HE'S a raucous rodent tipped to be the hot new favourite in the latest outing of cult TV animation show, Creature Comforts.

The cheeky clay character Geordie Mouse makes his first appearance tomorrow evening on ITV, as the series created by the Wallace and Gromit team returns to the small screen.

But the voice behind the wise-cracking north-eastern mouse is a man who has made Dorset his home for the past 25 years.

And he's also someone who lives with the effects of a severe head injury.

A decade ago, Vic Barthram was in a coma for months after plunging 50 feet through a ceiling onto a concrete floor. The accident left him with permanent brain damage that robbed him of his short-term memory.

Vic often has to leave a newspaper by his bed at night so that he can work out what day it is when he wakes up. After the accident, Vic joined Headway, an organisation which helps people suffering from brain damage. And ever since, the 56-year-old has livened up the Parkstone branch with his rip-roaring accent.

"I still have damaged tissue, so I have memory lapses all the time," he said. "But I refuse to feel sorry for myself. There are a lot of people who are worse off."

Vic was recruited by animation giants Aardman along with 20 other distinctive and "passionate" voices from around the country to provide voices for the Creature Comforts characters.

He was spotted by a TV executive while reading a poem during an official visit by Prince Edward, who is Headway's patron.

Members of the Aardman team came to the Headway centre five times to record the rodent voiceover.

"Geordie Mouse is a great little character," said Vic. "It's been really good doing his voice but none of it would have been possible without Headway."

The 'claymation' creatures return to ITV1 tomorrow at 7.20pm. There are 12 new episodes in all, as well as a Christmas special.

Other new characters range from a mad Arab stallion to a bull hoping to be named "best in show", with Geordie Mouse appearing in eight episodes.