IT’S a story that was written to get one boy to read. But now Wagstaffe the Wind-Up Boy is about to entertain hundreds of youngsters in Colchester in a theatrical adaptation of the work about to take place at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester.

Wagstaffe, the boy who is put back together by a genius doctor after he is run over by a lorry, is the brainchild of Jan Needle, author of several children’s books as well numerous radio plays and television scripts, including many for Phil Redmond’s soap Brookside.

The inspiration for Wagstaffe was his eldest son.

“He was a strange boy,” Jan said. “While other boys would be reading books under their covers with a torch, he would be looking at maths books.

“I said to him one day, ‘If I write a book for you, will you read it?’And he said he would. I think he read it about ten times in the end, but after that nothing else. It might be the only book he has ever read.”

After getting booted out of grammar school, Jan began his writing career as a journalist for the Portsmouth Evening News, quickly moving on to the nationals with stints on the Daily Mirror and the Daily Star.

Following a return to education at Manchester University where he studied drama, he began writing plays and then novels.

Jan said: “Wagstaffe has had an interesting life. It’s been optioned by various film companies, including Warner Brothers, but never got made and was done once before for the theatre, but that was very different.

“My agent informed me the Mercury wanted me to do it and suggested I write the play, but I like seeing what other people do with my work and so I agreed for Adrian to write the adaptation.”

The Adrian in question is Adrian Stokes, associate director at the Mercury, who in his time at the Colchester theatre has directed, written and acted for the stage.

He chose to adapt the book mainly because it is a big favourite in his own family. He said: “When my son was younger it was one of his favourite stories and mine for that matter because I used to read it to him all the time.

“It’s a really great story, funny and witty and has got bags of adventure in it as well.”

Wagstaffe is a boy so dirty, smelly and frankly loathsome that his parents run off to a circus and travel the world to get away from him.

To celebrate, he plays on the A12 and is squashed flat, but a brilliant doctor patches him up with bits of old machinery, including a key to wind him up, special night vision eyes and a finger through which he can pee.

Life is one big accident for Wagstaffe and when he unwittingly uncovers a dastardly plot to send his missing parents over Niagara Falls in a barrel, he finally sets off to put things right.

Adrian added: “I’ve tried to stay faithful to the story where I can and the great thing about the book is it stays with Wagstaffe pretty much right the way through, so that made it easier for me to adapt it for the stage.

“I did give myself a bit of a free rein at first, but then quickly dragged myself back in.”

The Mercury Company’s celebrated panto team, led by director Janice Dunn, returns for the summer show with a cast including the town’s dearly loved pantomime dame, Tim Treslove, as well as Christine Absalom, Clare Humphrey and David Tarkenter.

Adrian said: “Writing it with the company in mind was very useful for me in terms of knowing the audience I was writing for and possibly company members as well.

“I did have an image of Tim Treslove as Theocritus Troutfish, the circus master, when I was writing it. Although I didn’t have any say in the casting, it was interesting Janice gave him that part.

“Like Jan, I had to leave it alone when I finished it, so I’m very curious as well to see what Janice has done with it.”

l Wagstaffe the Wind-Up Boy runs at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, from May 22 to June 6.

Ticket prices are £7.50 for children at all performances. Adult tickets range from £8.50 to £14.50. Family tickets start at £30 and go up to £36. They are available from the box office on 01206 573948 or at www.mercurytheatre.co.uk As part of a Government scheme, free tickets are also available for the show under the Mercury’s A Night Less Ordinary scheme.

For more information, visit www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/anightlessordinary