HE’S taking on one of theatre’s most demanding and iconic roles. Yes, Jamie Brown is the man behind the stage persona of one of cartoondom’s most famous faces, Scooby-Doo.

But a year ago he was more concerned with soliloquies than Scooby Snacks, playing Shakespeare’s tragic prince, Hamlet, in a production at Derbyshire’s picturesque Poole’s Cavern.

“Yes, I’ve gone from one Great Dane to another,” he laughs.

“I’ve done a lot of Shakespeare in the past. I wanted to do something different, and you can’t get much more different than this!”

Still, Jamie acknowledges there are similarities between the Prince of Denmark and the king of cartoon canines.

“They’re both the title characters, the ones the audience are waiting to see,” he admits.

“But there’s certainly a different approach to each part. For one thing, you’re not creating the role. Adults and children are very familiar with all the characters, so we have to live up to the way they expect us to be.”

Also, Scooby is a much more active part to play than the brooding prince, with movement and gesture playing a greater role than dialogue – which, given Scooby’s much-imitated tendency to start any word with a “rrr”, is probably a good thing.

“I’m really enjoying it – I like physical performances,” Jamie says. “And I think children enjoy physical theatre, as they can relate to it more. They can just see what’s in front of them.”

While Jamie has enjoyed seeing so many youngsters flock to the show, he does appreciate what a demanding audience they can be.

“Oh yes,” he chuckles, “they’re a very honest audience.

“They won’t laugh at something unless they genuinely find it funny.

“When you get a good reaction, you know you’ve got it right.”

Or in other words, he’d have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those pesky kids...

And while Jamie and his fellow actors have clearly been “getting it right” for the show’s long and successful run, it must surely take its toll, especially given Jamie’s costume requirements?

“It’s been very tiring, but it is getting a lot easier – I must be getting to my peak condition by now!” he says with a smile in his voice.

“It takes a lot of physical effort, and it’s easy to lose concentration, as there’s so much heat on stage and in the suit.

“But I’ve managed to keep focusing so far!”

Although racing around the stage in a dog costume at the height of summer sounds like the stuff of nightmares, Jamie has nothing but praise for those who designed his Scooby garb.

“The suit is just brilliant to work with,” he says with obvious enthusiasm.

“It accentuates all your movements, particularly the tail. It’s just really well designed.

“A lot of precautions are taken over heat, but it is still very warm. There are a lot of fans backstage, and plenty of ice water so I can refuel.”

Considering the show’s tour began in February and is slated to continue until November, you can’t blame Jamie for hoping he’ll get a chance to take it easy when the Mystery Machine finally parks up for the winter.

“I might end up doing panto,” he admits. “I’ve done a lot in the past. But I may have Christmas to myself, just with family and friends. I’m going to rest up and look towards January for the next role.”

And what of Scooby himself? Will he make a return to the stage, perhaps in a new adventure? Jamie is quite sure the stage hasn’t finished with the ghost-hunting pooch just yet.

“There’s no doubt he’s an institution. The characters have stood the test of time.”

In the words of Scooby’s closest friend: groovy.

  • Scooby-Doo and the Pirate Ghost is at the Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth, from Wednesday until Sunday.