INTERROGATION: NEIL MORRISSEY: Im a grumpy old man now

Tell us about your new show, Carrie & Barry. Neil Morrissey: I love playing Barry. In this new, second series, he is still with Carrie, who he loves, but he loses his job pretty much straight away so we explore what he is going to do with himself. He goes a bit mad stuck in the house all day, to be honest. We have so much fun and the series has been left open for a return. We arent being killed off, thats for sure.

Is it great working with Simon Nye, who created Men Behaving Badly, again? NM: Its fantastic. The more Simon gets to know you, the better he writes for you. I love doing comedy so much and loved doing this, as well as Men Behaving Badly. Its far harder than filming drama. Its easy to get snot out of your nose and start crying but try getting a laugh out of a live audience (which we perform in front of) and that is hard. Its all about timing.

And youve just got back from Jordan filming a Sky One Excellent Adventure with your girlfriend, Emma Killick NM: It was a holiday of a lifetime. We had to drive across the desert in a four wheel-drive and we were left to our own devices. We climbed cliffs, crossed gorges, abseiled, and rode camels for eight hours. Unbelievable. We had a brilliant time together.

So is it love with Emma (a lawyer whom he met two years ago)? NM: We are very happy and we do live together now.

Do you get to see your 15-year-old son Sam a lot (from first marriage to Amanda Noar)? NM: I get to spend lots of time with him. Sam is such a great boy and he is very bright. I absolutely adore being a dad. It really is so rewarding.

When you are not on TV, or being the voices of Bob The Builder, youve also built up a hotel empire in Wales. How is it going? NM: I am really happy with the way the hotel is going as well as the club we recently opened in London. I do get a kick out of running them all. I enjoy work and I cant see myself ever retiring. I also enjoy doing Bob The Builder I see him as my pension fund.

Youve made a fortune from your businesses what would you like that money just cant buy? NM: Loyalty, friendship and love, which are all very important to me.

What dont you understand about the opposite sex? NM: Everything. But I do get on with women you dont necessarily need to understand them.

Which actor (living or dead) would you most like to star opposite and why? NM: Sid James. I would have to have been his Northern son who he didnt know existed. You hear lots of stories about him being nasty, but I have heard that about a lot of people and they turn out to be pussycats. He would have been so cool and interesting to work with miserable, but good fun.

What would you be doing if you werent an actor? NM: It would have to be something on street level and involving talking. Either a car salesman or a window salesman something horrible like that, with the gift of the gab.

Who would you like to be for the day and why? NM: Michael Vaughan, Englands cricket captain, would be pretty good, but Id also love to be Michael Schumacher. I love driving fast cars and to be one of those guys at the Monaco Grand Prix would be superb.

Who makes you laugh? NM: My best mate Richie. We have known each other forever, since we went to primary school, in fact, and we have the same sense of humour. We go to watch Crystal Palace football club together and you have to be able to laugh to watch them. As for TV comedians, I really like Ricky Gervais. Billy Connolly and Jimmy Carr make me laugh out loud a lot too.

Describe your perfect weekend. NM: It would be with Emma, my girlfriend. Id like us to get on a plane and go to France with another couple, as wed all have such a laugh. It would involve lots of nice food and wine red and white.

Whats the worst job youve done? NM: Working as a kitchen porter at the Bank of England. I was at drama school and 18 at the time. It was during one of my holidays and I hated it, and so I walked out after an hour. It was horrible.

Have you ever stolen anything? NM: God yes. Where do I start? I was a thieving rapscallion when I was younger. I stole a lot of things, but one incident stands out. My brother and I once tried to break into what we thought was a toy factory. We stole a ladder from the church and got on to the roof. We were walking about on the ceiling and my brother said, Whatever you do, dont tread on the hard board. And so of course I did, and promptly fell through the roof. I then found out it wasnt a toy factory but the Womens Institute.

You got detained at Los Angeles airport 18 months ago. What was that all about? NM: I was trying to point out to the rest of the queue that the Americans were sending people back for not signing their signature in the right place on the green form. They were taking an awful long time given we had already been on the plane for 10 hours. OK, I wasnt exactly saying it in a calm and orderly way. I ended up getting detained and then got whipped straight through. So I was only delayed an extra half an hour in the end.

When was the last time you got drunk? NM: Four days ago. I had gone to see Crystal Palace play with Richie and the team won 2-1. We went out straight afterwards and back to his house for drinks. It was great fun. We were a lot better than we used to be, in terms of our behaviour. I do still suffer from hangovers, particularly if I go for a lager, followed by wine and then whiskey. Guaranteed pain.

What famous peoples numbers have you got on your mobile? NM: Martin Clunes, Caroline Quentin, Leslie Ash and the drummer from Fun Lovin Criminals.

What is your biggest bugbear? NM: I am a grumpy old man nowadays. America annoys me its inability to care for its own people rather than going around the world trying to destroy everyone else. They should look at those at home. Its disgusting they didnt have any troops to care for those needing them at home (referring to hurricane Katrina).

Do you have any ambitions you really want to fulfil? NM: I havent quite got to where I want to yet. But where that is, I really dont know...

After your, er, shady past, would you consider being a politician? NM: Urgh never. I dont know anyone who wants to be politician. Its a game of skullduggery.

Catch Neil in Carrie & Barry, starting 22 October, BBC1, 9.40pm and in Excellent Adventure, 20 October, Sky One, 9pm

NEILS REALITY CHECK

Are you a beer or wine man? I like a good pint of bitter but Im also a huge wine lover too. There is nothing better than a glass of chilled white wine, but on the other hand, if you are having a heady evening with red meat, there is nothing better than a big, fat, red wine.

How much is a pint of milk? I havent a clue, I usually buy a big carton along with the rest of my groceries, but I am assuming its cheap. (About 40p)

Do you wear sunglasses indoors? No, I only wear them in bed to make myself more interesting.

When was the last time you used public transport? About 10 years ago or maybe more. I use taxis or drive myself.

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