HE was immune to the charms of Cher, Julia Roberts and Helen Mirren - but for Bob Hoskins, his latest co-star is proving to be irresistible.

After acting opposite scores of beautiful women, the short, balding actor has formed his most unlikely friendship yet - with a donkey called Edward.

The tough-guy star of Mona Lisa and The Long Good Friday has become so smitten with the animal hired to play his mount in a remake of the 17th Century classic Don Quixote that he plans to take him home. And he is determined to pay whatever it costs to ship the animal to Britain from Spain.

The 56-year-old cockney, who plays Quixote's level-headed knight Sancho Panza in the TV epic, has been bonding with the beast ever since shooting began around the Costa del Sol in May on the three-hour, two-part feature.

And he wants to make sure his new mate is pampered when filming finishes.

Under current British laws, Edward can come over straight away without quarantine restrictions.

Bob told a friend: 'Edward's had a hard life like me but he's as good as gold and I'd want him to have an easy retirement after this.

'I think of him as a real mate and it might be nice to find him a place in a sanctuary.' Hoskins plays opposite Isabella Rossellini and veteran American actor John Lithgow, star of the cult TV series Third Rock From The Sun.

Hoskins said: 'Working with John is great. He plays the fool and, for once, I am the nice, sane guy.' Making the film has clearly given the British actor a taste for historical drama. He has just agreed to play Mr Micawber in a GBP 5 million BBC adaptation of the Dickens novel David Copperfield.