OLIVER Ford Davies has one of those faces where you feel as if you have seen him before and know him well. That is hardly surprising looking at the long list of acting credits.

The 71-year-old actor has appeared on stage and on screen over the years and is currently bringing the beautiful story of Goodnight Mister Tom to life, which is coming to the Wycombe Swan next month.

David Wood, who Ford Davies went to university with, has created a brand new adaptation of the the Michelle Magorian novel.

It follows the developing friendship of Tom Oakley and young evacuee, William Beech who is sent to the country during the Second World War. The story is best known for the TV film adaptation with John Thaw.

Ford Davies said: “I think fundamentally it is a story about two very damaged people- one aged 10 and one aged 70, who have closed in on themselves and don't have friends and don't have a community. They are thrown together arbitrarily against their will, due to the war.

“In their relationship they both blossom and both come out of themselves. It is a very optimistic story about humanity.”

Ford Davies starred alongside David Tennant in Hamlet as Polonius and has many theatre credits to his name. In film he is best known as Sio Bibble in the three Star Wars prequels and has also starred in Atonement, Johnny English and Mrs Brown.

On TV he has been on Land Girls series 2, Midsomer Murders, Rosemary and Thyme series two and Spooks series two.

There are six boys aged around 12 taking the parts of Will and Zach in Goodnight Mister Tom who Ford Davies said are very experienced and professional.

He said: “The thing about youngish children before puberty they are very intuitive. They just kind of do it. The don't rationalise it so much.”

Ford Davies was an evacuee himself during the War and was sent to North Dorset. He was born days before the war broke out. He said the earliest memories he has are of when he was three or four living a “very simple life” in a cottage without electricity and gas.

He also has early memories of coming to our own West Wycombe to visit three elderly Aunts.

He said: “I used to go and stay there when I was about seven/eight or nine. I have a particular memory of being there in the snow and you know the very high hill with the ball sits on. I was sledging down that hill on one of my aunt's trays, which must have been quite dangerous.”

His Aunt also read the Bucks Free Press which he said thought the name sounded as if it was from the Wild Wild West.

The actor was recently filming at the West Wycombe Estate on The Deep Blue Sea.

When he was filming the Queen's Palace scene for Star Wars they filmed at the Royal Palace outside Naples, which he said was 'strange.'

He said: “I even had a scene with a 12-year-old Keira Knightley who played one of the Queen's doubles. You could never be sure who was Natalie Portman.

“They didn't explain very clearly to me that we would rehearse with a lot of extras playing the droids and then when we came to the actual take they weren't there but we have to leave room to put in CGI. You would get a very earnest American come up to me and say. 'You didn't leave quite enough room.' It was like being 8-years-old again. I was hustled away but no-one was hustling you away. So you had to hustle yourself away, like an 8-year-old.”

The Children’s Touring Partnership is a new producing partnership led by independent producer Fiery Angel, the Chichester Festival Theatre and a consortium of major regional theatres. It focuses on producing work nationwide for children aged eight years and above.

The Partnership will be linking theatre to education through a variety of events, workshops and talks. With support from Arts Council England, Goodnight Mister Tom is the Partnership’s first production.

Goodnight Mister Tom is at the Wycombe Swan from March 1-5. Tue –Sat 7pm, Wed matinee at 1pm and Saturday Matinee at 2.30pm. Tickets range from £13 to £18 from 01494 512000 or go to www.wycombeswan.co.uk.