THE CHANCES of David Troughton not becoming an actor were about as great as Dr Who failing to regenerate.

The time traveller reference is apposite, as it happens; David’s dad was Patrick Troughton, only the second man to ever save the galaxy from the likes of the Daleks.

But that’s not the only acting connection in the family. David, who stars at the Theatre Royal next week in bitter sweet tale Goodnight Mister Tom, has two sons who are actors.

And his brother Michael has also been consumed by thespianism.

“*It’s in the genes,” he says, grinning. “Accountants have sons who become accountants, although one of my sons is a cricketer, which is what I would have liked to become.”

Was having a famous actor father something of a double-edged sword? Did it suggest an expectation of success perhaps, or an early introduction to the pitfalls of the business?

“It was an advantage to know what you were going into,” says the actor. “There were times when he was out of work.

“But at the same time, when you have this burning ambition to dress up in funny clothes and read lines, you have to do it.

“And what’s great about it is you can influence people’s emotions. It’s fantastic.

“Goodnight Mr Tom is certainly full of emotions. It’s a roller coaster ride.”

Goodnight Mister Tom is described as a ‘modern classic’. Written by Michelle Magorian, its’ set in the dangerous build up to the Second World War and tells of young William Beech who is evacuated to the English countryside where he meets elderly recluse Tom Oakley.

The pair become close until suddenly William is suddenly summoned back to London by his mother.

“The audience seem to love it and the tissues do come out,” says David.

“What happens is you have two fragile people thrust together. And they basically save each other. It’s a lovely story that will run across the generations.”

There has to be an acute believability in the relationship between the boy and the older man.

But there’s another challenge in this play for the North London-born actor, known for his Shakespearean roles on stage and TV appearances in the likes of A Very Peculiar Practice and New Tricks.

David has to work with three different sets of young boys.

“The boys play one week each,” he offers. “They are different of course, they deliver their lines differently and I have to react differently.

“In rehearsals, we had to do everything three times. But it’s been great working with them.”

He adds, grinning; “When I spoke to them about coming to Glasgow they said they were excited because they’d never been to a foreign country.”

David has played many serious roles during his career, but he admits he prefers to perform comedy.

Indeed, he once played a doctor in Rab C. Nesbitt; Rab goes to see the super fit doc for a check-up, but the doc has a heart attack in the surgery.

“I love the skill of holding back the little laughs to make the audience go with the very big laugh.

“That’s the real challenge for me.”

He adds, grinning; “There’s a lot to this acting business you know. It’s not just a case of getting up there on stage wearing funny shoes.”

David has had some great reviews for Mister Tom, but he refuses to read them.

“I once did a play about cricket, and part of the play saw me on stage batting, at a net.

“However, one review said ‘David Troughton was about as wooden as the Duncan Fearnley bat he held on stage.’

“After that, I never read them anymore.”

He pauses and adds; “As an actor, you know what sort of show you’re in. If someone else wants to criticise the show, then it’s up to them.”

David is looking forward to coming to Glasgow. “My wife, Ali Groves, was brought up there and her father was deputy director of the RSAMD in the sixties. I did a bit of courting up there. I travelled for love.”

He’s certainly in love with the business of acting. He’d never have become an electrician, for example.

“If I had, I’d be a lot richer,” he says, laughing.

• Goodnight Mister Tom, the Theatre Royal, March 8-12.