Dylan Moran

(On how he met Bill Bailey, his "Black Books" co-star almost ten years before they worked together) Dylan: Ten or so years ago, we'd see one another in the London clubs, a sort of nodding acquaintance, but the first time I remember talking to Bill was in one of those typical, dreary, provincial hotels where you have to give your grandmother's maiden name to get a drink after 11pm. We bumped into one another, while gigging around the country, and collapsed, knackered on a sofa and had a very desultory chat about the thrills 'n' spills of service station food and touring. I didn't know him terribly well at all, but he was wise and friendly.

(On why he chose to take a role in the movie "The Actors") Dylan: I just laughed out loud, which doesn't happen that often with scripts. I connected instantly with this script – it was this immediately recognisable voice of a place, of Dublin. I lived there for a while. I grew up not too far from there. Conor (McPherson) has a brilliant ear for the people, the Dubliners. it's great, it's very recognisable.

(Answering a question asking if the Irish really hate the English) Dylan: No, but there is a huge cultural difference. There's a lot of mutual respect there, as well as a huge tradition of piss-taking on both sides, and you can see why. They're not polar opposites but, my God, they are maybe the two broken halves of the same piece. Certainly the emotionalism and the exaggeration and the caricatural way of talking of Irish people is a very stark contrast to a lot of understated English talk. But then you go down into the regions or you go up north and you get more colour, you get more of a tincture of feeling and humour in the way people talk.