I was 38 when 'Not Going Out' began, and I was playing a 34-year-old who had a thing about his landlady.
My family were nothing but pleased when I told them I wanted to be a comedian.
I'm not opposed to the consumption of alcohol. I'm opposed to my kids watching TV at seven o'clock and being told to bet and drink.
I can remember weird things from way back, but not what I had for breakfast.
I used to tell people I was a comic and they'd be fascinated. Now all you get is: 'Oh yeah, my cousin Steve's a comic.'
My only ambition was to get to 50, and not regret not having had a crack at being a comic.
I would make it illegal to walk into a comedy club with a tie on.
Everyone talks about the gags, but the most difficult thing is coming up with the stories. You have to learn to do that for sitcoms.
I don't know how I've managed to reach the age of 45 as a professional comedian and not watched more 'Simpsons,' considering everyone says it's one of the best shows ever.
When I was 24, I went back to the academic life and did a degree in film and television at Brunel University.
Everyone told me that British sitcom was dead. Then I looked at 'Seinfeld' and 'Frasier' and thought, 'No it's not, it just needs more gags.'
I have a very clear separation between my life and my work.
My first recollection of performing was shortly after my parents split up, so the logical conclusion to draw is that that affected me.
I suppose if your parents die in their 50s and you are approaching 50, you see that you are definitely not in the first half of your life any more.
Loads of blokes think they're funny, but it counts for nothing unless you get up and have a go.
I'm not a comedian who wants to spend far too long on stage.
It's much harder to have a BBC One sitcom than to have a tour of stand-up.
I'm on my own when I say this, but I'm one of the few people that think that 'Everybody Loves Raymond' is better than 'Seinfeld.'
For me, I wanted to write a book about getting into comedy. That's what I wanted to write.
If I was reading a book about a comedian, I wouldn't really care too much about their childhood.
