A relatively small TV! We don’t have a big wall-mounted flatscreen or anything. Our sofa is old and tatty. My wife [teacher Becka] and I have had it since we were renting. We keep meaning to replace it but my three children are still little; what with all the spillages, there’s not much point right now. But our small cosy living room is my favourite place.

What have you enjoyed on TV recently?

I just finished watching Industry series three, which I thought was phenomenal. The subject matter is money and greed and a lot of the characters aren’t explicitly likeable, but it’s so smartly done. It’s edge-of-your-sofa stuff.

Do you watch much comedy?

I tend to avoid comedy, partly because you don’t want to find yourself imitating it. It’s also what I do for a living, so I tend to prefer drama when chilling out – I get exposed to it enough during the day!

You’re currently on stage in A Christmas Carol(ish) as your comic persona Mr Swallow. What is his take on Dickens?

Basically, Santa is our Scrooge figure. He’s a mean Santa – miserly, doesn’t want to give presents away. So he cancels Christmas on Christmas Eve and is visited by three ghosts. Mr Swallow has got that end-of-the-pier feel to him. A bit of a has-been. The character originally came from me doing an impression of my teacher in Leeds when I was 14. It’s quite camp!

Why did you decide to adopt an alter ego while performing?

I like to preserve the mystery! It was also more of a nerves thing when I started doing live comedy. It was useful to hide behind a mask. Even with something like Taskmaster, which I did as myself, I still wanted to hide behind Dracula make-up! It helped me feel less self-conscious.

Do fans of Ted Lasso turn up to your shows bamboozled by Mr Swallow? His appearance at this years Bafta Film Awards took a lot of people by surprise!

Oh, 100 per cent. But it’s good! It means there’s a challenge there. You have to win them round. The Bafta gig was one of those things where I was like, “Well, I can’t say no to this opportunity, it’s too good to miss.” It was like playing a prank on a 1,000-person Hollywood crowd. I remember coming off stage thinking, “Oh, God.” I loved it but it was terrifying!

You played Nate in Ted Lasso. How has the show’s success changed your life?

What no one ever teaches you is what happens when something goes really well! I still feel like I’m dealing with that change in pace. Obviously there are tangible things such as getting stopped in the street every day. I’ve got a young family, so you do have to be mindful of that.

As a father of three, how do you balance family life with this busy new stage of your career?

Mostly it’s because my wife is phenomenal. We have to take every week as it comes. It’s only really when I’m filming that it becomes tricky because the hours are long and often I’ll leave before they’re up and will get back
when they’re about to go to bed.

Has Ted Lasso changed the kind of roles you’re being offered?

It’s definitely changed things. I’m being offered more substantial film work now, some of which is tipping into drama. You realise how fickle the industry is, because I don’t know if my skills have changed. They’ve probably got worse! But suddenly you’re allowed to do this role or audition.

There have been reports that Ted Lasso could be returning for a fourth series. What can you reveal about that?

I know that there’s rumblings. All of us have been chatting. I think it all depends on what Jason Sudeikis [creator and star] wants to do. Everyone has said if there’s an idea that feels good, we would be all up for it. I would personally go back in a heartbeat!