So how did you go from bad stockbroking to producing the likes of The Office?

Well I'd nursed this dream of doing some kind of comedy-type telly career thing, so I wrote some begging letters to the BBC. Eventually I got my big break, although it was sort of a rubbish big break as it was a job behind the scenes at Watchdog. A show that certainly is funny, but for all the wrong reasons. Listening to people whinge about faulty washing machines wasn't my cup of tea, and they must have known it as my contract wasn't renewed. Luckily, I managed to get some unpaid intern experience on radio after that, and I sort of worked my way into the BBC comedy club from there.

So what was the inspiration for Man Stroke Woman?

The show is basically about becoming an adult. I mean like a proper adult – turning 30, leaving behind your reckless years, entering that rather disconcerting period when everyone you know seems to be getting married or having kids, and you can't piss around at work as much as you used to because, rather terrifyingly, you're actually the boss now. So what I wanted to do, when writing the show, was to exaggerate the fear and confusion people feel when they hit this rocky place.

You've got some rather juicy talent on the show. How did the cast get together?

Well, they'd never worked as a group before. We assembled them slowly in the manner of a boy band or something, individually auditioning each one and then dumping them in a room to see if they could actually work together or not. What I wanted was to cast the three most talented men and the three most talented women in the comedy scene, and we struck gold with the likes of Nick Frost, who is such a huge star now thanks to the Simon Pegg movies, and Nick Burns from Nathan Barley.

Did any other comedy shows influence the creation of Man Stroke Woman?

Yes, insofar as I really, really didn't want it to be anything like Little Britain or Catherine Tate, which were really taking off when I first sat down to write Man Stroke Woman. I wanted something darker, more startling, and more cinematic somehow. Kind of like the thinking person's sketch show. But I suppose there are similarities to Big Train, which could also be dark and unsettling in places.

In terms of the comedy I watch myself, at the moment I'm really into the Mighty Boosh and Flight of the Conchords. Though saying that, the best thing on telly isn't comedy at all. It's The Wire, the US crime epic which is very probably the greatest TV show of all time ever. Honest.