Katherine MacAlister talks to Edward Fox as The Winslow Boy opens at the Oxford Playhouse

A scene from the playEdward Fox is the archetypal English gentleman. He is classically handsome, distinguished, regal and his few words are spoken in a dry, thoughtful and blue-blooded voice that is recognised by cinema-goers all over the world.

With film credits like The Bounty, Gandhi, Edward and Mrs Simpson, A Bridge Too Far, The Day of the Jackal and Never Say Never Again under his belt, and three films coming out this year alone, it's surprising that the screen legend is gracing us with his presence at all, even if he is passionate about appearing in The Winslow Boy.

After all, he has acted with some of the all time greats, from John Gielgud to Laurence Olivier and Anthony Hopkins, and won two BAFTAs for Best Supporting Actor in the process.

Unfortunately, he is also a "very private man" who doesn't like doing interviews. But for someone who said he simply has "nothing more to say" the 65-year-old becomes almost chatty.

Touch on the subject of his family and his Achilles heel is revealed. His daughter Emilia Fox is the 'next big thing' in London and currently gracing the cover of Tatler magazine.

So does her father fear for her? "If she wants to go into acting that's her choice but you are always protective. She is a dear and darling girl and the main thing is that she is very sorted with good manners and great kindness. What more can you hope for in a human being," he says.

His son Freddie is also venturing into the world of acting and Edward Fox and his second wife, the actress Joanna David, are obviously a close-knit family, living in London.

Asked if he visits the theatre much, he unleashes a torrent of abuse about the state of theatre in London, obviously one of his favourite soap-box subjects.

For someone who doesn't like the sound of his own voice, he becomes positively lucid.

"So many productions are appalling and I mean appalling," he says, gathering momentum.

"Appalling acting and appalling productions, there is no point in saying it any other way, and the public are fed up.

"I remember when you could go a theatre in London and always find a fine production, and sometimes a great one or an entertaining one. Theatres then wouldn't dream of putting on something unworthy, so the audience had confidence and knew whatever they saw would not be disappointing.

"It's just like television programmes - there is so much on television which is spectacularly bad, the good stuff does not get noticed."

What is clear from this tirade is that Edward Fox loves the theatre, and never gets bored of the medium. "It's a bit like a carpenter planing a piece of wood for the 1,459th time. You just do it with zest," he says. "And this is a good play, all the parts are good."

He is talking about The Winslow Boy, which opens on Monday at the Oxford Playhouse, with Simon Ward and Polly Adams.

You could even say he has been type-cast. As his PA points out: "He is an old-fashioned gentleman playing an old-fashioned gentleman."

Terence Rattigan's masterpiece The Winslow Boy, based on a true story, is a study of one man's defence of his son's innocence and therefore his family's honour.

Directed by the award-winning Christopher Morahan, Fox plays devoted father Arthur Winslow, a man who defends his son's honour when he is accused of petty theft. He ends up taking on not just the entire military establishment, but also society and Parliament, and risks losing everything.

Fox explains: "Rattigan's work lends itself to actors, his plays are a pleasure to perform and, more importantly, should be a pleasure for the audience to watch.

"A play like The Winslow Boy is more than just a play of good quality, it goes beyond that, it has a kind of transcendence and a common touch. Like Shakespeare's work it appeals to everybody, and that's what makes it worth doing."

The Winslow Boy opens on Monday at Oxford Playhouse. Box office: 01865 305305.

First published in eMAIL in the Oxford Mail on October 25, 2002