THE role of Hamlet is like the role of Doctor Who.

No - I haven’t finally flipped. What I’m getting at is that both parts allow an actor to put his own individual stamp on them.

Although I’ve seen five actors bring the Bard’s great tragic figure to life, nobody has ever played him quite like Rory Kinnear.

This Hamlet smokes fags and puts on silly voices while Kinnear’s delivery is casual at times but does full justice to the play’s big speeches.

Some performances live long in the memory and Kinnear’s Hamlet is one you’ll look back on with a fondness and a sense of awe.

I felt privileged to be at The Lowry and while the National Theatre’s production is a marathon three and a half hours long, the time flew by.

Modern productions of Shakespeare plays are nothing new of course but it’s remarkable just how contemporary this feels, while being faithful to the greatest text in English literature.

The language of the play is vibrant, living and exciting Kinnear is brilliantly unorthodox.

But it’s impossible to ignore Clare Higgins as Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, Ruth Negga as Ophelia and Patrick Malahide as Claudius, a King with blood on his hands.

Of all the Hamlets I’ve seen, this is the best yet. Stunning.

* Until February 12. The box office is on 0843 208 6000.