He's been the voice of children's TV characters for 10 years but now Bob Golding is taking on the role of his life as one of our favourite comedians.

We spoke to the actor before the show makes its North West debut in Burnley, direct from the West End.

BOB Golding bears an uncanny likeness to Eric Morecambe.

And without prompting he can reel off the most distant and detailed facts about the legendary comic’s life, as if he were talking about his own memories. As the voice of figures such as Max and Milo in The Tweenies and PC Plod in Noddy, Bob is used to immersing himself in a character.

But his latest role, as Morecambe, in the eponymous show,, has quite literally taken over the 39-year-old actor’s life.

“A lot of the research I’ve been doing is at home and my three children now also know all about Eric and Ernie. It’s sort of taken over my life for the last year and a half. I try to be Bob Golding, dad and husband, but there’s a lot of Eric still around. I come out with his phrases all the time,” he giggled.

“It’s been one of those projects where I said to my wife, in about 2007, I’m just going to do a short play in Edinburgh about Eric Morcambe. And here we are still doing it,” revealed the performer from St Albans.

Now, as he embarks on a 120-date tour of the country, Bob says he is looking forward to coming back up north after having spent much of his early career on the stage in the area’s theatres.

The one-man show, which commemorates the 25th anniversary of the star’s untimely death in 1984, enjoyed a sell out run in the West End last year. And Bob has won an army of admirers and rave reviews for his portrayal of Eric. These include some of the country’s favourite comedians, many of whom were Eric’s contemporaries and friends.

“Ronnie Corbett came to see me personally in my dressing room in Edinburgh and he was in tears. He said ‘that was spot on kid’ and I was delighted. I couldn’t believe he’d come to my dressing room, and with such compliments,” Bob recalled.

Even Eric’s family have congratulated Bob on his performance. Eric’s daughter, Gail, has publicly thanked Bob on countless occasions and the actor was thrilled to have met Eric’s widow, Joan.

“She was Miss Margate 1951. She’s still as radiant as ever and thankfully she loved my portrayal,” he said.

“I’m dealing with a national treasure here and I had worried if I’d do him justice. Thankfully people seem to be enjoying it.”

After learning 60 pages of dialogue and all the technical arrangements, Bob had the task of becoming an expert on one half of Morecambe and Wise — which turned into more of a hobby than a job.

“I’m a bit of a British comedy geek, which came in handy. At the height of Morecambe and Wise’s fame I was only seven yet I grew up watching them. And that’s how wide their appeal is. Because of all the many re-runs, people of all ages love them.

“But doing all the research I found out so much more about Eric that I didn't know. In fact, the first half of the play is telling the audience all about the unknown. For example, the extreme struggle they had to succeed. Their first series was completely panned by the critics.

“I had a lot of fun watching tapes. It was the best research I’ve done — days and days sat in front of the TV, with a cup of tea, laughing.”

The show, directed by Guy Masterson, follows Eric’s journey from a child performer on Morecambe Pier to international stardom. And while theatregoers are still getting used to the concept, the idea for the play first came in 1997 when Bob was working with Guy at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The director casually mentioned to Bob, who was playing his son, about his extraordinary likeness to a young Eric Morecambe but the idea was put on hold because Guy said Bob looked too young to play Eric then.

“He said I was silly, like Eric,” he laughed. “And that is the secret to Eric — his silliness, his lovable buffoonery.

“Anyway, here we are 12 years down the line and I really had forgotten about it —and I wanted to in a way because the prospect of doing a one-man show is scary as hell. I’m not sure if I’d do one again. It’s pretty lonely on your own up there. I’m used to it now but it’s still a real challenge.”

The tour runs until November, taking in theatres at all ends of the country. But what happens next for Bob?

“Its going to take a lot of topping. I think I’d like to do some TV other than the voiceovers. But until November I’m the legend that was Eric Morecambe.”

* Morecambe is at the Mechanics, Burnley on February 2 at 7.30pm. Tickets from box office 01282 664400.