The Borrowers is one of the most loved stories of all time, about the tiny people who “borrow” things from humans. Christopher Eccleston plays Pod Clock in a brand-new version of the film, so we caught up with him for a quick chat about playing a Borrower.

Are you a fan of the Borrowers book?

The Borrowers is one of the very first books I remember reading as a child, and I loved it. As a child, if I liked a book, I tended to keep reading it. The film is a contemporary take on the story and still retains all the original elements of the book, which is really about a loving family – a dad learning how to let go of his daughter so that she’ll come back.

What was it like playing Pod?

As the book was such an important part of my childhood, I was very familiar with the character of Pod. Ian Holm, who I’ve worked with, is one of my heroes, as is Jim Broadbent – both fantastic actors, so it was nice to think that I’d play a role that those two great actors have played. Pod borrows his clothes from an action figure of the ’80s, perhaps loosely based on a character from Raiders Of The Lost Ark. I think that appeals to Pod’s image… he’s quite an adrenaline junkie, he likes risk and adventure. Pod is also a lovely dad, and a hero. I’ve played lots of troubled men and ‘anti-heroes’, but Pod’s a straight hero. There’s a great sense of humour to him, and a gentleness. That’s what attracted me to the role.

Did you get to wear any cool costumes?

Pod’s costume is very torn, tattered, spattered in mud, and half hanging off him. He’s a typical fella, he’s not too concerned with what he looks like. When they go on this extraordinary adventure, Pod is reduced to rags really. He’s nearly dissected and his shirt is taken off him by the human beings… he starts off pretty Harrison Ford-ish, and ends up like Steptoe and Son.

What was it like performing the stunts in the film?

Playing the role of Pod is unlike anything I’ve done before. There was a huge amount of green screen. I’ve done little bits of green screen in the past, but not that much. I would say it’s the most challenging role I’ve done physically, because one of the conditions for me playing the part was that I did all the stunts.

My favourite stunt was where I ran along a gigantic bookcase and just threw myself into mid-air and onto a crash mat. I was very excited about doing that and they had to tell me to stop because I kept doing it for fun. I also flew out of a gigantic drain into 12ft (3m) of milkshake mix, but that was not as pleasant.

The Borrowers is released on DVD on 9 January