Greg Davies has high hopes for future Man Down guest stars
Channel 4's sitcom Man Down is back for its fourth series
Since springing onto our TV screens as the wonderfully acerbic Head of Sixth Form, Mr Gilbert, in Channel 4 comedy The Inbetweeners in 2008, Greg Davies has become one of the UK’s most successful comic actors.
BBC Three’s Cuckoo – alongside Hollywood stars Taylor Lautner and Andy Samberg – followed, while Taskmaster on Dave sees Greg lord it over fellow comedians vying to impress him with their inventiveness as they tackle ridiculous challenges.
But it’s Channel 4 sitcom Man Down – which returned last week for its fourth series – that Greg, 49, describes as his “baby”, seeing as he created and co-writes it. In it, he plays man-child Dan, hopeless at love, life and everything in between.
“I am really proud of this series, I think it’s our best one,” smiles Greg. “I feel very lucky that Channel 4 have let us carry on because you get better at doing it. It’s not totally stress-free, but mildly less stressful than it used to be!”
But while viewers are clearly enjoying the show, Greg’s not too keen on watching it himself…
“I’m in the edit so I have no choice but to watch myself multiple times,” he explains. “But I largely don’t watch myself at all. I don’t like to for the same reasons as anyone else – I hate my fat face and stupid voice!”
As series four began, we saw Dan struggling with the realisation that he’s about to become a father and is totally unprepared, having no job or home of his own.
His mum (played by Grange Hill’s Gwyneth Powell) and Aunt Nesta (the brilliantly biting Stephanie Cole) have moved to a retirement village and his best pals Brian (Mike Wozniak) and Jo (Roisin Conaty) are as frustrated and hapless as ever, respectively.
The show’s so popular it’s even managed to bag some impressive guest stars in the past, such as Star Wars legend Mark Hamill, who played café owner Bob last year, while last Wednesday’s series opener featured snooker star Dennis Taylor and DJ Trevor Nelson. So who would Greg most like to get involved in future?
“I tried to talk Rowan Atkinson into being in the show at one point I’m pretty sure, I’d love to see him in it,” Greg reveals.
“I’m sure I could give you a list of people I admire, but we’ve got to the stage now where it’s more about finding the right person for the role. When a character comes up, then we start putting names to it afterwards, rather than vice versa.”
And with a history of failure in his life, surely someone as hopeless as Dan can’t be based on reality. can he?
“It’s all inflated, but there is always a truth to it all,” says stand-up comedian Greg.
“I love how selfish Dan is, it’s like giving a voice to the bad side of yourself.
"The private, selfish traits I might have, you get to blow them out of proportion and make them a far bigger part of that character’s life. He’s so self-interested and I love that!”
“I am so irritated by my own incompetences in life,” he continues. “Here’s an example: I regularly lose trousers. How is that possible? I’ve lost two pairs of trousers this year, I don’t know where they are. I’ve never met another human being who loses trousers.
"And I don’t go around stripping off, so it’s an absolute mystery to me. I’m such an irritating person! I spend a lot of time on my own, shouting angrily, but I make more sense when I’m with people I think.”
One part of Dan’s life that Greg can definitely identify with is the fact he – just like Mr Gilbert – is a teacher.
“I taught drama for 13 years. I was rubbish!” he laughs.
“I certainly know the feeling of being in a job that you weren’t born to do so I channel that frustration into Dan for sure. I left teaching around 2005 and I don’t miss it, for whatever the smallest part of a second is!”
“My former students come to my shows, it’s lovely. I’ve even got a quote from one of them in my current stand-up tour, You Magnificent Beast. She said: ‘We had a good laugh in your classes, but you’re a s**t teacher.’”
Man Down Wednesday 10pm C4