A quickie with... Karl Pilkington

We love that Sick Of It feels so true to your personality…

It is. If I was trying to play some fella who’s had loads of women on the go, and goes to parties every night, I wouldn’t know where to start – that’s not me. And I’ve always liked the more thoughtful stuff. When [my director and co-writer] Richard Yee asked what I wanted to make, the first thing I said was The Royle Family – something simple.

The experience of playing Dougie in Derek famously made you quit acting…

I was a nervous wreck! I couldn’t handle being sat in a caravan on set for hours, driving meself mad with worry. So, I said I’d never act again, but that’s me. When I did the first series of An Idiot Abroad, I was like, “Never again!” But I always need time to decide whether I enjoyed something.

How did Ricky Gervais react when you didn’t return for

Derek’s finale?

He knows what I’m like, and he doesn’t do stuff he doesn’t want to do, either, so I probably learned that from him. I was a bit annoyed with meself, and when I think back now, I wonder why I got so stressed.

So, how come you’re acting again now?

When I finished The Moaning Of

Life, I’d made enough money to pay for the house and wanted to jack everything in. We moved and had a life of luxury. I did nothing for about seven months, just pottering about and messing about in the garden. But then my girlfriend Suzanne came home to find me dismantling the glass panels in the oven and told me I had to do something. Right from the start, I was adamant I wasn’t even going to be in Sick Of It. Richard eventually talked me round, saying this would be different – it’d be my thing, and I wouldn’t just be trying to keep Ricky happy.

What’s next? Could you work with Ricky and Stephen Merchant again?

If Sick Of It goes all right, we could do another series. No other plans yet, but my career path goes all over the place. I could be presenting

Crimewatch! In terms of working with Ricky and Steve, it would have to be different. People want the podcasts again, but it would just feel forced. Sometimes it’s better to want stuff and never get it.