Dynamic Duo

ALEXANDER ARMSTRONG: Alexander Armstrong, or Xander as he likes to be called, is the happy-go-lucky, ever-smiling Pimms advert actor, and now one of the country’s most successful comedians.

But with a cold on the way, a massive bout of homesickness, and no respite in sight, has the 40-year-old bitten off more than he can chew?

“I have never been busier in my whole life,” Xander says, sounding rather run-down. “And while this year has been amazingly productive...2010 has been an absurd time.”

Which begs the gentle question ‘what did he expect?’ Not only has the new Armstrong and Miller Show nabbed the prime time BBC Saturday night, post-X Factor slot, but the comedy duo are also halfway through a massive tour, their new book is out this month and, as if that wasn’t enough, Xander and his wife Hannah have a new baby to cope with as well.

So why tour at all?

“Well a TV show is a very weird thing because you never really know how people react to it. There are previews and reviews and viewing figures, but they don’t tell you what people really think. It’s not like getting a mark when you hand in your work. And you can get a bit mollycoddled. People don’t consider you a proper comedian if you don’t do a live show and we don’t want to become spoilt. So, having played in Blackpool, which is a rites of passage, and got a favourable audience in Glasgow, we are beginning to earn our place,” he laughs.

So it’s a pain barrier thing? “Well, a live show puts you on your mettle every night and you have to do a good job. You can’t go in front of a live audience unless you are prepared to be at your best, so I suppose it’s a way of proving yourself. And this is a very ambitious show, so it doesn’t feel like a pale TV rip-off.”

So is Xander enjoying it?

“Yes,” he says, brightening. “Now we are into our swing and have tweaked it a bit, we have ended up with a show we really, really love. We are so proud of it. And every night I get butterflies, although I can no longer discern between anxiety and excitement. We just love getting out there and doing it,” he says sounding remarkably like his Second World War fighter pilot character.

But off stage, Xander admits he is ridiculously homesick and can’t wait to get back to his family for Christmas, especially his wife. “We exchange weepy phone calls,” he says, “and I get terribly homesick. I can’t bear leaving them, so that has been really, really hard.

“We had two babies in quick succession – not by design, although they are a real blessing. So we have got the full complement now. But the tour had been planned for 18 months so I try to go home whenever possible.”

He must be looking forward to Christmas then?

“God yes! As a family we are taking December and January off at our house in Oxfordshire, which will be our main base over Christmas, so lots of long walks and log fires. But I’m totally out of the loop. All the kids have new coats and new shoes and all I’ll have to talk about is myself and my show.

“I owe my wife so much, so she will be receiving a massive Christmas present. And once we get to Oxford we’ll be on the home straight.”

As for living it up on tour, Xander’s schedule is too hectic, but his infamous best friends – Giles Coren, Jamie Theakston and Johnny Yeo – have a lads’ night out scheduled for December.

“It’s very important to have a night out with your pals,” he adds, “even though I haven’t had one for quite a while. Until then spirits will remain high.”

BEN MILLER: Ben Miller is the more practical of the famous comedy duo, revelling in their success and enjoying every moment.

“Yes, our current workload is a total eclipse,” the 44 year-old says, “especially making it on to Saturday night TV, when you consider our original show was at 11pm on Channel 4,” he laughs. “So yes, it is a double wammy with the tour, but it’s all fun,” as their recent Bafta for Best Comedy Programme underlines.

But Ben also accedes that the pair’s cheerful outlook and compatibility both on and off stage is the key to their success. “The reason we started working together all those years ago (having met at Cambridge University in the early 1990s,) was because we were always in tune with each other on stage and we fit perfectly. Alex gives me a lot of confidence that I wouldn’t feel if I was out there on my own. And ultimately, we are just having a laugh, so it’s not really a conscious thing.”

And yet unlike most comedians, there doesn’t seem to be a dark side lurking there. Instead Armstrong and Miller have tapped into a rich comedy vein that feeds purely off being happy, well-adjusted people. “Well, I don’t want to be Pollyannerish about it,” Ben says, “but the characteristics we share are that we like to be positive and try to find the joy in things. I’ve never really been one for sarcasm. Instead we are just larking about being silly. It’s no more sophisticated than that.”

Which may explain why the live show, coming to the New Theatre next week, involves so much audience participation. “That’s the really fun bit,” Ben says. “We do a lot of stuff with the audience, a lot of singalongs and we get them up on stage, a lot of mucking about.

“So the live show is a bit of a licence to go mad because lots of funny things happen on the night, even if you plan for it. On the other hand, we want to keep the rope taut and for the audience to care about the sketches and the story.”

When the tour is over, Ben will be taking a busman’s holiday by writing a book from home. So does he find it hard to relax?

“Well it’s not like I’ll be in solitary confinement,” he smiles. “I’ll still be doing pick up from school and stuff in between.

“But athough I love being at home, you still have to find a way to support yourself and pay the bills.”

And yet, if Armstrong and Miller’s current success is anything to go by, it won’t be a worry for much longer.

* Armstrong and Miller are appearing at the New Theatre on November 18 and 19. Box office on 0844 8471588