Enid Blyton’s series of children’s adventures, The Famous Five, has been subject to a number of adaptations and reinventions over the years.

From two separate TV series to the far-less reverential Comic Strip films of the 80s, many have had a stab at bringing the quintet of Julian, George, Anne, Dick and Timmy the Dog to life and now it is the Tabard Theatre’s is having a go.

The Turnham Green theatre is staging a specially commissioned musical, entitled The Famous Five, for a festive run and director Russell Labey, who was at the helm of the venue’s 2008 Christmas show Stig of the Dump, is delighted to be back.

“I live in Chiswick so I’m very local and have a passion for the Tabard as I think it is a wonderful place run by wonderful people,” he says.

“It is a great space and I really enjoy working here – it is like getting back to my roots and we can create magic.”

When the prospect of bringing The Famous Five to the stage was first put to him, what was his initial reaction?

“My initial thought was how and why do we tell this story about these people in 1940s,” he says. “The Famous Five are continually going on about eating sandwiches, sweets, and, famously, drinking lashes of ginger beer. We think that’s funny but, of course, they are going on about it because at the time the books were written, rationing was still going on in Britain.

“It was escapism for children of that generation and I wanted to honour that.

“My feeling was that the actual story should be rooted in the period and we should find a way to go back, like a time portal in Dr Who, into the 1940s and celebrate the fact these pieces were written in the 40s.”

The Tabard did a good job in persuading Blyton’s estate to allow them to adapt her books for the show and Labey says that, as well as ensuring the books’ 40s settings were honoured, he and the adaptor Richard Williams were also keen to ensure the production appealed to both avid Blyton fans and those who had never picked up one of her books.

The production takes the first Famous Five book, Five on a Treasure Island, as the main thrust of its narrative, although there are elements of the other stories thrown into the mix. Labey believes the result is a great adventure story that epitomises the appeal of The Famous Five.

“Blyton knew how to write an adventure,” he adds.

“Her mantra throughout her life was: I know what the kids want. There is a lot of snobbery about her dialogue and elements of her stories but she sells millions of books still and, to be fair, she knows what kids want to read.”

The fact the show is a musical might be a surprise to some but Labey says the songs are a vital tool in helping to maximise the production’s potential.

“Music gives you another language and dimension,” he says.

“For a lot of kids, music they don’t know is dull so the key is to make the music short, with witty lyrics and music that is instantly accessible.

“That is harder said than done and it is why I have the composer, Leon Parris, doing it because I think he is totally in tune with young people and I'm hoping we are successful in that.”

The Famous Five, Tabard Theatre, Turnham Green, until January 10, visit tabardweb.co.uk