Ahead of his appearance in Swindon on Wednesday, comedian Josh Widdicombe chats to the Adver about his new BBC Three sitcom, the Chuckle Brothers and being insulted by A-listers.

 

Like Sue Perkins, Jack Dee and Billy Connolly before him, Josh Widdicombe is making the transition from stand up to sitcom.

And like many of his predecessors, the comic, best known for co-hosting Channel 4's The Last Leg, will be playing a heightened version of himself in aptly titled new sitcom, Josh.

In the semi-autobiographical series, Josh is grumpy, single and frustrated with his friends and flatmates Kate (Beattie Edmondson) and Owen (Elis James).

To top it off, the three friends are tormented by their strange landlord, Geoff, played by Jack Dee, who inflicts himself upon his tenants at inopportune moments.

"The show is based on parts of my life and parts of Tom Craine's life," explains the 32-year-old, who co-wrote the show with fellow comedian Craine.

"I don't think anyone's life goes as badly as Josh's does in this sitcom."

Before Josh's messy life comes to BBC Three, the comedian reveals more about celebrity cameos, the challenges of acting and being insulted by an A-Lister.

LIFE IMITATING ART?

Although there was a temptation to make his life seem "amazing", Widdicombe held back.

"I don't think there's much comedy in that, so you have to go the other way," he explains.

"You have to sacrifice your own ego to humiliate yourself for laughs."

Ultimately, there is some comfort in this: "I prefer my life to his."

ACTING THE PART While he doesn't see himself as "the next Laurence Olivier" and won't be auditioning for Hollywood movies, the comedian did enjoy taking centre stage.

"As a stand-up, you are playing yourself every night anyway, so this is the role I was born to play really," he deadpans.

Unlike stand-up, writing the sitcom meant he could share the load.

"It's a lot of fun writing things like this and particularly, writing for other people to deliver it, because the pressure is off," says Widdicombe, who briefly worked as a sports reporter.

"You go: 'If this is bad, you can blame their acting'."

FAMOUS FRIENDS The sitcom showcases the full spectrum of comedic cameos. On one side, there's Jennifer Saunders playing Kate's mum, a role she is more than equipped for, given Edmondson is Saunders' middle daughter with Ade Edmondson.

Then there are fellow comedians Romesh Ranganathan and James Acaster, as well as heavyweight Dee.

But there are also two other familiar faces.

"I think we're the only show that has Romesh, Jennifer Saunders and The Chuckle Brothers in one series," he laughs. "If I achieve one thing in my career, I know I've achieved that."

Although he can't say what the brothers, known for their popular children's TV series, will be doing, he adds they were perfect for the job.

"We didn't audition them and find them to be the best Chuckle Brothers. They are pretty much themselves."

GAME ON Although The Last Leg was initially intended to run alongside Channel 4's Paralympic coverage, the popularity of the series has endured, with Widdicombe and his co-hosts Adam Hills and Alex Brooker now offering offbeat commentary on the week's events.

"I think people like the relationships between me, Adam and Alex," says the comedian.

"I think the fact that we're all different characters and we fit different roles really works well for the show. That's really at the heart of it. It's a very nice atmosphere to work in."

Although he doesn't know yet if he'll be able to go to Rio for the 2016 Olympic Games, he's in the middle of filming a new show with his Last Leg buddies.

"We're doing a travelogue in Australia," he says. "I think that Adam's going to be up for much more of the outward bound-y stuff than me and Alex will be. If we haven't killed each other by the end of that, then hopefully Rio would be next."

JIBE TALKING Earlier this year, Widdicombe appeared on The Graham Norton Show, alongside Avengers stars Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen and Mark Ruffalo.

As the guests discussed their fears, Ruffalo ribbed Widdicombe and predicted that the comedian's greatest worry was "girls over 12."

"That was a really good, fun thing to do," says the comedian who grew up in Devon.

"It's very rare that you get to share a sofa with Mark Ruffalo, let alone be insulted by him, so you know, that's another career dream done."

:: Josh will be at the Wyvern on Wednesday 11.