ACTOR Scott Reid is under no illusions as to the challenge which he faces over the next nine months.

Scott will be taking on the lead role of Christopher in a new touring version of the award-winning play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which debuts at the Lowry, Salford Quays, next weekend.

As well as being the key role in a play which has picked up a glittering array of awards on both ides of the Atlantic, the part is also both physically and mentally demanding. Indeed such are the demands that Scott will not perform every night during the show’s nine month run.

“Part of me wants to try because I’m a natural born performer,” he said, “but the realist in me says ‘no, it’s just not possible’.

“Christopher is such a beautifully demanding role in terms of focus and concentration. Physically it’s so demanding but you also mentally put yourself through the ringer with every performance.”

Based on the best-selling novel by Mark Haddon, Curious follows 15-year-old Christopher as he investigates the mysterious death of his neighbour’s dog.

“Christopher is wired differently,” said Scott. “For him every day has challenges and he takes the audience on that journey with him. That’s the beauty of the play, it allows you to see the world differently.”

Combining a hi-tech set and almost balletic movement, Curious broke new ground when it was first performed in 2013. The show has been running in London’s West End ever since and has also been on Broadway.

“I think Christopher is a coming of age part for a young actor,” said Scott, who TV viewers will know through the comedy series Still Game and the drama Line of Duty.

“I feel very lucky to be playing him. This is going to define me for the next chapter of what I’m going through as an actor.”

Scott admits he hadn’t read the book before he got the part. “In my teens I was more into the American best writers like Kerouac,” he said. “I did go to see the play in the West End before I went for the audition.

“This show is a real marathon for an actor and I wanted to see how someone else was doing it and then do it my way.

“I steal, it’s what good actors do and I’m unapologetic about that. I’ll steal it and make it mine and then do it differently.

“The best actors put themselves in situations which hurt and challenge them and Curious does that.

“If I’d wanted an easy life I wouldn’t have come and done Curious. I’d have sat back and waited for another role.”

The touring cast - all different from the West End production which continues until June - have undergone an intensive rehearsal period.

“We do yoga and circuit training every morning.” said Scott. “At the end of the run I will never have been fitter that’s for sure. But this is just such a brilliant play to be part of and it’s why, as an actor, I genuinely think I have the best job in the world.”

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the Lowry, Salford Quays, Saturday, January 21 to Saturday, February 4. Details from 0843 208 6000