IT'S not easy taking on a role only played once before and then by one of Britain's greatest actors.

Patrick Ryecart is playing stiff-upper-lipped English colonel Basil Barrow in a new stage production of Tunes of Glory at Malvern Theatres.

The role was played by Sir John Mills in the classic film of the same name.

"I love getting involved in new things and the original film was amazing. Hitchcock described it as the best film of all time. It's never been turned into a play until now but it should have been," said Patrick.

Set in bleak, snowy Scotland a few years after the war, it is about a Scottish regiment and the conflicts of dysfunctional personalities in a rigid, claustrophobic military setting.

Although he has no military experience of his own, Patrick did attend a boys boarding school and sees similarities between the environments.

"Putting lots of men together in a place with strict rules and hierarchy seems to create a particular kind of pettiness and bullying," he said.

The men of the 600-strong regiment and the Scottish mountains are a backdrop to the events taking place between the main characters.

The backdrop that appears on stage is not mere painted scenery but living, moving cinematic images, seemlessly integrated into the story. The digital projection is state-of-the art and, for Patrick, part of the excitement.

He said projected images and the music of the London Scottish Regiment's pipes and drums gave the play a sense of place and scale.

Patrick and the rest of the cast will be wearing uniforms used in the original film.

"It's not so much following in John Mills' footsteps as wearing his kilt," said Patrick.

Tunes of Glory runs from Tuesday to Saturday, February 14-18, and is produced by Malvern-based Middle Ground Theatre Company. For tickets, call 01684 892277.