Bob Hoskins is to star as Badger in a new BBC adaptation of classic kids novel Wind in the Willows.

Also on the all-star cast of the feature-length movie are Matt Lucas (Little Britain) as Toad, Mark Gatiss (Nighty Night) as Rat, Lee Ingleby (Life On Mars) as Mole and Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) as the Barge Lady.

The BBC said that the characters would be portrayed as "largely human", with only "subtle transformations" effected by costumes and make-up.

Filming will take place in Bucharest this summer for transmission later this year on BBC One. The project is a co-production between Box TV (UK), Muse Entertainment (Canada) and MediaPro Pictures (Romania) for the BBC and the CBC.

Producer Gub Neal said that screenwriter Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) had delivered an "utterly faithful" translation of Kenneth Grahame's original.

BBC drama commissioner Jane Tranter added: "Lee has delivered a charming, evocative and memorable script and we expect his writing, combined with the creme of British acting talent and stunning production values, to be a big draw with viewers."