There cannot be much more daunting for an actor than stepping into the shoes of one of the greatest icons of the screen in the role that won him an academy award, while at the same time bringing to the stage one of the world’s best-loved works of fiction.

But for Daniel Betts, who starred in Sweet Bird of Youth at the Old Vic and whose television roles include A Touch of Frost, tackling the roles of patriarch Atticus Finch is a test he has met with relish.

Having not read Harper Lee’s classic tale until recently, Betts says he was blown away by the emotional clout the tale delivers.

He says: "I just thought how could I have missed this?

"You can go from laughing like a drain to weeping uncontrollably. It really is an amazing novel."

Betts says getting Gregory Peck, who played Atticus in the 1962 film, off his shoulder, as well as the weight of expectation that comes with adapting such a well known tale, has been his biggest challenge but he is able to draw inspiration from a story about one of his family members.

His great-grandfather was a lawyer in Nazi Germany, and defied strict instructions from the SS not to represent Jewish clients.

Betts says: "He told the Nazis he would represent whoever he wanted.

"He was arrested and the only reason he didn’t get sent to a concentration camp was because the local high ranking official in the SS was a tobacco merchant who stepped in and said he was one of his best customers and a good man; so essentially smoking saved his life.

"It’s comforting to know that in my own family there was someone like Atticus who stood up for something important that he believed in."

Betts says To Kill a Mockingbird’s narrative and the powerful speech delivered by his character is as relevant today as ever.

He says: "Every night I do this speech about race but you could essentially make the speech about religious bigotry, or about any marginalised people.

"It is the same old thing of trying to understand the ‘other’ and people who are different to us.

"It is a story without a Hollywood ending and it is quite sad, but within that there is an extraordinary hope for the future."

  • To Kill a Mockingbird; Richmond Theatre, Little Green, Richmond; May 15 and 16, 7.30pm. Saturday matinee at 2.30pm; tickets £11.90 - £40.44; visit atgtickets.com/richmond.