond.