AS one of the vocal team behind Deadringers, James Hurn is used to becoming someone else. But for his new one-man who which comes to Darwen Library Theatre next week he has set himself a great challenge.

For James will perform three episodes of the classic comedy series Hancock’s Half Hour playing every single character.

“I just present the show as if it was a radio performance in front of a live audience. it’ll be one man with many voices – I will be playing all the characters including Hattie Jacques!”

James is taking the show on tour around the country to celebrate the 60th anniversary of hugely successful radio comedy moving over to TV.

He will perform three complete episodes written by Galton and Simpson - Sunday Afternoon at Home, 13th of the Series and The Missing Page.

And although they may be more than 60 years old, James believes that all three episodes remain as funny and as relevant today.

“I’m a great believer that quality in anything lasts,” he said, “and that is certainly true of Hancock’s Half Hour.”

Fronted by Tony Hancock as a down-at-heel comedian living in East Cheam, the series featured a number of regular characters played by the likes of Sid James, Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques.

“I’ve got to say I’d never attempted to do Hattie Jacques before I decided to do the show,” said James, “but she only has a few lines and I think I get away with it.”

Having grown up with listening to Hancock’s Half Hour as a child, James has a special affection for the series.

“I’m 42 now so when I was a kid in the 1980s I just always remembers sitting as a family watching repeats of Hancock’s Half Hour and it really made an impact on me,” he said.

“I’ve always loved what you might call classic comedy like Laurel and Hardy or Norman Wisdom, almost old fashioned stuff if you like.”

James found that he had a talent for being a mimic while at school.

“I’ve always had a good memory for things,” he said, “so if I saw a film I would come out of the cinema trying to do the lines as I’d heard them.

“So if we’d been to see Batman, I be Jack Nicholson as the Joker in front of my friends. I’d often do that in the playground, being characters from shows you’d watched the night before to entertain my mates.

“I was also very fortunate that the schools I went to always seemed to be putting on quite big productions which I got involved in.

“I was never one for sport I was more inclined towards performing and I always seemed to get character parts where you’d need to change your voice.

“I sometimes don’t even know how I do it myself but I can just pull a face and I start to become a character or a well know person.

“I always start by trying to get the voice but I don’t do it in front of a mirror like some people do, I’ll just work on the voice.”

Having successfully mimicked everyone from David Beckham to Prince William and now the entire cast of Hancock’s Half Hour is there anyone James can’t impersonate?

“Some people, particularly politicians, don’t have anything that you can hook on to, they are very generic, so they are the ones I tend to steer clear of. You can’t do everyone it’s impossible,” he said.

Hancock’s Half Hour, Darwen Library Theatre, Thursday, March 16. Details from 0844 847 1664