BD: You certainly seem back on form...

BE: You can make of it what you will. I'm as proud of, I am as happy with the work I was doing five years ago as I am doing now, because I did my best on both occasions. Upstart Crow was a hit. My previous sitcom The Wright Way was a famous failure. But I put as much effort into both. 

So I've been incredibly lucky, but I didn't think I'd get lucky again. And I did with Upstart Crow. So that really brought me back into British artistic life. And a tour, and the last novel was more successful than the previous one. You know, Identity Crisis. Yeah, things... I've had, it's been good this last two years. It's always been good, you know?

BD: You must be financially secure though. Why work?

BE: I mean I'm much, much, much better off than most people, but not... If I stopped working altogether, and lived another 40 years, bearing in mind parents and the sort of responsibilities, yeah I think probably eventually I might start going, "Oh gosh I'd certainly better stop drinking quite so much champagne of a weekend." 

But I've been lucky that I can always choose the work I want to do. I could be immensely better off than I am, because I've had a lot of opportunities that I've chosen not to pursue. The most glamorous of which was my own offer of a Dreamworks movie, to develop and write one. But I couldn't do it. The kids were young, they wanted me to move to America.  

I turned down Police Academy 6 in 1987. I turned down every advert I've ever been offered. This isn't me saying, "Look at me how good I am." But I've always been lucky enough to do work I want to do. And sometimes not been able to do the work. Of course I'd love to have written a Dreamworks movie. But I couldn't spend three years in Hollywood at that point. I'd love to have a big career. Anyone who says they wouldn't like to be big in the States is lying. But there's lots of people who wouldn't break their hearts for it, and I'm one of those people. Because I didn't have time. 

Obviously if I'd had a really fallow period, I've had done whatever. I'd have written for anyone who'd asked. For instance I never didn't do adverts because I don't approve of adverts. Chris, every penny I earned from Channel 4, and ITV was paid for by adverts. I never had the remotest objection politically. But personally I knew that as a stand-up comic, I'm giving a lot of opinions from my own heart. And if the audience is looking at me thinking, "Well I know that he sold his opinion," because I was offered Hush Puppy shoes back in the late '80s.

And I always used to think, "If it's clear that I'll say I love Hush Puppy shoes clearly for money," although I have to say I think they're very good shoes, may I say. Then that's probably not a good position for me as an opinion bloke.

So yeah, no I don't need the money, but I do love to work, and I work at the things I want to do. And so I'm fortunate enough not to need the money, but I also don't pursue the money. And the money I have has been earned exclusively doing what I consider to be the best possible thing I could have done at the time.

BD: Some of your earliest routines still stand the test of time. Some, sadly, feel very timely, like the one 35 years ago that was about the British attitude to IRA bombs...

BE: There were all these signs saying, "If you see a bag, please alert everyone." And I was saying, "You know, you don't. You just sit there thinking, "I hope it doesn't blow up before I get off, so I don't have to draw attention to myself." The British would rather be blown to bits than have anyone notice them. 

BD: Is Upstart Crow coming back? Will there be another series on the BBC? 

BE: "It's up to the BBC. We'd love to do it. You know, the BBC have an endlessly shrinking budget. They have an absolute duty to bring on new talent, develop new ideas. They have to take serious decisions, particularly when deciding whether to recommission over lengthy periods of time. Crow had an amazing run. Three full series, two wonderful Christmas specials. The BBC did decide to say, "No, we're not commissioning at the moment." But they're not saying, "No, we're canceling it." My God, they love it.

But they have a very, very finite budget, and they have a duty to explore, and develop. And I 100% support that. And I have no argument at all with that decision. In fact I think it's the right decision. I hope they'll bring us back when that in itself becomes an original move. Do you know what I mean? I think it could've stood a wonderful fourth series, and I'd have loved to have done it. I hope the BBC will... And I know the BBC would love to see that too, when they feel they can afford it..."