The new series of The Celebrity Traitors begins on Thursday 1 October at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The series will air two nights a week on Thursday and Friday evenings at 8pm.

You were live on Radio 2 when it was announced you’d be taking part in The Celebrity Traitors, what has the reaction been like?

I think everyone’s surprised because a lot of my friends and family didn't think I'd ever come on a show like this. The truth is I didn't think I would do this show because I really enjoy it. It's one of those shows that's a family event in our house, so we all sit down to watch it, and those things are few and far between now. Contrary to popular belief, I do watch things and not ask to go on them! So, I was watching it, and we're having a good time, and I'd never had any aspirations of being on the show, and then my youngest son was desperate for me to come on, so it's kind of his fault.

What has your mum said?

I just want to have a fun game or whatever, that's my intention, but you know my mum is classic. “You better win. You have to win!” She's like, it's the opposite of what you want to hear. It's not a pep talk. It’s insistent. She said “You have to win. I'll be thinking every day I hope he's going to win. I hope he's going to.” It doesn't need to be about that. We're just going to go and have a nice time, yeah? It’s because this show is so popular and a show that my mum actually watches, that's why she's excited. When I did Live at the Apollo for the first time, she didn't watch that because she's not really a stand-up comedy fan, so she was like, oh, okay, but this! She cares about this.

How does it feel to be doing it with Rob as well?

Well, it's weird, isn't it? Because Rob is one of my best friends, and we've worked together for a decade now, but I still won't be able to trust it. I mean, he's just as easily going to be on my side as he is going to twist the knife in my back given the opportunity. I mean, it's completely unpredictable. So, it's going to be a weird thing where normally when we're doing Rob and Romesh Vs, we've got each other's backs and are helping each other out. Whereas this time, he can't be trusted. It can't be the end of the relationship because it's financially beneficial. But I think if it wasn't financially beneficial, then it could be the end of the friendship.

And vice versa, would you stab him in the back?

In a heartbeat, yeah. Yeah, I think I would. It's all fair in Traitors, isn't it?

Exactly. It's just a game.

It's just a game that has real-world implications for working relationships.

Have you got a strategy?

Not really. One of my biggest issues is that I'm not particularly observant, which isn't ideal for this game. So, I need to work on that. I need to become more of an active listener. I've got the gist. I'm a very gist guy, and in The Traitors, you can't be a gist guy. You've got to look at nuance and stuff like that. I think people are going to find it uncomfortable talking to me because I'm going to be desperately trying to pay as much attention as I possibly can.

Have you done anything special to prepare?

I've tried to. I've read sports psychology books because one of the things that I realised about this is the pressure really gets to you so that can throw your judgement off. I want to remain completely cool and calm, so I've read some books about how to try and stay chilled in moments of pressure. I don't really feel anything anyway, generally, but I think this is a specific thing.

This is your Olympics…

In a way, yeah.

Do you see yourself as more of a leader, a team player, or a lone wolf in this game?

Socially, I've always been a lone wolf, but that hasn't been my choice. I don't think I'm a leader, so I think I like I would describe myself as somebody who likes to play off the front man, you know? I'm in the group. I'm happy to offer my opinion, but I'm not going to take the lead unless I'm asked to. I don't think I'm worth following. Before the game starts I really need to develop some sort of self-belief.

What do you think you'd find more difficult, being wrongly accused and having to defend yourself, or having to deceive others?

Well, I was on The Jonathan Ross Show, and Joe Marler asked me if I was going to be on The Celebrity Traitors, and I knew that I was, but I also knew that I couldn't say. Even that felt really difficult. Up until that point, I thought I'd be alright at sort of lying, but now I don't. That basically shook my confidence completely. I think that one of the things that you tend to do when you're lying is really over explain. When you're trying to defend yourself, you really over explain too. So, my strategy in that regard is going to be to try and under explain. I find lying tricky.

Have you got any hobbies that we might not know about that might be useful in the game?

If there is a music-related Mission then maybe that. I'm working on an album. That's a hobby of mine, that I keep going to a studio and laying down some bars on a hip-hop album.

Although since I've started recording it, I've lost confidence in everything I've recorded so far. So, it might never see the light of day. It might be a posthumous release.

Do you think you can win?

If it was a game that completely and solely relied on skill, then no, I don't think I could win it. But I think that it's such a thin line between an amazing game and a terrible game. The truth is, it's impossible to know. But I think that I can. I mean, it's possible. Do I think I'm going to? No.

(Image: BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody Burridge)

Interview supplied by BBC