Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Mark Williams is Kirk

Mark Williams plays Barry's best mate Kirk: "Neil and I have been mates for a long time and we've both got a lot of respect for each other.

"We also have similar backgrounds. We're both from the Midlands and have Irish grandparents and we've both got the same kind of work ethic.

"He's been the top of his profession for about 25 years, and we've both got a thing about attention to detail. We're obsessed with punctuation and pretty meticulous.

"Although we haven't worked together since Reeves & Mortimer, at one point when the stage play Art first started there was an idea about putting Martin [Clunes], Neil and me together in the cast.

"You can tell when people know each other - there's a lot of shorthand and you can bring a real lightness to the relationship."

He continues: "The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Mark Freeland described Kirk to me as, 'brilliantly hapless yet never beaten!' He's a selection of confusions really. He's got no filters and doesn't think before he speaks. But he's also got a great life force.

"He wears shorts all the time and no socks because he can't be bothered with all that, and football shirts.

"He's very active and interested in loads of stuff, but a bit frustrated, clearly, especially in the trouser department."

This leads to him seeing all sorts of sexual undertones in plates of broccoli or button mushrooms."

It can also lead to problems with the people around him:

"Carrie might find his drunken passes difficult, but he doesn't find his relationship with her problematic.

"Carrie really loves Barry but he hasn't half got some baggage and Kirk is part of that - and Michelle's no easy ride either.

"Watching Claire and Michelle work together made us realise that we would need to raise the game as they are really fantastic!"

Mark describes Carrie & Barry as: "A proper sitcom - it's people talking about sex and work in rooms.

"I really hope it will make people laugh as it is really funny. I'm sure everyone has said the same thing, but we all really enjoyed doing it, and hopefully that will show on the screen."