Rob Brydon drawn to latest role as he ‘missed’ sitcoms since Gavin And Stacey

Rob Brydon has said he was drawn to his latest role because he had not starred in a sitcom since Gavin And Stacey, adding: “I missed it and I wanted to do it.”

The Welsh actor, 61, is best known for starring alongside Ruth Jones, James Corden and Joanna Page in the BBC One sitcom as the fiercely enthusiastic Uncle Bryn.

The show became a hit after it first aired in 2007 and ran for three series until 2010, before returning for three Christmas specials, with its final instalment airing in 2024.

Brydon has continued to appear in comedy roles since the award-winning series concluded, but said he had missed starring in a sitcom.

He stars in upcoming series Bills Included as well-meaning but over enthusiastic divorcee Bill Beam, who rents his spare rooms to four students to stay financially afloat.

Reflecting on what drew him to the role, Brydon said: “I haven’t done a sitcom since Gavin And Stacey.

“I’d been hosting shows like Destination X, Would I Lie to You? The Floor, I did my travel country music documentary and I missed it and I wanted to do it.”

The actor, from Swansea, added: “It was my friend Steve Coogan’s company Baby Cow, they started to develop some scripts for me.

“This must have been four or five years ago, maybe more.

“It went through several iterations until we ended up where we are now.”

Brydon is also an executive producer on the upcoming series, which has been written by Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen and consists of six 30-minute episodes.

Discussing his character, Brydon said: “He ends up with four different students who come to live in his house, and he does his very best to be their friend.

“He calls himself a land friend, not a landlord. Then, of course, we get into all sorts of scrapes.”

Reflecting on working alongside a younger cast, Brydon said he could see himself in his co-stars and that it was “interesting to hear their perspective on the industry”.

He said: “I remember that at the end of filming, one of them said to me, ‘Thanks for being nice and for spending time with us between set-ups.’

“My reaction was, ‘Well, of course I did. We’re all actors on this show.’

“A few of them would say, ‘I grew up watching you on the telly,’ which is an odd thing to hear because you don’t really think of yourself that way.

“You’re aware to some degree that you have a certain status, but mostly you think of yourself as just an actor doing the job.

“I remember one of them saying that to me, and it made me think, ‘Oh, yeah’.”

“From their perspective, they might assume that the well-known bloke isn’t going to spend time with them, but that’s not how it is,” Brydon continued.

“We’re all actors together.

“I loved being around them, partly because of their energy. They’re young, and that’s great.

“It was also interesting to hear their perspective on the industry.

“They knew who was being cast in what, who was directing which projects, and it reminded me of how I used to be.”

Bills Included will be available on BBC iPlayer and BBC One from November 20.