The Orange Tree’s season opener, The Ring of Truth, may have received mixed reviews from the critics but one thing they unanimously agreed on was the quality of the acting and, in particular, a magnificent turn by Ian Talbot as Sergeant Borall, writes Will Gore.

In the play, the pompous policeman is on the hunt for a missing ring and, during his investigation, he attempts to incriminate anyone who gets in his way. Talbot says the part is wonderful to play.

“I read the play and I came to the sergeant’s part and I thought: ‘I'd love to play him’,” he says. “Right from the word go the man is an absolute buffoon – how he ever became a sergeant! He’s a terrible man who made me laugh a lot.

“You also can’t have much better than having all of act one off, come out for act two, and then being able to go back to your dressing room for the rest of the night.”

Sergeant Borall is a contradictory character, caught between his traditional values and his wish to educate himself by “keeping abreast of modern trends of thought”, and Talbot believes him to be a precursor to Inspector Truscott from Joe Orton’s famous play, Loot.

“In the preface to The Ring of Truth the writer, Wynyard Browne, says the actors shouldn’t try to be funny and he picks out the sergeant and says that, although he is funny, he should also be quite frightening,” he adds.

“The fact Borall gets hold of the wrong end of the stick so quickly does make him quite terrifying. God knows how many people he has wrongfully arrested.”

So how has he responded to the great reviews that have been flooding in for his performance?

“I have never had an aversion to reading reviews because of my natural curiosity,” he says. “I have been lucky with them this time but you have to get hold of yourself. If people pick out bits they like, you have to resist the temptation to overdo it.”

Performing in the intimate surroundings of the Orange Tree couldn’t be more different to the cavernous Open-Air Theatre in Regent’s Park where Talbot performed countless times during his 20-year tenure as artistic director, a stint which came to an end in 2007.

“I have never performed in the round before but the transition was easier than I thought it would be,” he says.

“It’s probably because of [director] Auriol Smith’s expertise and you also use your common sense. Your instinct tells you that if you stay in one place for too long you will be blocking someone’s view.”

He has enjoyed the opportunity The Ring of Truth has given him to work close to his Southfields home and, after directing and performing in Wimbledon Theatre’s pantomime this Christmas, he says he would love to return to tread the Orange Tree’s boards once again.

“If I was asked, I would certainly come back, I think it is a little jewel,” he adds. “There aren’t many places that revive lost plays and it is terrific that they do. Everyone is so welcoming and that makes it a great place to work.”

The Ring of Truth runs at the Orange Tree Theatre until October 3. For more information and to book tickets, visit orangetreetheatre.co.uk