Since the sudden death of his father, Rod, in 1999, Toby Hull has turned his hand to taming the anarchic Emu! SIBA MATTI spoke to him about appearing in this year's Christmas pantomime at The Beck

LIVING up to your father's legacy as a world-class puppeteer and television star is no mean feat, but Toby Hull has taken on the challenge with ease, and is showcasing his skills with that most infamous of birds, Emu, both of them playing pirates in the Beck Theatre's panto, Peter Pan.

Millions mourned the loss of Rod Hull after his untimely death in 1999, leaving a gaping hole in the children's entertainment industry, and it was a difficult decision for Toby, who originally wanted to be a hotel manager, to fill his father's shoes.

"I always admired my father but it was a long time after he died before I made the decision to carry on with Emu," he explains.

"I was approached by a friend of my dad's shows, who said we should bring Emu back for a new audience. The time was right and we set about creating something new and slightly different to Dad's way.

"I believe Emu is timeless and it would have been a shame to let him disappear into the history books - although he doesn't like history all that much!"

In a fitting tribute, Toby and Emu's debut performance was at the Theatre Royal in Windsor, where Rod gave his last pantomime performance. Understandably, it was nerve-wracking, as Toby explains: "In a way, it felt like I was picking up from where Dad left off, except I had a huge learning curve ahead of me. I didn't relax until the first show came down, knowing that I had completed it.

"I didn't want the show to become one tribute to Dad, I wanted to bring Emu back and I have been working hard on making sure that he has a nice future, which I think is a better tribute to Dad's wonderful life."

On a high from his first successful performance, Toby and Emu toured England and Wales in a summer show, Emu Clown Town, which was also very well received.

"Clown Town was a lot of fun and, funnily enough, I will be working with a couple of the people from it in The Beck's pantomime," says Toby.

"The cast were excellent and we remain friends to this day - I think you become more like a family as we spent 10 weeks travelling up and down the country playing at various venues. The best was Blackpool's Tower Circus, which Dad had played many years ago. We then went to the holiday camps, which all gave us a terrific reception, especially since the kids didn't really know who Emu was - it was really encouraging. Of course, Emu was very well behaved on the whole trip!"

Just like Toby is the son of Rod, the current Emu is a younger version of the original puppet, just six years old, and despite his unruly reputation, Toby insists he is always on his best behaviour!

"The new Emu is becoming more inquisitive but who knows what will happen when he gets older. I think Emu is misunderstood. He merely wants to have fun and I don't think he understands that there are rules in place and that you can't do certain things.

"One time we were presenting a bouquet of flowers to a mayor and Emu saw a bee flying around and decided to use the flowers to get rid of the bee. As you might guess, the flowers went all over the mayor and they ended up holding a bouquet of stems! We made a quiet exit since the mayor didn't seem that happy!"

The Beck panto will be the fifth for Toby and Emu, this year alongside Leslie Grantham and Mark Jones, and Toby admits he loves the slapstick element: "We thought it was about time we played at The Beck. They are always fun and not so serious, which suits Emu and me.

"I love the audience participation as it gives Emu a chance to really meet people, sometimes to the shock of the person meeting him! Emu loves children very much and will do whatever it takes to make sure they are happy."

As for the future, Toby would love to see him established long term. He adds: "My immediate goals are to introduce

Emu to a worldwide audience and I am currently working on that. I would also like to create other shows and ideas that I think children will enjoy.

"It's going to be a fun and interesting ride and I am looking forward to it.

"The family are all behind me and think that it's a brilliant idea. Emu is an ambassador for children and he needs to be seen, so we are on the right path.

"I think my dad would be proud. He would say something like, 'Well done Toby, now let's go up the pub'."