So how then did Aidan come to form his take on the Crean character? "I managed to speak to his Godson who told me of a robust man, a jolly man who was also great with kids. A book was published after the exhibition also, which recounted his role in exploration of the Antarctic. For the theatre production, my instincts was to bring Tom's story to life – as an actor it is my job to interpret the author and his words, because it is the story of Crean that is the most important aspect. I use my own personality through the guise of Tom but I don't ever fully become Tom. The 'acting' is my imagination, or rather a meeting of my imagination and the audiences imagination.

"There is a lot of theatre going on and so the audience has to allow themselves to believe what's going on. I am being Tom but I also allow myself scope to imagine myself being Tom and the audience plays a big part in that. There is a breaking of the forth wall, a crossing of the world that is real. It's a strange hybrid that requires the audience to work hard. They have to imagine these pictures that I am telling. I can't overcomplicate the dialogue and text and I need to watch my use of words in order for the audience to do this and the hardest thing from an acting perspective is to not try to hard."

The audiences have seemingly had no problems in doing their bit - the one man show has been playing to capacity audiences for the last three years and was awarded Best Solo Show at its premiere at the 2003 New York International Festival and a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2006.

But are there difficulties for Dooley as Crean becomes more renowned for his exploits? "I'm thinking reflectively during the show but I'm constantly revisiting my performances. The script is constantly changing and I'm always making slight variations, even during the performance itself.

"If I feel I'm losing an audience, I'll react and try and change this by altering what it is I'm doing. And audiences tend to react differently from place to place. For example, the show will change slightly when in Britain, particularly when it comes to taking about his return and his brother who was shot during the War of Independence. But I try not to put Tom in a political context. It is hugely important to me that Tom Crean is the star of the show and that he becomes better known for what he achieved. I know I have benefited hugely from the show personally, but I would stop doing this if Aidan Dooley ever become more important then Tom Crean. I never get carried away with a good performance. Afterall, I couldn't hold an audience for two hours as Aidan Dooley."

Tom Crean – Antarctic Explorer opens at the Everyman Palace Theatre on Monday, January 14 and will run until, Saturday, January 19.

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