Actor Mathew Baynton is making a long-awaited return to the stage, starring as Bottom in a brand-new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

And as he tells What’s On, it’s the perfect role for him to play following the finale of his hugely popular TV comedy series, Ghosts…

After his much-loved TV show Ghosts came to an end last year, performer and co-creator Mathew Baynton - who played the character of Thomas Thorne in the series - didn’t have long to think about how to fill his time.

The man also known for co-creating Horrible Histories had already filmed roles in blockbuster movie Wonka and a TV adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder Is Easy when the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) offered him the chance to return to the stage for the first time in a decade. He’s signed up to play Nick Bottom, the comic heart of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a part tailor-made for an actor adept at mixing silliness and sadness. Mathew admits that not only is it a ‘dream role to play’, it also arrived at the perfect time.

“For the last five years I’ve filmed Ghosts from January to March, and after we finished making the show, I was kind of thinking, gosh I don’t know what I’m going to do during those miserable winter months - and then this offer came in. Bottom is an absolute gift of a role, and the RSC an institution that every actor wants to work in at least once in their life, so I couldn’t say no.”

After doing just that a couple of years ago - he riskily turned down a previous RSC offer because the production clashed with Wonka, which he hadn’t even been cast in at the time - he seems even more delighted that the stars have finally aligned for his return to the stage.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve done any theatre, and not for the want of trying. It’s ended up being that long because things have come along that I couldn’t quite do or I felt were too long a commitment in terms of being away from home.”

Better yet, the role of a comedically lovelorn actor in a story set in a historical period seems ideal for someone fresh from playing a comedically lovelorn Regency poet (albeit a dead one) in Ghosts, the final episode of which aired on Christmas Day and was one of the biggest hits of the festive TV schedule.

“I guess the role I’m most known for at the moment has some similarities,” he says cautiously, “… a very melodramatic person who takes everything to extremes and has an enormous amount of self-belief compared to a very small amount of talent. So yeah, there are some obvious similarities between Thomas Thorne and Nick Bottom.”

That said, he’s already finding ways to skew Bottom - a character that’s often seen as Shakespeare’s way of mocking pompous actors and pretentious theatrical productions.

“My assumption was that Bottom’s a way to poke fun at theatre and actors who are full of themselves. But I think he can be much sweeter than that - what I’ve been exploring is his enthusiasm and keenness. He’s feeling to me like someone who’s maybe done one play and got the acting bug, just loved it so much, and maybe one person paid him a compliment - and they were probably just being polite - but that was enough for him to think ‘Oh my God, I’m incredible at this!’”

But will Mathew be incredible at it? He admits he’s “a bit rusty” after such a long break from treading the boards, and laughs heartily when I question the wisdom of making his return on the most prestigious stage in the UK.

“The other way to look at it is that Shakespeare’s done a good job with the writing, so it’s not like I have to go out and polish a turd or sell something that’s a bit mediocre,” he chuckles.

“Weirdly [performing at the RSC] doesn’t make me more nervous, it actually makes me less nervous, because I know that I’m in a production surrounded by talent.”

He’s not getting off the hook that easily, as the RSC media department thoughtfully provided me with another way to intimidate him. With strict instructions for no sniggering at the back, is he aware of all the illustrious Bottoms he’s following? The role has previously been performed by comedy legends (Frankie Howerd, Ronnie Barker, Benny Hill), Hollywood stars (James Cagney, Kevin Kline), thespian royalty (Brian Glover, Richard Griffiths) and a variety of big-name contemporary comedians (Matt Lucas, David Walliams, Al Murray, Johnny Vegas, Dawn French). Mathew’s snorting again. I can’t tell if it’s a nervous laugh.

“I went on Rob Brydon’s podcast and he read that list out to me… it’s pretty intimidating. But the good thing - and I didn’t think of this when I was talking to Rob but I’ve thought about it since - is that it would be very unlikely that anyone coming to see the show has seen any of those, and if so, they’ll probably have forgotten most of it. Hopefully I hold the advantage as the one who’s on the stage actually performing the role, over the vague memory someone might have of somebody else doing it a few years ago.”

He also expects the magic of the all-new production, which is designed by Lucy Osborne and features illusions by John Bulleid, will blow audiences away and enable them to see one of the Bard’s most popular comedies in a new light.

“It’s a play full of magic; we want the audience to gasp, and for there to be a sense of awe and wonder. I’m really excited about that aspect of it. It’s gonna look amazing, and people won’t know how we’ve done it… we’ve all been sworn to secrecy and can’t give away our tricks. I love it when a show is unashamedly entertaining you, and taking seriously the obligation to do that.”

Which sounds a lot like the remit of Wonka, which was written by his friend (and Ghosts and Horrible Histories co-creator) Simon Farnaby and directed by Paul King, another regular cohort. It’s easily the biggest project that Mathew’s ever been part of (“certainly in terms of scale and budget, worldwide marketing and excitement”), and while he admits appearing in such a massive production was great fun, he can’t wait to get the adrenaline hit that comes from performing in front of a live audience.

“That’s what I’ve missed for the last 10 years and what I’ve been craving - that relationship with the audience. There’s nothing like it - it’s a real buzz when you have that reciprocal feeling that you want to give everything for the audience, and they know that the more energy they give you, the more they get back.

“I can’t wait, and I’m really, really excited for people to see this show.”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream shows at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, until Saturday 30 March

By Steve Adams