His appearances in The Vicar of Dibley and the film Four Weddings and a Funeral have made James Fleet a hero of comedy for many people.

And we can expect laughter ringing around Oxford’s Christ Church cathedral when he reads a passage from The Wind in the Willows at the Spirit of Christmas event on Tuesday.

But the evening of music and readings will be tinged with sadness for the actor, who lives in north Oxfordshire.

For the event, held to raise money to fight muscular dystrophy, will bring memories of his own father’s suffering.

He can only recall ever seeing his father, a tool-maker, in a wheelchair.

The muscle wasting condition was to lead to his father’s death at the age of 49, when the actor was just ten.

But he readily recalls visits to hospitals and his mother working as a cleaner to ensure the family had enough money.

Mr Fleet said: “There are people in worse situations. But it must have been torture for him watching his son grow up, and being so ill.

”When I was appearing in Twelfth Night at Stratford not very long ago, I was contacted by someone from Wolverhampton who had known my father. He gave me some of my father’s tools.”

The actor never saw a play until he was 19 and only became interested in theatre as a student in Aberdeen where he was studying electrical engineering.

He often wonders if his father had been around to fuel his enthusiasm for engineering, whether he would have gone on to become an actor.

“I think he would have been pleased with what I’m doing. He would have thought it much better doing that, than a proper job.”

The fundraising evening at Christ Church will also feature Dominic West, the star of the American hit drama The Wire.

Other famous faces taking part are the actress Geraldine James, who appeared recently in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes film and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, and Caroline Langrishe, who appears in the legal drama series Judge John Deed and the Channel 4 comedy Pete Versus Life.

The event is being held for the third time in Oxford, with The Oxford Times again acting as media partner.

Last year’s event, which starred TV personality Matthew Kelly, raised £10,000.

The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign is the leading UK charity focusing on the muscle disease.

The condition, which affects 70,0000 people in the UK, causes muscles to waste and weaken. Many affected children do not reach adulthood.

Tickets cost £10 to £40 and are available from ticketweb.co.uk or by calling 08444 771000.