What drew you to Ha Ha Holmes!?

Last year I did a touring production of Doctor in the House produced by Jamie Wilson. He’s been a fan of mine since he was a kid. That was the catalyst for our first meeting. We really hit it off and looked for another project to work on together. Jamie has been putting on Ha Ha! shows for years. But this year he wanted to expand it by putting a name in it. I agreed immediately because the script made me laugh out loud.

Why were you so eager to take on the role of Sherlock Holmes?

It’s something so different from me. All the roles I’ve played before have basically been me.

The Nerd was very much me.

The Producers was me with an American accent. Doctor in the House was me in a white coat.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead was a layabout version of me. But Sherlock Holmes is a real stretch for me. But I’ve loved it. I’ve especially enjoyed working with Ben Langley, who wrote the play and co-stars as Doctor Watson, and Andrew Fettes, who plays everyone else.

You recently made your West End theatre debut as King Arthur in Spamalot – you seem to be doing more and more acting – is this a direction you are keen to pursue?

I really enjoy new challenges. Bonnie Langford invited me to see the show and thought it was great and when the offer came to step into King Arthur’s shoes I couldn’t resist the opportunity and jumped at the chance. I was delighted and surprised because I only had a six-week window to do it in because of my stand up touring commitments, the Ha Ha Holmes project and the Sleeping Beauty Panto later in the year.

Why do you think Holmes works as comedy?

The stories lend themselves to comic treatment. The relationship between Holmes and Watson is funny. Holmes is the master criminal hunter and Watson is his apprentice – there is great scope for comedy there.

Look at Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes films – there is a lot of humour in them. Robert Downey Junior is a fantastic comic actor.

We’re simply heightening what’s already there. It’s Monty Python meets Men Behaving Badly meets Sherlock Holmes.

Please describe some of the comic scenes to us.

It’s a musical, and at one point the Hound and I sing Hello as a duet. Obviously the Hound is just howling, while I’m singing, but you can’t really tell the difference! I think it’s a hilarious scene.

Will you be interacting with the audience on Ha Ha Holmes!?

Absolutely. You have to be cold and analytical as Holmes, but there is no fourth wall in the play. You can ad lib, or leave it alone. There is a lot of improvisation. If an improvisation works, you keep it in the show.

Improvisation is brilliant because it makes every night unique.

Why do we love Sherlock Holmes so much?

He’s such a popular character. People are fascinated by him. They used to write to 221b Baker Street asking him to solve their problems.

Up until 2002, they employed a full-time secretary to reply to all the letters.

A lot of modern CSI-type dramas are based on this fictional character’s way of deducing crimes. In 2002, the Royal Society of Chemistry bestowed an honour on Holmes for services to analytical chemistry and forensic science, making him the only fictional character ever to be honoured.

I have been watching Jonny Lee Miller in Elementary recently.

It’s wonderful watching him unravel the crime. It’s like Columbo – click, click, click – it all falls into place. We all wish we could do that!

Why has the character of Holmes enjoyed such a resurgence recently?

Everything is coming back.

The last time they did a comedy version of Holmes was when Peter Cook played him in The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1978. Everything has come full circle. They have brought back Dallas, Charlie’s Angels, The A Team, Shaft and Kojak. It’s great that a whole new generation of people is now discovering Holmes.

Finally, do you have plans to star in further Ha Ha shows?

A Definitely. If this goes well, we’re talking about Ha Ha Hood!, Ha Ha Hitler!, Ha Ha Houdini!, Ha Ha Hamlet!, and Ha Ha Hobbit!.

Basically anything beginning with the letter H is fair game!

  • Ha Ha Holmes! The Hound of the Baskervilles! is at The Mayflower on Sunday. Tickets are available here>>