The most charming small mammals you’ll ever meet team up with the world’s most exasperating amphibian to pursue their merry adventures in this adaptation based on Kenneth Grahame’s beloved children’s classic, The Wind in the Willows. This presentation dispenses with animation and relies instead on the striking animal instincts of some very talented actors. Which is only proper, since Grahame’s story features animals acting like people — like slightly barmy Edwardian-era gentlemen, to be exact. British comedian Matt Lucas stars as gadget-crazed Mr. Toad, the irresponsible scion of a great fortune, which he splurges on boats, a caravan, motorcars, and a flamboyant wardrobe. Toad’s hilarious misadventures form the exciting core of The Wind in the Willows, which started out as a series of bedtime stories told by Grahame to his young son in the early years of the 20th-century. One of the most beloved books of all time, The Wind in the Willows has been a favorite of all ages since it was first published in 1908.
Starring Jim Carter, Bob Hoskins, Imelda Staunton, Michael Murphy, Mary Walsh.
Shown on PBS Masterpiece Theatre.