The Bubble presenter David Mitchell reveals more about the series, and gives a sneak peek of what to expect in the next series of That Mitchell And Webb Look…

The Bubble is a tried and tested formula, isn’t it?
Yes it’s been tried and tested in several countries. I’ve seen a couple of them, but I think we’re the only ones who do it as a news-based, satirical show. Hopefully ours is a way of not only just satirising the news, but also satirising its presentation. I do pity the panellists trying to spot false headlines from the real ones!

Are the contestants filmed when they’re in their ‘bubble’?
There’s a bit of footage to confirm they’ve gone in there. It’s not the Big Brother house and they should have a nice time being cooked for. It should feel like a free holiday and a bit of peace and quiet for a lot of them – provided they’re not like me and don’t start itching if they haven’t checked their emails.

So there’s no contact with the outside world at all?
People are taking part on the understanding that they can have a phone call every evening with their small child. I daresay it’ll be listened to though. The small child could have some intricate and uncrackable code – maybe four mentions of ‘teddy’ could mean that Gordon Brown has resigned.

Is it strange for you to be the host instead of a panellist?
I’m quite happy being in the middle of fielding things. You have to make sure you try to stamp a bit of balance between the guests and you have to move the show on and those are complicating factors. But, at the same time, if you can’t think of anything to say, you’ve got a card with something on to move things forward!

You’re very busy this year with a new series of That Mitchell And Webb Look and  Peep Show. Is Would I Lie To You coming back as well?
Yes it is. A lot of my output seems to be to do with lying or speculating about lying!

Can you reveal anything about the new series of your sketch show?
There’ll be lots of new stuff. But we will have more Hennimore sketches, which we saw in the last series, as well as more ‘After the Event’ sketches. Those are the returning features – but there’ll be no more Sir Digby Chicken Caesar this time.

Why?
We got a bit sick of doing it because of the way it’s shot. We carried on with it for a long time after we got sick of it. We’re doing more with the snooker commentators, and that’s a big make-up job with the bald cap. But the thing I hate most is a beard. Having beards stuck on really maddens me – especially in hot weather. There’s something about the spirit gum and it’s slightly prickly. Obviously I’m making a massive fuss and I need to get a grip. It’s just that grating low-level annoyance and you just want to tear it off!

Is it more fun to play different characters?
Yes. The Peep Show shoot can get a bit samey. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful because it’s a show I love doing and a character I’m thrilled to play – although the one advantage over the sketch show is there’s no facial hair or wigs!

You’re also a keen Tweeter. Has anything you’ve written on Twitter ever been turned into a news story?
Recently the online version of my Observer column had been altered and was different to what was printed in the newspaper. I was cross about it so I wrote on Twitter, ‘Don’t read the online version, read the paper version.’ That was then picked up as a tiny Diary piece in the Independent saying that I was being snooty about sub-editors. It’s not exactly what you’d call a huge scoop.

As well as all your TV and radio work, you’re also writing three books…
I currently owe the world three books. Robert Webb and I have the second of our two-book deal to write and will be doing that in the spring. That’s going to be our analysis of the middle classes and I’m looking forward to that as I’ve got a lot to say on that subject! Then I’ve got a two-book deal of my own. One will be a memoir, but not an autobiography. I don’t think I’ve had an interesting enough life. So it’s more a take on the world that my uninteresting life has given me – hopefully in a funny way. And I’ve also got a novel which I have an idea for but I’m going to keep it under my hat. I don’t have to write that until 2013.

By Elaine Penn & Martina Fowler